11 ms·

You Are Not Lazy or Undisciplined. You Have Internal Resistance

192 points by gala8y 5y ago

spicyusername 5y ago
This article first says that this phenomenon is not "something that’s wrong with us or our behaviour, something that needs to be controlled, eradicated, tamed, left behind or put in its place." Then it immediately defines a new term "internal resistance" that's exactly defined as something that's "a part of us" and explains how to work around it or "tame it".
- gala8y 5y ago
  Maybe it isn't to clear, but the author tries to go in the direction of not fighting it. > 1. Recognise that internal resistance is on your side. Part of what is so awful about the cycle-of-not-doing-the-thing is that it feels so self-destructive. But internal resistance does not want to destroy us; it literally wants the opposite! It only exists to protect us from pain. also > There’s another reason why I think we should treat internal resistance as a form of wisdom rather than a malevolent opponent. It holds a lot of knowledge about what we secretly believe we might be able to do. I think it is very beneficial to see this 'Resistance' as a force inside you, mostly trying to keep the status quo, for your benefit, unfortunately sometimes to the point of halting you in all things possible. Maybe I am reading to much into this article with my already set up view, but my view is to recognize this part in us, that does not want things done/changed and acknowledge its existence (which we often want to ignore, bypass), explore possible why's. This can be a really intimate experience, the a-ha moment. The first (and most important step) would be acknowledgment of its existence.
  - zepto 5y ago
    I think the article does just set up a new pathology. Your read is much more benign. The article’s set up is actually quite harmful and disempowering. It identifies resistance as a bundle of fears and pain to be overcome in order to be able to ‘just do’ the thing you are trying to do. Obviously sometimes fear and pain do exist, and acceptance and awareness of them makes it easier to move forward. However most of the time I have found that the reason people find themselves ‘resisting’ things they want to do is that they lack some pragmatic knowledge of what the next step should be and how to incorporate the overall goal into whatever else they are doing. People who have learned that resistance means they need to let go of fear or pain can get caught in a loop of looking for emotional blocks where none exist, rather than just educating themselves on the problem. ‘You aren’t lazy, you just haven’t done the necessary prep and planning to make the thing you want to do feel straightforward’ might be just as useful advice.
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - gala8y 5y ago
      > Your read is much more benign. I think I wanted to see more in this article. I think the idea of acknowledging this part of us and seeing it as a positive force is not conveyed clearly enough, but it's there. > ‘You aren’t lazy, you just haven’t done the necessary prep and planning to make the thing you want to do feel straightforward’ might be just as useful advice. Yes. This would be a subset of "it's too difficult (emotionally, organizationally, in terms of ability/skill) for me to do all this stuff the way I never did before" - emotions of discomfort arise (said 'Resistance') and boom, you are back to square one (edit: ...of not doing things).
      - zepto 5y ago
        > and boom, you are back to square one. What do you mean by back to square one?
        8jef 5y ago
        Back to the beginning, being forced to start again from scratch
        deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
        zepto 5y ago
        Poster has edited their comment so it’s no longer ambiguous.
        gala8y 5y ago
        Yeah, I was throttled (too many comments in a short time and HN slows you down for a while).
      - zepto 5y ago
  - joombaga 5y ago
    I'm sorry, I don't get it. I want to accomplish tasks. "Internal resistance" is the label we're putting on the mental phenomenon preventing me from doing so. It is something I want to fight. When I do accomplish my tasks, it's because my internal resistance is not there to fight back. But if I had a way to fight it when it's there (e.g. medication with manageable side effects) then I would use it. I'd wield that weapon.
overthemoon 5y ago
I think a lot of people don't do the thing they want to do for many reasons, but I found this helpful. If nothing else it's good advice to be curious about what's going on inside your head, and not to jump to condemnation. Who knows, maybe it is a simple lack of discipline, but I haven't found that such an assumption brings me closer to the goal, which means that even if it's "right" it's not useful.
- joombaga 5y ago
  No amount of metacognition or framing has ever gotten me out of a rut. > Internal resistance is not immovable — it responds to reason, to alternative scenarios, to making space for the emotions that seem like such a threat This has not been my experience. My own internal resistance responds to people being impressed with what I'm doing and expressing that to me, or a eureka moment (which typically come when I'm watching Star Trek or cooking a meal or doing some other activity instead of the thing I'm trying to accomplish). The eureka moment trigger is a special circumstance though; most of the time if there's a puzzle to solve I won't disengage from the problem. Usually I just have seemingly random bouts of productivity. I feel very fortunate to have a job that allows me to work when I'm mentally able.
kayodelycaon 5y ago
As with most posts of this type, it assumes you are neurotypical and not dealing with other issues that compromise executive function. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s just important to point out there is a prerequisite condition that must be met before this advice becomes useful.
- ttul 5y ago
  In other words, the article leaves aside the possibility that you might have ADHD, which is present in an estimated 7% of people in a clinically significant way, and likely far more to a degree that wouldn’t satisfy the DSM, but is still a handicap.
  - moosey 5y ago
    Anxiety will do it too. So will hypervigilance, which presents with ADHD like symptoms but arises from trauma.
    - SubiculumCode 5y ago
      My procrastination dropped a lot once I medically intervened on ADHD, Anxiety, and Depression. I wonder where I'd be now if I had taken these steps 20 years ago.
      - ttul 5y ago
        20 years ago, the science was a lot less conclusive on ADHD. The drugs were far less sophisticated as well. Today, the condition is highly treatable (90%) with medication.
- mjburgess 5y ago
  Many with ADHD also suffer from this problem also. So it is a useful article either way.
  - chrsig 5y ago
sumthinprofound 5y ago
no, sometimes I am definitely lazy.
- gala8y 5y ago
  ...and it's just great. Capacity to be lazy (being very important in itself) does not negate existence of this 'pro status quo' force, holding you back.
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
jchook 5y ago
If this article resonates with you, I recommend reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.
kiba 5y ago
I came around to the idea that procrastination or other form of akrasia is an emotional problem, not a discipline problem. That said, it doesn't really give me new tools or tricks to deal with the problems? It's still the same: podomoro or timeboxing, giving oneself a reward for completing an objective, trying to complete a given task every week, and so forth. I supposed I could give mental health therapies a try, I guess?
- papandada 5y ago
