I am really lazy.....

[Shanky]

Now that I have been retired nearly two years, I realize how lazy I am. Like someone who can run fast and far if a bear is chasing them will stop running when the bear is not chasing. I really enjoy the option to do very little if that is what I want that day.

Once I achieved FIRE I realized the bear was not chasing me anymore, so my natural laziness kicked in. I now assume a majority of the hard work and general industriousness in Society is driven by debt or desire to save.


Note: I had a very demanding, high stress, well compensated career, so you would not have guessed how lazy I really am.

 

[Sojourner]

I have to confess that I feel I have a strong tendency towards laziness, too. Sometimes it bugs me, like when I occasionally look at my to-do list and see that very little of it is getting accomplished each week. But other times I just tell myself that it's my nature to generally not do very much that could be considered truly "productive" on a daily basis. Maybe that will change at some point and I'll really start to focus on tackling some big, long-term projects or bucket list items. But for now, I'm not stressing about it very much. It is what it is.

 

[REWahoo]

I have to confess that I feel I have a strong tendency towards laziness, too. Sometimes it bugs me, like when I occasionally look at my to-do list...

There's your problem right there. Two solutions: stop looking at it or better yet, do away with it entirely.

 

[Rosie]

A wise person once said "Doing nothing is underrated".

Oh wait, that was me!

 

[Mdlerth]

In front of a bear or behind a Gekko

I now assume a majority of the hard work and general industriousness in Society is driven by debt or desire to save...

...or desire to consume. Never underestimate the motivating power of greed!

By nature I'm totally with you on the laziness bit. But fortunately I have an energetic wife to fill my idle time with fresh goals.

 

[Bamaman]

I'm not just so lazy. I now realize how ADHD I really am. I do stuff like take on new projects before completing my last project. I have never found any task impossible (with the help of UTube.com), but I really now appreciate the patience of my fsmily.

When I was working, the structure of the job made me get on task.

 

[ejman]

I think there is a lot to be said for the Italian philosophy of "dolce far niente" “sweet doing nothing, sweet idleness” The problem ( at least here) is that removing the Calvinist guilt trip is difficult.

 

[pb4uski]

Similar story here... generally lazy if left to my own devices.... got mediocre grades in high school and first semester of college because I wasn't applying myself... while working a manual labor job between freshman and sophmore years of college I realized that I was destined to live in poverty if I didn't step it up... was Dean's list after that. Once I started working I was having a ball with money to burn... partying many nights and occasionally showing up to work hungover.... at my first year evaluation the senior partner said that they thought I was a smart, young guy but wasn't applying myself worth a lick and that in 6 months they would decide to either promote me or show me the door... it was the kick in the a$$ that I needed... I was promoted 3 months later and did well the rest of my career.

I had a fairly type A, pressure jobs and worked long hours and traveled a lot. When I decided to hang up the gloves many people who knew me well thought that I would be climbing the walls in a year. One of the biggest surprises of retirement was how content that I could be just puttering around and not doing much of anything.

One of my favorite Beetle Bailey comic strips was one where Beetle was doing a number of onerous tasks and asked Sarge why he was getting all the hard tasks... Sarge replied that in his view that Beetle was the lasiest person in the unit so he would fine the easiest way to get the task done. That rang a bell with me.

 

[RunningBum]

A wise person once said "Doing nothing is underrated".

Oh wait, that was me!

Sounds wise to me!

I can relate to the OP. I worked very hard in school since I had to keep my grades up for a scholarship, and work for all my non-school expenses. I worked hard for much of my professional career. Now, I might get things done, or I might put them off for awhile. No big deal.

 

[Texas Proud]

The problem that I have with being lazy is DW... she is NOT and wants me to be like her....


I am not lazy when it comes to important things or when a deadline is near... I always get it done and have all of my life... the problem is that MY deadline and someone else's is usually different....

BTW, picking up DW from the airport tonight so I will be on time!!!

 

[robnplunder]

Now that I have been retired nearly two years, I realize how lazy I am. Like someone who can run fast and far if a bear is chasing them will stop running when the bear is not chasing. I really enjoy the option to do very little if that is what I want that day.

Once I achieved FIRE I realized the bear was not chasing me anymore, so my natural laziness kicked in. I now assume a majority of the hard work and general industriousness in Society is driven by debt or desire to save.


Note: I had a very demanding, high stress, well compensated career, so you would not have guessed how lazy I really am.

I've retired 2 years ago from equally demanding stressful job. What I found about myself since then:

• I am a much more laid back person
• I am much less competitive than I was
• I am whole lot less greedy, materialistic, etc.
• I hate traffic, rush hour more than I ever imagined
• and not lazy enough to ignore this thread.

 

[razztazz]

Thanks everyone (except Eager J. Beaver, Bamaman) for posting.

Often get to thinking: Is it just me....? I could easily waste the next 30 years. What's the rush?

 

[Persn]

Often get to thinking: Is it just me....? I could easily waste the next 30 years. What's the rush?

