Has work gotten hard lately? Are you suddenly struggling with meeting deadlines or keeping up with your daily responsibilities? You might be feeling lazy when the lack of motivation sets in, especially as your to-do list keeps growing. However, there could be more to your emotional state than just laziness.
Burnout and laziness both often look similar from the outside, and a lot of people don’t know the difference. Once you understand whether you’re struggling with burnout or laziness, you can start getting to the bottom of the issue and get your productivity back on track.
Understanding Burnout vs. Laziness
Burnout and laziness may both lead to a lack of productivity and might look similar from the outside, but there’s a major difference. Generally speaking, laziness is a choice to avoid hard work or effort. Lazy people lack sufficient motivation to complete their responsibilities or to pursue goals in life.
Burnout, however, is the consequence of being overworked. If you’re feeling burnt out, you don’t have a choice. You might feel motivated to get work done, but you struggle with it because your body and mind are exhausted and you need rest. It’s often connected to people’s jobs, with one survey noting 65% of employees experiencing burnout in 2023 and 72% saying burnout is impacting their performance.
Signs and Symptoms of Burnout
It’s normal to have periods in life that are busier than usual. Spending time with family, meeting work and school obligations, taking care of pets and chores, and so much more can contribute to your physical, mental, and emotional load. As that load grows heavier and you pour more of yourself into meeting those demands, fatigue can build up and eventually hit in the form of burnout.
Burnout can leave you feeling stressed out, struggling to keep up with your responsibilities, and thoroughly exhausted. You might experience signs of burnout, including:
- Physical and mental exhaustion
- Isolating or alienating yourself from usual activities, hobbies, and responsibilities
- A feeling of pervasive numbness about work and home life
- Reduced performance at work and home
- Physical symptoms such as headaches, body aches, reduced appetite, insomnia, or getting sick more frequently
- Mental symptoms such as helplessness, feeling dissatisfied, cynical, or incapable of completing your work. You may feel like a failure or fall into a defeated mindset.
Signs and Symptoms of Laziness
Laziness is typically caused by a lack of motivation and energy to get things done. You might struggle with starting or finishing tasks, or you may simply be bored or apathetic toward the tasks you need to do. For example, if you work a boring, repetitive job, the lack of stimulation can leave you bored and unmotivated to do a good job.
Keep in mind that laziness isn’t a clinical diagnosis used in psychology. There also isn’t any clear metric for what might be considered lazy. Rather, it’s a subjective opinion.
Signs you might be lazy include:
- Struggling to get started on tasks, regardless of how rested you are.
- Struggling to remain focused on tasks that don’t interest you.
- Lacking the motivation to do things or change your situation.
- Napping or sleeping excessively when you have nothing better to do.
- Failing to complete responsibilities, chores, or other tasks without much of a reason.
It’s important to note that a lot of reasons people may be lazy can also be caused by underlying conditions. Depression, for example, can cause a lack of energy and motivation. ADHD can cause people to struggle with focusing on tasks. If you’re struggling with signs of laziness, it may be worth speaking with a mental health professional. They can help evaluate if there’s an underlying condition contributing to your feelings of laziness.
Why You Might Be Feeling Burnt Out or Lazy
If you’re feeling burnt out or lazy, there’s probably a reason for it. With self-reflection, you can often find the source of the problem. Burnout is typically caused due to excessive workloads while laziness can be related to all sorts of bad habits. Either way, once you can identify why you feel the way you do, you can start taking steps to correct the situation.
Reasons you may feel burnt out include:
- Juggling unmanageable workloads
- Being treated unfairly at work
- Poor work-life balance
- Lack of sleep
- Lack of supportive relationships
- Certain personality traits, such as pessimism, a need for control, or perfectionism
You might be feeling lazy because:
- You’re not driven or motivated to complete the tasks on your list
- You’re bored
- You’re procrastinating
- You feel unrecognized
- You struggle with self-discipline
- You struggle with time management
- You struggle with impulse control
Strategies for Overcoming Burnout
If you’re feeling burnt out, it’s a sign you need rest. Getting that can seem easier said than done. Try implementing these strategies to reduce your load and get the rest your body and mind need.
- Engage in a Healthy Lifestyle: A healthy lifestyle can do wonders for your physical and mental health. Get enough sleep, eat well, and exercise regularly. It’s a good idea to avoid stimulants like caffeine and nicotine or depend on depressants like alcohol.
- Make Time for Self-Care: You need time for yourself to do the things you love. Your self-care will be uniquely your own based on your personal preferences. Maybe you read for a bit before bed, or you choose to go out with friends every so often. Find things that you enjoy and do them regularly to recharge.
- Schedule in Rest: Both short breaks throughout the day and long breaks throughout the year can help you feel less overworked.
- Build a Support Network: Your support network is more than just your family. It includes friends and work colleagues. They may be able to help when you’re feeling particularly overworked. Even if they can’t do the work for you, they can support you emotionally and provide a listening ear when you need it.
- Set Boundaries: If you struggle with saying no when someone asks you for something, your to-do list can get far too long. It’s okay to decline when someone asks you for help if you can’t reasonably do it. Set limits and stick to them.
- Foster a Good Work-Life Balance: Limiting the work you’re willing to take can actually help you be more productive. A good work-life balance leaves you feeling more energized and motivated.
Strategies for Addressing Laziness
Learning to address your laziness can be stressful, but there are ways you can begin to correct it, including:
- Find What Drives You: If you’re struggling with laziness, you might not be working toward what motivates you. Some people are driven by succeeding in their careers. Others want to create art and others still may find their purpose in helping others.
- Cut Out Distractions: If you’re constantly working with distractions, you might find yourself pulled in too many directions to get anything done. Pay attention to what distracts you, such as doom scrolling through social media or watching TV, and work to eliminate those distractions while you’re trying to be productive.
- Set SMART Goals: SMART goals are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. These goals help you create a plan of action that can support your productivity.
- Create Accountability: Pair your goals with accountability. Tell a friend or family member about what you’re doing and ask them to check in with you from time to time. Sometimes, having someone watching your progress can drive you to get work done.
- Celebrate Your Accomplishments: When you get something done, even if it’s small, celebrate it. This helps reinforce the reward of being productive and can help motivate you to do more.
Seeking Professional Help
If self-care and practical life changes aren’t helping your symptoms of burnout or laziness, it may be time to turn to a professional for support. There could be something underlying going on, or you might not have the coping mechanisms to handle your situation.
Professional help can provide the support you need, offering expert guidance in overcoming burnout. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can commonly help with both burnout and procrastination, as well as numerous other symptoms associated with laziness.
Burnout and Laziness Don’t Have to Consume Your Life
Sometimes, we all need an extra helping hand. When you’re ready to reach out, we’re here to help. Our team of compassionate counselors is ready to guide your way back to productivity and mental wellness. All you have to do is reach out.