  I definitely see procrastination linked to emotional processing issues for me. Maybe it's possible that there are things which provide immediate benefits, but for me many things I tried evaporated and I was still left with this base note, so to speak, of myself. I went to therapy, I went to 12 step meetings, I read books, I journalled, I talked the hell out of my thoughts and feelings with certain friends, got divorced, took medication, found another amazing woman to marry, all along the way there was progress and regress, blind spots, lots of blind spots, lots of denial and resistance and fighting and turmoil and avoidance. The "answers" for me so far are absolutely nothing that haven't been said a thousand times in every place, but having met them myself in my own way at my own time. I'm not sure I could have gone any faster than I did, and I'm ok with that (now, at least).
  - pm90 5y ago
    > The "answers" for me so far are absolutely nothing that haven't been said a thousand times in every place, but having met them myself in my own way at my own time. I'm not sure I could have gone any faster than I did, and I'm ok with that (now, at least) Don't want to play armchair therapist, but that's really the best anyone can really do.
  - mrweasel 5y ago
    It's a little like dieting really. If there was something someone could just say to make your weight, procrastination, whatever go away, then these problems would not exist. There are exercises you can do, mentally and physically, which can help guide you through self-improvement, but they all require that we actually do them. Some times is feels like I go years without making any progress with myself. Other times is just takes a small new action to gain remarkable results. Like you, I'm not sure it could have gone any faster and that's okay.
hirundo 5y ago
Here's a sci-fi movie I'd like to see. A (space alien, mad scientist, corporation, imp) unleashes a (bomb, virus, force field, spell) that suddenly removes internal resistance from everyone. Whatever intention wins the internal vote gets full control of the rest of the psyche. Everyone immediately starts working full bore on their (world saving invention, romantic pursuit, profit plan, great novel, hare brained scheme) at once, and the (evil, well-intentioned-but-foolish) instigators watch as civilization implodes. Until (Hiro Protagonist) saves the day with a well timed (hack, antidote, counter spell). Making everyone boring again, but safe.
- avaldes 5y ago
  Like an inverted "Serenity" movie.
- Andrex 5y ago
  Sounds like the setting of The Giver. Their solution to prevent implosion was to give all memories of the old world to one person.
- bob33212 5y ago
  This is my biggest problem with all the people promoting entrepreneurship for everyone. If everyone took two years off to start a company there would be no one keeping the lights on.
  - whatshisface 5y ago
    If everyone started taking two years off to start a company the incentives offered by existing companies would rise until the tide was stemmed.
  - codegeek 5y ago
    Doesnt' matter. Most people won't. I have worked professionally for 17 years now and last 6 running my own business. I can tell you with a guarantee that there are lot of people who just want a job, get a paycheck and get the f out (not that anything is wrong with that). They don't care about entrepreneurship or whatever. So there always will be "employees" for every "employer".
rob_c 5y ago
Having written a doctoral thesis on particle physics, yes writing is hard. Sometimes extremely hard. (sleepless nights and depression inducing hard while you question your sanity and ability into you discover to trust your own judgement more than your peers, whilst taking on board their constructive input) From experience its usually better to ask people currently struggling to write what their problem is. It's usually so personal and unique that a blanket "you can do it" isn't as helpful as it might sound. If very nicely intended and being supportive. Aside, I don't feel the need to add the letters after my name for some reason, might be because I'm still engaged in research and find this off putting...
asplake 5y ago
Less mysterious: “Immunity to change”, Kegan & Lahey (HBR, 2009)
tgv 5y ago
Any evidence that "[i]t holds a lot of knowledge about what we secretly believe we might be able to do", or that my "brain [is] so afraid of the costs of [me] doing the thing"? Any evidendence that it's on my side? How does internal resistance get operationalized anyway? Because it sounds suspiciously like "can't-do-it'-itis to me.
audit 5y ago
WRT >"... 1. Recognise that internal resistance is on your side ..." I disagree somewhat, and I have a different explanation. --- Each one of us is born with talents (gifts) and some weaknesses. If we grow up, and then become adults in the environment that does not discover our talents, and, opposite, emphasises our weaknesses -- then we become: - unhappy, - dis-engaged, - often resort to cheating as a way to 'pad up' our weaknesses, - often blaim others. Sometimes rightfully so, sometimes not. The environment in which we grow up -- does not really depend on us. Depends on parents, state of peace, state of economy. Yes, we have to be adaptable, but when the adoptation requires us to compete in fields, eco-systems that does not emphsize our inborn talents -- we do not do well. We are not all meant to be technology visionaries, data scientists, lawyers, public speakers, and surgeons. But a society, an economic system that emphasises one of the above (as an example), is forcing the rest to 'adjust'. That 'adjustment' - is the friction. But it does not just depend on an individual. Really, a global solution is the one, that takes advantage of the different talents we have. That should be the purpose of statesman (not career politicians), that offer to dedicate their service to their country (or the world). And, certainly on a personal level - honesty, - work ethic - rejection of ideologies that justify 'achieve whatever using any means necessary', - rejection of unfair biases (biases based on inborn characterists that 'lock down person's fate) Would have to be part of that solution. Believing that you always have something unique, something specially good, specially powerfull about yourself -- has to be emphrasized, at a personal level.
robot_no_419 5y ago
"Ah, that's it. I'm not lazy, I have internal resistance. It all makes sense now", I said as I browsed HN and packed another bowl for my bong.
infogulch 5y ago
Took a lot of words but it seems reasonable and resonates with my experience. I guess "internal resistance" is a kind of bias towards inaction. Not a bad trait if you're in a resource constrained scarcity environment, but it's not a great strategy outside of that. If there's anything to overcome its probably a scarcity mindset when it's unfounded.
beauHD 5y ago
For me, pertinent things seem to 'bubble up' and I will get them done regardless of resistance. Resistance doesn't mean the thing needs to be immediately done. The mind has a clever feature in that it surfaces subconscious goal-setting at the right time, and on an as-needed basis. In a professional and career context, however, you would be required to get tasks done straight away. But for artists and even dedicated loafers or those who enjoy being idle, the important stuff rises to the top naturally and it gets done.
- pm90 5y ago
  > The mind has a clever feature in that it surfaces subconscious goal-setting at the right time, and on an as-needed basis. I've heard of a strategy where you think really hard about a problem, and then you go and do other unrelated things and your mind will come up with a solution. I have found that this does happen in practice. By stepping away from the problem, I'm basically forgetting all the context that made me approach the problem from the original angle and thus my mind tries a different approach. Often this new approach will also not work, but there might be things I discover when trying these approaches that lead to yet another approach.... I guess this process goes on until either a good enough solution is found or I give up.
- the_only_law 5y ago
  > “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” Unfortunately, in my experience, I’m more likely to just determine the hard problem is not worth the effort to complete.
- luckyandroid 5y ago
  Big difference between ‘someone who cuts corners’ and ‘someone who won’t do the task at all’ when it comes to the phrase ‘lazy person’. The first person will do the task, they just deemed it not worthy of their focused effort. The second person will find any excuse not to do it at all, which is the ‘resistance’ the article talks about.
