The Slacker’s Dilemma

By Lev Novak

I am a slacker.

No shame in it. Frankly, there’s an Apatow like charm I bring to the table (right?) in my refusal to overwork myself to insanity. It’s very cultured; European, even. And, if anyone asks, it’s that cultural charm that has me leaving clothes all over my floor.

So you’re a slacker like I am, and let’s say hopping yourself full of ADD medication hasn’t worked in the past. You have limited focus. What do you do with it?

1. Follow Your Passion

I write to write.

That’s it, really. I enjoy it. If I go too long without writing I get anxious and eager to get to it. A perfect weekend for me is adventures with friends, parties, and releasing that pent-up urge to write over a (post brunch) Sunday.

Writing is something I just do. And it’s the only thing I can.

Simple as that! If you’re a slacker, motivation doesn’t really work on you. Sandwiches are too good, the internet is too wide, and you’re tired, life is hard, and all those other factors add up to prevent any actual work getting done. Unless, of course, it’s your passion.

2. Overbook Yourself

If you’re a slacker, you’re skipping the gym today.

I know I am. And I love the gym; when I get there, that is. Every time I show up, I think “man, I miss the gym!” and then I don’t go for another two and a half weeks. It’s not the best routine, but it’s what happens.

Fortunately, I’ve learned to use that. Because rather than obsess about something and skip it anyway, I have to have an excuse.

If I’m not going to the gym, I replace that action with a productive one I’ve also been postponing. Cleaning my room, maybe. Calling home. Getting supplies for the apartment. Doing my laundry. And since any of those might be the thing I’d be postponing next, by using them as the productive distraction, I combine my two biggest passions: postponing things and not living in utter filth.

I’d be a slacker at a different job, but I succeed here because I love it.

It’s a combo that works for me, and I hope it can work for you.

3. Chill With Yourself

Life is not a competition. Hustlers who are good at jobs might not be good at the other things you take for granted, like friendship, or hanging out, or eating hamburgers. I am fantastic at eating hamburgers, and it’s important to recall that being a slacker is a thing that you are. You can conquer the specific small things and even improve yourself and your skills through personal tactics, but you are you through and through.

Also, everyone’s kind of a slacker. Everyone cool at least. Do you really want to hang with someone hyper into their job?

Share this article: