"To solve a hard problem, give it to a 'Lazy Man.’” This adage, often mis-attributed to Bill Gates, highlights a deeper question: who defines someone as lazy, and for what reason?

Let’s talk about what it actually means to be lazy.

Laziness is commonly considered a character flaw. But negative labels often come from a false psychoanalysis of colleagues, permanently jeopardizing relationships. Actions and attitudes that appear lazy may be grounded in inability to complete a task, tiredness, disinterest or other factors. Laziness is a multifaceted word. Laziness can even be used as a replacement for “efficient” in some contexts.

In the cartoon Family Guy, Peter reads a dry New Yorker comic where an interviewee says, “I’d be more apathetic if I weren't so lethargic.” They are parodying the highfalutin, low stakes comedy of The New Yorker, like Seinfeld and other shows have prior. There are real jokes within this comic: the unexpectedness of such a line during a job interview, and, more relevant, the inability to emote when tired. Putting the interviewee’s rudeness aside, the point is that a lack of emotion, often called laziness, can result from feeling sluggish (lethargic). It is akin to saying, “I want to care about my financial accounting exam, but I am too tired today!”

Research shows that tiredness contributes to perceived laziness at a dangerous level. Our society perpetuates a vicious cycle: we skip steps to gain a few more minutes of sleep, only to find that our productivity suffers due to sleep deprivation. The CDC references multiple studies demonstrating the dangers of tiredness. One study correlates 6-7 hours of sleep with doubling the chance of a car crash, when compared to 7+ hours, and less than 6 hours doubling those chances again. The CDC alludes to the commonality of drowsy driving, which is far less stigmatized than driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol, but may be just as dangerous. In University, this translates to shorter essays, not because students don’t care, but simply because they are overworked and not receiving enough REM to put in full effort. For me—a lover of casual writing—tiredness translates into not using proper citations, hoping the reader just “goes along with it.”

In a later season, Family Guy again referenced a cause of laziness, this time in a joke about “Apathetic George,” a parody of Curious George. This dark joke references the poor treatment of captive (zoo) animals, forced into a life of monotony, known to lead to toxic behaviors [see Rat Park]. Humans and animals alike can not maintain a boring routine. It says, ‘laziness may be due to emotional state’. This may be why students increasingly prefer short semesters, bootcamps and fun activities to break up boring lectures. To get less lazy students, keep them entertained. If they’re interested in an assignment, the submissions won’t seem lazy.

While this joke attributes laziness to a lack of emotion—stemming from existential crises, depression, and more—different emotional states can also lead to perceptions of laziness. Manic people are associated with shifting levels of emotion. They are seen as lazy when they miss work, though they are suffering from a neuroligical disorder. ADHD, another common neurodevelopmental disorder, is often characterized by “too much” emotion. ADHD carriers are also falsely labeled as lazy, as they miss easy tasks to go chase a bag in the wind. Varying degrees of emotion (and subsequent energy) can contribute to the same descriptor: lazy.

Understanding motivation is key to understanding if someone is “truly” lazy, or if they are under duress, unmotivated, distracted etc. To counter false assessments, managers can ask their employees, “Tell me a time you put a lot of effort into something,” to gain an understanding of their motivations, before casting beliefs that they simply are disinterested in everything. Managers may ask, “How much sleep did you get last night?” or, maybe, “Is the constant construction next to your house at night keeping you from sleeping?”

To maximize my potential, I often use humor. While I might not be known as a comedian, or even funny, making myself and others laugh motivates me. “Funny” motivates me. Humor improves my organizational behaviors by providing a tangential interest. While some readers may find cartoon references as childish, and thus lazy, others see this as authentically pushing for connection between my interests and studies. Humor can be a great way to remember things, and a great way for orators to seem like they put in extra effort.

The takeaway is that what is lazy to one person may not be lazy to another. Without an understanding of motivation, there’s little way to determine if lazy is negative or positive. While there can be an instinctual reaction to characterize someone or someone’s actions as lazy, it is more constructive to evaluate why they are lazy, and what the impact is. If time is saved, lazy can be good. And if you don’t agree with everything I wrote, then you’re lazy!