jacksonkmarley 5y ago
> in my experience it is usually tied to some kind of predicted loss of love and connection This seems like a creative explanation that probably makes an article such as this seem a bit more quirky and interesting or something. Otherwise it's not a bad piece, but I don't think potential loss of love or connection is necessary to explain not wanting to do some difficult/annoying/time consuming task.
- luckyandroid 5y ago
  I think the article is describing resistance not just in terms of ‘difficult’ creative processes but any excuse you could make for any action that would likely benefit you. Hence that line is more for people who resist finding new connections to people because of past problems. Learned fear of action is just that - learned. And it can be unlearned given the time and practice.
  - jacksonkmarley 5y ago
    Well the first example in the article was about the author completing her PhD, and it mentioned productivity and making use of talents, and seemed to be talking about fear of success, so I read it as a (strange) extension of that. If it was meant to be about more personal relationship type stuff the author could have discussed that explicitly. Maybe the piece needed an extra paragraph to explain better what the link was.
    - luckyandroid 5y ago
      Yeah I think their analogies are a bit mixed, but the general idea of ‘learned reaction’ is still there, even if the examples the author used didn’t mesh well together.
onelastjob 5y ago
This is excellent! I’ve lived this experience with a graduate thesis project that has taken over a decade to complete. Stephen Pressfield’s books (especially Do The Work) felt very close to the mark, but I also couldn’t buy into the idea that the resistance should be thought of as something external (a malevolent force in the universe). I think this article solves the mystery of what the resistance actually is. This understanding of the resistance combined with Pressfield’s book Do The Work could help a lot of people that are “procrastinating”.
janandonly 5y ago
Reading this article made me wish there was a setting in Safari (or a good plugin) that can block curse words. Why on earth does an eloquent academic need to say f*ing or gorramit every couple of sentences? It is not just needles, it is also bad taste.
jokoon 5y ago
It's weird how we don't want to admit we are overworked. Competition is such a horror show. I really disagree with the whole "procrastination" thing. It's normal to feel depressed, it's part of nature of being tired, our brains are fragile and require a lot of energy and sleep. I bet that I would generally would be much happier working at a moderate pace in a farm rather than using my brain to do some other complex thing. I went to do some military training for 2 weeks, it was quite difficult and demanding, but in a way, it has the good stuff of a holiday: you're outside, you use your arms and legs, you have no time to use your brain which often demands more energy. Do you really understand how stressful it is for a brain to perform programming? Our bodies are not made to sustain such mental effort. Brains are small but they consume a lot of energy to function.
- nzmsv 5y ago
  In before the other comments to this effect: - You are weak - Your grandparents had it worse - Think of the people working for minimum wage - Some of us actually love programming so much we will happily sacrifice our health; this choice is morally superior because we say so - I haven't had a vacation in 20 years and neither should you /sarcasm off
  - n8cpdx 5y ago
    I really like society as it is. I, as rare as it is, identify as a neoliberal and I generally am invested in how things are. I like to see people working hard, I work hard myself, and aside from wanting a larger safety net, largely value the idea of a competitive market for labor. Those ideas, I suspect much more prevalent on HN than other sites, lead to defensiveness when antiwork or work-critical ideas are shared. Arguments about grandparents and weakness are generally missing the point or intellectually dishonest, and I know because I’ve made those arguments/comments many times. Looking past that defensiveness, I have a hard time arguing that everything above isn’t right; modern work is taxing and when you’re trying to work 8+ (I naturally tend towards 10+) hours a day, stay healthy, and also pursue hobbies and personal development, it is no surprise that people are breaking down. I want to see more serious engagement with efforts to make work more sustainable for people, ideally without limiting burnout. Maybe the right answer is to just do less, but I want to have my cake and eat it too.
adrianmonk 5y ago
Hmm, maybe I should try increasing the voltage.
dmos62 5y ago
It's never that you can't, it's that you won't. The distinction means a lot. It takes some luck to realise that all the I-can'ts are actually you trying to escape an internal conflict by putting yourself down. The internal conflict is about you wanting it and not wanting it at the same time. E.g. you want to be a success, but trying is scary. I don't really know how not to be afraid. It's something I'm working on. But, knowing that you're choosing not to do something because you're afraid is so much better than thinking that you're not capable. It's literally the difference between apathy or depression and discomfort.
- JadeNB 5y ago
  > It's never that you can't, it's that you won't. While this sounds good, and I think is a reasonable guide for many life choices, it's simply not true. If I want to lift that enormous boulder over there, then it's not that I won't, it's that I can't. (Maybe this needs caveats: if I want to lift that enormous boulder over there only using my hands, etc.) I could believe something like "it's never that you can't try, but that you won't try", and that covers a lot of my procrastination; but I'm not sure if it's strong enough to cover the point you'd like to make.
  - dmos62 5y ago
    Good points. What I said applies most obviously to situations like "I can't get out of bed", but I think it also applies to "I can't get this done", but maybe in more subtle ways.
renewiltord 5y ago
Hmm, interesting idea. I’ll try it out.
bserge 5y ago
I've read sooooooo much of this kind of shiitake, I am sick of it. It is bullshit. Or rather, it's written by people who don't even take into account the biological nature of the brain. Let me check... of course he's a "coach"... If you can't do, teach, I guess. All of this shit will act as a bandaid, a crutch at best. It's like the bullshit "imagine you're wealthy and you will become wealthy". No, that doesn't work. Nor does praying to God, nor anything that doesn't entail actual action. You can imagine whatever the fork you want, it won't make it real. Fortunately, people smarter than me and all of these self help coaches and theorycrafters have already started figuring out how to fix this problem for real, by applying real science to the very real bio computer in our skulls. It's still a young science, with parts of the same core problem being labeled ADD, OCD, anxiety, depression. But there are real drugs that actually work. The biggest roadblock is getting this accepted as a treatable condition by the mainstream medicine systems. They're still in the dark ages and treat it like they treat death - as inevitable, unfixable. Some people are already benefitting from it while the majority is laughing at them and calling the unfortunate ones who don't have access to good doctors and good medicine lazy. I hope one day humans look back at it and laugh at how ridiculously stupid their ancestors were.
- the-dude 5y ago
  So what happened with all these people in the dark ages?
  - tonyedgecombe 5y ago
    They couldn't do office work.
- SubiculumCode 5y ago