I love threads like this because they make me realize it’s NOT just me. And I now also realize that I have always been lazy, but got whipped into shape enough to work hard during my career so as to be “respected” and “successful.”

One last point - if you’re always running from the bear, even when you don’t need to be, it, or a different one, will inevitably catch you!

 

[Walt34]

I have to confess that I feel I have a strong tendency towards laziness, too. Sometimes it bugs me....

When I first retired I'll admit I did have that problem and then had the epiphany while sitting on the back porch, doing nothing, and sipping a glass of wine. I had worked all my life be be there, doing that, and nothing else that I didn't want to do.

And now I don't feel the slightest bit of guilt for not doing "something useful". Indeed, useful to who?

Note the tagline:

 

[flintnational]

I have been retired for 3+ years. My time is my own. I find that I get a little edgy if someone wants to infringe on my time. And, its all my time. I love to help others, but it needs to be on my schedule. I am not so much lazy as defensive of what I want to do or not do.

And, right now I want to have another glass of wine.

 

[Asher Aion]

I think there is a lot to be said for the Italian philosophy of "dolce far niente" “sweet doing nothing, sweet idleness” The problem ( at least here) is that removing the Calvinist guilt trip is difficult.

I agree with that philosophy wholeheartedly. Guilt trips aside, I am getting closer to it. Northern European roots, Lol.

I have an aunt who used to sit in a rocking chair and look out the window and contemplate life. My DM often mentioned it, she could never understand it, to the point of ridicule.

In that same vein a former business partner commented on Monday when visiting the office" I don't know why I speed when driving, I am retired." We all laughed at that, his personality type is 'Now'.

 

[Car-Guy]

Now that I have been retired nearly two years, I realize how lazy I am. Like someone who can run fast and far if a bear is chasing them will stop running when the bear is not chasing. I really enjoy the option to do very little if that is what I want that day.

Once I achieved FIRE I realized the bear was not chasing me anymore, so my natural laziness kicked in. I now assume a majority of the hard work and general industriousness in Society is driven by debt or desire to save.


Note: I had a very demanding, high stress, well compensated career, so you would not have guessed how lazy I really am.

Hey, I resemble that description, except it's already been five years for me. Work for a living seems like a distant memory (nightmare) now.

 

[StephieJean]

Uh oh, Houston, I think I may have the same problem when I retire. (Thinking I am being lazy when I am just "relaxing") Help me DW.

 

[Tallman4123]

For me, if I define myself as "lazy", I'm necessarily comparing myself against a standard I didn't set. I don't see it that way.

When I w*rked, I accomplished what I HAD to; usually on someone else's timeline. In retirement, I accomplish what I WANT to; usually on my timeline.

If that's lazy...guilty as charged.

 

[easysurfer]

Preaching to the choir here.

Amazing how fast the day goes by putzing around.

 

[razztazz]

I love threads like this because they make me realize it’s NOT just me. And I now also realize that I have always been lazy, but got whipped into shape enough to work hard during my career so as to be “respected” and “successful.”

One last point - if you’re always running from the bear, even when you don’t need to be, it, or a different one, will inevitably catch you!

Someone on this very forum said it best many years ago. The poster admitted that if he had had a choice he'd have simply been a trust fund baby with rich parents who could go through life doing whatever he wanted instead of working for a living. But at some point he "did the math" and realized he'd "have to do something for a while in exchange for being able to do nothing for a longer while."

The italicized part is an exact or nearly exact quote that I have always remembered since it described my own philosophy of life ever since I saw Thurston Howell III. I did the math as some point and realized I didn't need anywhere near Thurston Howell's money to pull it off.

I don't recall who said it but Hats Off! It's in my book of useful quotations right up there with Calvin Coolidge's "There is no dignity quite so impressive and no independence quite so important than living within your means."

 

[HI Bill]

Back when I was in high school, I lamented what I called the 'million dollar dilemma'. If everyone was born with $1M in their name, they would never have to work (more like $2M today). But then, there would not be anyone to do the work, if everyone took the option.

My laziness, and not wanting to work, have actually been the driving force behind me working hard, taking promotions, adding responsibility, saving and investing, and aiming to retire early. By working harder earlier in life, I can coast down the hill later beginning in my mid 50s, rather than late 60s.

 

[Lagniappe]

No one believes me when I tell them I am lazy.

I am a hard charging type A in the office, because I want to minimize my time in the office!

When I am not there, I spend great amounts of time doing nothing, and it makes me very happy.

 

[HI Bill]

No one believes me when I tell them I am lazy.

I am a hard charging type A in the office, because I want to minimize my time in the office!

When I am not there, I spend great amounts of time doing nothing, and it makes me very happy.

That's me, except I like to spend my spare time scuba diving, flying drones, swimming, cooking, hanging out with my wife! Full-bore at work, so I don't have to work OT for free!

 

[akck]

I have to admit I was lazy while working. I spent the hardest working time automating my duties and then then just breezed through them each month. I’d have to wait days for others to finish their parts before continuing.

This laziness continued into retirement except nothing to automate. My favorite quote goes something like, "I worked on nothing today and didn’t finish it."