  Yes biology matters the most, but most of the time we don't have any control of the biological processes, and science does not own enough to do anything about it in this life. So we are left with: Talk, crutches, bandaids, frameworks, meta-knowledge of one's thought patterns, belief systems. Sure they are silly and full of contradictions, but funnily enough: All these things matter to biology. Not only do deeply held beliefs alter what biological organism does (I mean it moves some bodies attend services, right?), but it can also alter thought patterns and mental habits.
swayvil 5y ago
Maybe it really is actually a bad thing. And by "it" I mean the important thing that you are resisting. It's actually a bad thing. And you have convinced yourself that it's a good thing. But you aren't completely convinced. Deep down you know that it really is a very bad thing. One more step on a march of doom that you have been trying to escape since forever. A special door that, once passed through, your waste and hell will truly and finally be LOCKED IN (relatively speaking). I mean, nobody dreams as a child of sitting on their office-butt playing mental legos forever. But it's very easy to convince yourself that it is great. And the whole world will help you in that endeavor. It will tell you encouraging stories and feed you big paychecks. It will tell you that you are a rock star. You will be helped at every turn to forget the life that you lost and to pretend that playing robot is a truly good and desirable thing. Maybe this great procrastination is your gut trying to tell you something.
- balfirevic 5y ago
  > to forget the life that you lost What life would that be?
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - agent327 5y ago
    A life of creativity, of choice, of mental and physical stimulation, of work that you feel is meaningful instead of simply required.
exolymph 5y ago
Admittedly I didn't and will not read TFA, but this title... like yeah, "internal resistance" is what laziness and lack of discipline feel like from the insider! Those aren't the only possible attributions but they sure are common ones. (I speak from experience, both personal and otherwise.)
jgrowl 5y ago
In the villa of Ormen, Stands a solitary candle. In the centre of it all, Your eyes
scotty79 5y ago
That's very interesting way of thinking about those things. That success (defined as successfully completing required work) causes damage, causes pain, often not as a side effect of the work that needs to be put in to achieve success, but by the success itself. That parts of us recognizes the harm of success and resists when the other part pushes blindly for what it thinks the end goal should be. Also mitigation strategies seem novel. Discovering what you fear about successfully finishing your work and trying to lessen the strength of those fears. Or doing small steps like acknowledging that doing 30 minutes of work will not result in achieving success so you can do that amount of work safely. One common fear might be of that the result of you successfully finishing your task won't live up to your imagination about it.
weregiraffe 5y ago
I have external resistance too, in the form of Hacker News articles.
bruce343434 5y ago
I’m sorry but I find this incredibly vague. I’m not doing stuff because I fear the pain of success ? What pain??
Xophmeister 5y ago
I might just being dense or, perhaps more generously, completely un-self-aware, but I genuinely don’t understand the premise of this argument. Internal resistance is an attempt to avoid the pain we associate with successfully doing the thing. We subconsciously believe that succeeding in doing something — that we’ve presumably never done before — will cause us some “emotional pain”, thus we go to lengths to avoid it? If what we’re attempting is novel, how could we possibly know that? Even if we were to assume that, why would this “pain” override the elation of success? I can understand the argument that people procrastinate because of the fear of failure…but the fear of success? I don’t get it.
- hypertele-Xii 5y ago
  Back when I was in school, I was consistently punished for succeeding too much. Finished with my tasks? Here's extra. Knew more than the teacher about the subject? Shut up mister wise guy. Understood the subject and wanted to discuss it? There's no time for debate. Made something amazing on the computer? Stop playing on the computer, go outside instead. Made a lot of money? Get robbed. Etc.
  - Xophmeister 5y ago
    High-achievers in toxic environments, no matter how cliché, is surely too niche to generalise to everyone. Still, I get it now — thanks :) — and while I can empathise to a degree, I think it must be highly subjective. Maybe the author’s choice of the word “pain” wasn’t the clearest.
- alexpotato 5y ago
  Let's say you had a parent who was very successful in their business field. Let's also say that parent was either terrible at being a parent or a bad spouse. If they were a bad parent, that impacted you directly and if they were a bad spouse, that may have impacted someone you care about aka the other parent. You may have at some point in your childhood created an emotional connection between: - good at business - bad at parenting/being spouse You in turn might then equate "being successful" with "being a bad person". Let me stop here and say: yes, this is totally irrational but emotions are, by definition, not always rational. Given the above, it wouldn't be surprising that you might develop a "fear of success". Particularly so if your goal is to be a better parent/spouse than the offending parent. In other words, "I don't want to be like them!" might affect both the parenting/spouse side of things and, because they are conflated, success in business.
armchairhacker 5y ago
I think that, instead of saying "you're not lazy", we should take the stigma away from laziness and say "you are lazy, but don't feel bad". Laziness is a character trait present in all humans, some more than others, and we should acknowledge it and work to become less lazy, without punishing it or being ashamed of it. You are "lazy" if you don't do something that would benefit you because it's too much effort. That sounds reasonable, right? Except according to this article, you're not lazy, you have "internal resistance." Or in similar articles, you're not lazy if you have depression or ADHD, because it's your mental illness. But then, who is lazy? Where do we draw the line when someone is depressed vs. merely sad, or ADHD vs. merely inattentive? Moreover, since you can't always tell of someone has a mental illness and you definitely can't see "internal resistance", you technically can't state that anyone is lazy. Now, I don't want to attack people with mental illnesses. If you have depression or ADHD or burnout or are overwhelmed, you're not a bad person. But you are lazy. Calling it something else is just beating around the bush. Instead, we as a society need to change how we look at laziness. Just because you're lazy, doesn't mean you should punish yourself, or consider yourself "worse" than someone with more discipline. Don't even try to just "power through" the laziness. None of those things work, and often actually lead to more laziness. Honestly, the author does a good job explaining what you should do. But - if you're lazy, you're lazy, and calling it something else like "internal resistance" is just sugar-coating it.
- hypertele-Xii 5y ago
  > work to become less lazy, without punishing it But to laziness, work is punishment.
  - armchairhacker 5y ago
    See, that's a fallacy people believe which prevents them from acknowledging their laziness. The key is to work smarter, not harder. Some things, such as getting fit or studying, are going to take effort. But the effort is an unintended side-effect of the work, not the goal. In my experience, if you work towards the solution and not think of it as "putting in X effort", the perceived effort is a lot less.
navd 5y ago
This sounds a little hand wavy and honestly just comes across as a lack of discipline. In my experience when you feel resistance you can get really far just sitting down and devoting a bit of time to doing the task at hand. It's hard and unmotivating at FIRST, but it tends to go away. If it doesn't just try again tomorrow. At least you got some work done.

192 points by gala8y 5y ago

This article first says that this phenomenon is not "something that’s wrong with us or our behaviour, something that needs to be controlled, eradicated, tamed, left behind or put in its place." Then it immediately defines a new term "internal resistance" that's exactly defined as something that's "a part of us" and explains how to work around it or "tame it".

gala8y 5y ago
Maybe it isn't to clear, but the author tries to go in the direction of not fighting it. > 1. Recognise that internal resistance is on your side. Part of what is so awful about the cycle-of-not-doing-the-thing is that it feels so self-destructive. But internal resistance does not want to destroy us; it literally wants the opposite! It only exists to protect us from pain. also > There’s another reason why I think we should treat internal resistance as a form of wisdom rather than a malevolent opponent. It holds a lot of knowledge about what we secretly believe we might be able to do. I think it is very beneficial to see this 'Resistance' as a force inside you, mostly trying to keep the status quo, for your benefit, unfortunately sometimes to the point of halting you in all things possible. Maybe I am reading to much into this article with my already set up view, but my view is to recognize this part in us, that does not want things done/changed and acknowledge its existence (which we often want to ignore, bypass), explore possible why's. This can be a really intimate experience, the a-ha moment. The first (and most important step) would be acknowledgment of its existence.
- zepto 5y ago
  I think the article does just set up a new pathology. Your read is much more benign. The article’s set up is actually quite harmful and disempowering. It identifies resistance as a bundle of fears and pain to be overcome in order to be able to ‘just do’ the thing you are trying to do. Obviously sometimes fear and pain do exist, and acceptance and awareness of them makes it easier to move forward. However most of the time I have found that the reason people find themselves ‘resisting’ things they want to do is that they lack some pragmatic knowledge of what the next step should be and how to incorporate the overall goal into whatever else they are doing. People who have learned that resistance means they need to let go of fear or pain can get caught in a loop of looking for emotional blocks where none exist, rather than just educating themselves on the problem. ‘You aren’t lazy, you just haven’t done the necessary prep and planning to make the thing you want to do feel straightforward’ might be just as useful advice.
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - gala8y 5y ago
    > Your read is much more benign. I think I wanted to see more in this article. I think the idea of acknowledging this part of us and seeing it as a positive force is not conveyed clearly enough, but it's there. > ‘You aren’t lazy, you just haven’t done the necessary prep and planning to make the thing you want to do feel straightforward’ might be just as useful advice. Yes. This would be a subset of "it's too difficult (emotionally, organizationally, in terms of ability/skill) for me to do all this stuff the way I never did before" - emotions of discomfort arise (said 'Resistance') and boom, you are back to square one (edit: ...of not doing things).
    - zepto 5y ago
      > and boom, you are back to square one. What do you mean by back to square one?
      - 8jef 5y ago
        Back to the beginning, being forced to start again from scratch
        deleted 5y ago
        [deleted]
        zepto 5y ago
        Poster has edited their comment so it’s no longer ambiguous.
        gala8y 5y ago
        Yeah, I was throttled (too many comments in a short time and HN slows you down for a while).
    - zepto 5y ago
- joombaga 5y ago
  I'm sorry, I don't get it. I want to accomplish tasks. "Internal resistance" is the label we're putting on the mental phenomenon preventing me from doing so. It is something I want to fight. When I do accomplish my tasks, it's because my internal resistance is not there to fight back. But if I had a way to fight it when it's there (e.g. medication with manageable side effects) then I would use it. I'd wield that weapon.

overthemoon 5y ago

I think a lot of people don't do the thing they want to do for many reasons, but I found this helpful. If nothing else it's good advice to be curious about what's going on inside your head, and not to jump to condemnation. Who knows, maybe it is a simple lack of discipline, but I haven't found that such an assumption brings me closer to the goal, which means that even if it's "right" it's not useful.

joombaga 5y ago
No amount of metacognition or framing has ever gotten me out of a rut. > Internal resistance is not immovable — it responds to reason, to alternative scenarios, to making space for the emotions that seem like such a threat This has not been my experience. My own internal resistance responds to people being impressed with what I'm doing and expressing that to me, or a eureka moment (which typically come when I'm watching Star Trek or cooking a meal or doing some other activity instead of the thing I'm trying to accomplish). The eureka moment trigger is a special circumstance though; most of the time if there's a puzzle to solve I won't disengage from the problem. Usually I just have seemingly random bouts of productivity. I feel very fortunate to have a job that allows me to work when I'm mentally able.

kayodelycaon 5y ago

As with most posts of this type, it assumes you are neurotypical and not dealing with other issues that compromise executive function. This isn’t a bad thing, it’s just important to point out there is a prerequisite condition that must be met before this advice becomes useful.

ttul 5y ago
In other words, the article leaves aside the possibility that you might have ADHD, which is present in an estimated 7% of people in a clinically significant way, and likely far more to a degree that wouldn’t satisfy the DSM, but is still a handicap.
- moosey 5y ago
  Anxiety will do it too. So will hypervigilance, which presents with ADHD like symptoms but arises from trauma.
  - SubiculumCode 5y ago
    My procrastination dropped a lot once I medically intervened on ADHD, Anxiety, and Depression. I wonder where I'd be now if I had taken these steps 20 years ago.
    - ttul 5y ago
      20 years ago, the science was a lot less conclusive on ADHD. The drugs were far less sophisticated as well. Today, the condition is highly treatable (90%) with medication.
mjburgess 5y ago
Many with ADHD also suffer from this problem also. So it is a useful article either way.
- chrsig 5y ago

sumthinprofound 5y ago

no, sometimes I am definitely lazy.

gala8y 5y ago
...and it's just great. Capacity to be lazy (being very important in itself) does not negate existence of this 'pro status quo' force, holding you back.
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]

jchook 5y ago

If this article resonates with you, I recommend reading The War of Art by Steven Pressfield.

kiba 5y ago

I came around to the idea that procrastination or other form of akrasia is an emotional problem, not a discipline problem. That said, it doesn't really give me new tools or tricks to deal with the problems? It's still the same: podomoro or timeboxing, giving oneself a reward for completing an objective, trying to complete a given task every week, and so forth. I supposed I could give mental health therapies a try, I guess?

papandada 5y ago
I definitely see procrastination linked to emotional processing issues for me. Maybe it's possible that there are things which provide immediate benefits, but for me many things I tried evaporated and I was still left with this base note, so to speak, of myself. I went to therapy, I went to 12 step meetings, I read books, I journalled, I talked the hell out of my thoughts and feelings with certain friends, got divorced, took medication, found another amazing woman to marry, all along the way there was progress and regress, blind spots, lots of blind spots, lots of denial and resistance and fighting and turmoil and avoidance. The "answers" for me so far are absolutely nothing that haven't been said a thousand times in every place, but having met them myself in my own way at my own time. I'm not sure I could have gone any faster than I did, and I'm ok with that (now, at least).
- pm90 5y ago
  > The "answers" for me so far are absolutely nothing that haven't been said a thousand times in every place, but having met them myself in my own way at my own time. I'm not sure I could have gone any faster than I did, and I'm ok with that (now, at least) Don't want to play armchair therapist, but that's really the best anyone can really do.
- mrweasel 5y ago
  It's a little like dieting really. If there was something someone could just say to make your weight, procrastination, whatever go away, then these problems would not exist. There are exercises you can do, mentally and physically, which can help guide you through self-improvement, but they all require that we actually do them. Some times is feels like I go years without making any progress with myself. Other times is just takes a small new action to gain remarkable results. Like you, I'm not sure it could have gone any faster and that's okay.

hirundo 5y ago

Here's a sci-fi movie I'd like to see. A (space alien, mad scientist, corporation, imp) unleashes a (bomb, virus, force field, spell) that suddenly removes internal resistance from everyone. Whatever intention wins the internal vote gets full control of the rest of the psyche. Everyone immediately starts working full bore on their (world saving invention, romantic pursuit, profit plan, great novel, hare brained scheme) at once, and the (evil, well-intentioned-but-foolish) instigators watch as civilization implodes. Until (Hiro Protagonist) saves the day with a well timed (hack, antidote, counter spell). Making everyone boring again, but safe.

avaldes 5y ago
Like an inverted "Serenity" movie.
Andrex 5y ago
Sounds like the setting of The Giver. Their solution to prevent implosion was to give all memories of the old world to one person.
bob33212 5y ago
This is my biggest problem with all the people promoting entrepreneurship for everyone. If everyone took two years off to start a company there would be no one keeping the lights on.
- whatshisface 5y ago
  If everyone started taking two years off to start a company the incentives offered by existing companies would rise until the tide was stemmed.
- codegeek 5y ago
  Doesnt' matter. Most people won't. I have worked professionally for 17 years now and last 6 running my own business. I can tell you with a guarantee that there are lot of people who just want a job, get a paycheck and get the f out (not that anything is wrong with that). They don't care about entrepreneurship or whatever. So there always will be "employees" for every "employer".

rob_c 5y ago

Having written a doctoral thesis on particle physics, yes writing is hard. Sometimes extremely hard. (sleepless nights and depression inducing hard while you question your sanity and ability into you discover to trust your own judgement more than your peers, whilst taking on board their constructive input) From experience its usually better to ask people currently struggling to write what their problem is. It's usually so personal and unique that a blanket "you can do it" isn't as helpful as it might sound. If very nicely intended and being supportive. Aside, I don't feel the need to add the letters after my name for some reason, might be because I'm still engaged in research and find this off putting...

asplake 5y ago

Less mysterious: “Immunity to change”, Kegan & Lahey (HBR, 2009)

tgv 5y ago

Any evidence that "[i]t holds a lot of knowledge about what we secretly believe we might be able to do", or that my "brain [is] so afraid of the costs of [me] doing the thing"? Any evidendence that it's on my side? How does internal resistance get operationalized anyway? Because it sounds suspiciously like "can't-do-it'-itis to me.

audit 5y ago

WRT >"... 1. Recognise that internal resistance is on your side ..." I disagree somewhat, and I have a different explanation. --- Each one of us is born with talents (gifts) and some weaknesses. If we grow up, and then become adults in the environment that does not discover our talents, and, opposite, emphasises our weaknesses -- then we become: - unhappy, - dis-engaged, - often resort to cheating as a way to 'pad up' our weaknesses, - often blaim others. Sometimes rightfully so, sometimes not. The environment in which we grow up -- does not really depend on us. Depends on parents, state of peace, state of economy. Yes, we have to be adaptable, but when the adoptation requires us to compete in fields, eco-systems that does not emphsize our inborn talents -- we do not do well. We are not all meant to be technology visionaries, data scientists, lawyers, public speakers, and surgeons. But a society, an economic system that emphasises one of the above (as an example), is forcing the rest to 'adjust'. That 'adjustment' - is the friction. But it does not just depend on an individual. Really, a global solution is the one, that takes advantage of the different talents we have. That should be the purpose of statesman (not career politicians), that offer to dedicate their service to their country (or the world). And, certainly on a personal level - honesty, - work ethic - rejection of ideologies that justify 'achieve whatever using any means necessary', - rejection of unfair biases (biases based on inborn characterists that 'lock down person's fate) Would have to be part of that solution. Believing that you always have something unique, something specially good, specially powerfull about yourself -- has to be emphrasized, at a personal level.

robot_no_419 5y ago

"Ah, that's it. I'm not lazy, I have internal resistance. It all makes sense now", I said as I browsed HN and packed another bowl for my bong.

infogulch 5y ago

Took a lot of words but it seems reasonable and resonates with my experience. I guess "internal resistance" is a kind of bias towards inaction. Not a bad trait if you're in a resource constrained scarcity environment, but it's not a great strategy outside of that. If there's anything to overcome its probably a scarcity mindset when it's unfounded.

beauHD 5y ago

For me, pertinent things seem to 'bubble up' and I will get them done regardless of resistance. Resistance doesn't mean the thing needs to be immediately done. The mind has a clever feature in that it surfaces subconscious goal-setting at the right time, and on an as-needed basis. In a professional and career context, however, you would be required to get tasks done straight away. But for artists and even dedicated loafers or those who enjoy being idle, the important stuff rises to the top naturally and it gets done.

pm90 5y ago
> The mind has a clever feature in that it surfaces subconscious goal-setting at the right time, and on an as-needed basis. I've heard of a strategy where you think really hard about a problem, and then you go and do other unrelated things and your mind will come up with a solution. I have found that this does happen in practice. By stepping away from the problem, I'm basically forgetting all the context that made me approach the problem from the original angle and thus my mind tries a different approach. Often this new approach will also not work, but there might be things I discover when trying these approaches that lead to yet another approach.... I guess this process goes on until either a good enough solution is found or I give up.
the_only_law 5y ago
> “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” Unfortunately, in my experience, I’m more likely to just determine the hard problem is not worth the effort to complete.
luckyandroid 5y ago
Big difference between ‘someone who cuts corners’ and ‘someone who won’t do the task at all’ when it comes to the phrase ‘lazy person’. The first person will do the task, they just deemed it not worthy of their focused effort. The second person will find any excuse not to do it at all, which is the ‘resistance’ the article talks about.

jacksonkmarley 5y ago

> in my experience it is usually tied to some kind of predicted loss of love and connection This seems like a creative explanation that probably makes an article such as this seem a bit more quirky and interesting or something. Otherwise it's not a bad piece, but I don't think potential loss of love or connection is necessary to explain not wanting to do some difficult/annoying/time consuming task.

luckyandroid 5y ago
I think the article is describing resistance not just in terms of ‘difficult’ creative processes but any excuse you could make for any action that would likely benefit you. Hence that line is more for people who resist finding new connections to people because of past problems. Learned fear of action is just that - learned. And it can be unlearned given the time and practice.
- jacksonkmarley 5y ago
  Well the first example in the article was about the author completing her PhD, and it mentioned productivity and making use of talents, and seemed to be talking about fear of success, so I read it as a (strange) extension of that. If it was meant to be about more personal relationship type stuff the author could have discussed that explicitly. Maybe the piece needed an extra paragraph to explain better what the link was.
  - luckyandroid 5y ago
    Yeah I think their analogies are a bit mixed, but the general idea of ‘learned reaction’ is still there, even if the examples the author used didn’t mesh well together.

onelastjob 5y ago

This is excellent! I’ve lived this experience with a graduate thesis project that has taken over a decade to complete. Stephen Pressfield’s books (especially Do The Work) felt very close to the mark, but I also couldn’t buy into the idea that the resistance should be thought of as something external (a malevolent force in the universe). I think this article solves the mystery of what the resistance actually is. This understanding of the resistance combined with Pressfield’s book Do The Work could help a lot of people that are “procrastinating”.

janandonly 5y ago

Reading this article made me wish there was a setting in Safari (or a good plugin) that can block curse words. Why on earth does an eloquent academic need to say f*ing or gorramit every couple of sentences? It is not just needles, it is also bad taste.

jokoon 5y ago

It's weird how we don't want to admit we are overworked. Competition is such a horror show. I really disagree with the whole "procrastination" thing. It's normal to feel depressed, it's part of nature of being tired, our brains are fragile and require a lot of energy and sleep. I bet that I would generally would be much happier working at a moderate pace in a farm rather than using my brain to do some other complex thing. I went to do some military training for 2 weeks, it was quite difficult and demanding, but in a way, it has the good stuff of a holiday: you're outside, you use your arms and legs, you have no time to use your brain which often demands more energy. Do you really understand how stressful it is for a brain to perform programming? Our bodies are not made to sustain such mental effort. Brains are small but they consume a lot of energy to function.

nzmsv 5y ago
In before the other comments to this effect: - You are weak - Your grandparents had it worse - Think of the people working for minimum wage - Some of us actually love programming so much we will happily sacrifice our health; this choice is morally superior because we say so - I haven't had a vacation in 20 years and neither should you /sarcasm off
- n8cpdx 5y ago
  I really like society as it is. I, as rare as it is, identify as a neoliberal and I generally am invested in how things are. I like to see people working hard, I work hard myself, and aside from wanting a larger safety net, largely value the idea of a competitive market for labor. Those ideas, I suspect much more prevalent on HN than other sites, lead to defensiveness when antiwork or work-critical ideas are shared. Arguments about grandparents and weakness are generally missing the point or intellectually dishonest, and I know because I’ve made those arguments/comments many times. Looking past that defensiveness, I have a hard time arguing that everything above isn’t right; modern work is taxing and when you’re trying to work 8+ (I naturally tend towards 10+) hours a day, stay healthy, and also pursue hobbies and personal development, it is no surprise that people are breaking down. I want to see more serious engagement with efforts to make work more sustainable for people, ideally without limiting burnout. Maybe the right answer is to just do less, but I want to have my cake and eat it too.

adrianmonk 5y ago

Hmm, maybe I should try increasing the voltage.

dmos62 5y ago

It's never that you can't, it's that you won't. The distinction means a lot. It takes some luck to realise that all the I-can'ts are actually you trying to escape an internal conflict by putting yourself down. The internal conflict is about you wanting it and not wanting it at the same time. E.g. you want to be a success, but trying is scary. I don't really know how not to be afraid. It's something I'm working on. But, knowing that you're choosing not to do something because you're afraid is so much better than thinking that you're not capable. It's literally the difference between apathy or depression and discomfort.

JadeNB 5y ago
> It's never that you can't, it's that you won't. While this sounds good, and I think is a reasonable guide for many life choices, it's simply not true. If I want to lift that enormous boulder over there, then it's not that I won't, it's that I can't. (Maybe this needs caveats: if I want to lift that enormous boulder over there only using my hands, etc.) I could believe something like "it's never that you can't try, but that you won't try", and that covers a lot of my procrastination; but I'm not sure if it's strong enough to cover the point you'd like to make.
- dmos62 5y ago
  Good points. What I said applies most obviously to situations like "I can't get out of bed", but I think it also applies to "I can't get this done", but maybe in more subtle ways.

renewiltord 5y ago

Hmm, interesting idea. I’ll try it out.

bserge 5y ago

I've read sooooooo much of this kind of shiitake, I am sick of it. It is bullshit. Or rather, it's written by people who don't even take into account the biological nature of the brain. Let me check... of course he's a "coach"... If you can't do, teach, I guess. All of this shit will act as a bandaid, a crutch at best. It's like the bullshit "imagine you're wealthy and you will become wealthy". No, that doesn't work. Nor does praying to God, nor anything that doesn't entail actual action. You can imagine whatever the fork you want, it won't make it real. Fortunately, people smarter than me and all of these self help coaches and theorycrafters have already started figuring out how to fix this problem for real, by applying real science to the very real bio computer in our skulls. It's still a young science, with parts of the same core problem being labeled ADD, OCD, anxiety, depression. But there are real drugs that actually work. The biggest roadblock is getting this accepted as a treatable condition by the mainstream medicine systems. They're still in the dark ages and treat it like they treat death - as inevitable, unfixable. Some people are already benefitting from it while the majority is laughing at them and calling the unfortunate ones who don't have access to good doctors and good medicine lazy. I hope one day humans look back at it and laugh at how ridiculously stupid their ancestors were.

the-dude 5y ago
So what happened with all these people in the dark ages?
- tonyedgecombe 5y ago
  They couldn't do office work.
SubiculumCode 5y ago
Yes biology matters the most, but most of the time we don't have any control of the biological processes, and science does not own enough to do anything about it in this life. So we are left with: Talk, crutches, bandaids, frameworks, meta-knowledge of one's thought patterns, belief systems. Sure they are silly and full of contradictions, but funnily enough: All these things matter to biology. Not only do deeply held beliefs alter what biological organism does (I mean it moves some bodies attend services, right?), but it can also alter thought patterns and mental habits.

swayvil 5y ago

Maybe it really is actually a bad thing. And by "it" I mean the important thing that you are resisting. It's actually a bad thing. And you have convinced yourself that it's a good thing. But you aren't completely convinced. Deep down you know that it really is a very bad thing. One more step on a march of doom that you have been trying to escape since forever. A special door that, once passed through, your waste and hell will truly and finally be LOCKED IN (relatively speaking). I mean, nobody dreams as a child of sitting on their office-butt playing mental legos forever. But it's very easy to convince yourself that it is great. And the whole world will help you in that endeavor. It will tell you encouraging stories and feed you big paychecks. It will tell you that you are a rock star. You will be helped at every turn to forget the life that you lost and to pretend that playing robot is a truly good and desirable thing. Maybe this great procrastination is your gut trying to tell you something.

balfirevic 5y ago
> to forget the life that you lost What life would that be?
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- agent327 5y ago
  A life of creativity, of choice, of mental and physical stimulation, of work that you feel is meaningful instead of simply required.

exolymph 5y ago

Admittedly I didn't and will not read TFA, but this title... like yeah, "internal resistance" is what laziness and lack of discipline feel like from the insider! Those aren't the only possible attributions but they sure are common ones. (I speak from experience, both personal and otherwise.)

jgrowl 5y ago

In the villa of Ormen, Stands a solitary candle. In the centre of it all, Your eyes

scotty79 5y ago

That's very interesting way of thinking about those things. That success (defined as successfully completing required work) causes damage, causes pain, often not as a side effect of the work that needs to be put in to achieve success, but by the success itself. That parts of us recognizes the harm of success and resists when the other part pushes blindly for what it thinks the end goal should be. Also mitigation strategies seem novel. Discovering what you fear about successfully finishing your work and trying to lessen the strength of those fears. Or doing small steps like acknowledging that doing 30 minutes of work will not result in achieving success so you can do that amount of work safely. One common fear might be of that the result of you successfully finishing your task won't live up to your imagination about it.

weregiraffe 5y ago

I have external resistance too, in the form of Hacker News articles.

bruce343434 5y ago

I’m sorry but I find this incredibly vague. I’m not doing stuff because I fear the pain of success ? What pain??

Xophmeister 5y ago

I might just being dense or, perhaps more generously, completely un-self-aware, but I genuinely don’t understand the premise of this argument. Internal resistance is an attempt to avoid the pain we associate with successfully doing the thing. We subconsciously believe that succeeding in doing something — that we’ve presumably never done before — will cause us some “emotional pain”, thus we go to lengths to avoid it? If what we’re attempting is novel, how could we possibly know that? Even if we were to assume that, why would this “pain” override the elation of success? I can understand the argument that people procrastinate because of the fear of failure…but the fear of success? I don’t get it.

hypertele-Xii 5y ago
Back when I was in school, I was consistently punished for succeeding too much. Finished with my tasks? Here's extra. Knew more than the teacher about the subject? Shut up mister wise guy. Understood the subject and wanted to discuss it? There's no time for debate. Made something amazing on the computer? Stop playing on the computer, go outside instead. Made a lot of money? Get robbed. Etc.
- Xophmeister 5y ago
  High-achievers in toxic environments, no matter how cliché, is surely too niche to generalise to everyone. Still, I get it now — thanks :) — and while I can empathise to a degree, I think it must be highly subjective. Maybe the author’s choice of the word “pain” wasn’t the clearest.
alexpotato 5y ago
Let's say you had a parent who was very successful in their business field. Let's also say that parent was either terrible at being a parent or a bad spouse. If they were a bad parent, that impacted you directly and if they were a bad spouse, that may have impacted someone you care about aka the other parent. You may have at some point in your childhood created an emotional connection between: - good at business - bad at parenting/being spouse You in turn might then equate "being successful" with "being a bad person". Let me stop here and say: yes, this is totally irrational but emotions are, by definition, not always rational. Given the above, it wouldn't be surprising that you might develop a "fear of success". Particularly so if your goal is to be a better parent/spouse than the offending parent. In other words, "I don't want to be like them!" might affect both the parenting/spouse side of things and, because they are conflated, success in business.

armchairhacker 5y ago

I think that, instead of saying "you're not lazy", we should take the stigma away from laziness and say "you are lazy, but don't feel bad". Laziness is a character trait present in all humans, some more than others, and we should acknowledge it and work to become less lazy, without punishing it or being ashamed of it. You are "lazy" if you don't do something that would benefit you because it's too much effort. That sounds reasonable, right? Except according to this article, you're not lazy, you have "internal resistance." Or in similar articles, you're not lazy if you have depression or ADHD, because it's your mental illness. But then, who is lazy? Where do we draw the line when someone is depressed vs. merely sad, or ADHD vs. merely inattentive? Moreover, since you can't always tell of someone has a mental illness and you definitely can't see "internal resistance", you technically can't state that anyone is lazy. Now, I don't want to attack people with mental illnesses. If you have depression or ADHD or burnout or are overwhelmed, you're not a bad person. But you are lazy. Calling it something else is just beating around the bush. Instead, we as a society need to change how we look at laziness. Just because you're lazy, doesn't mean you should punish yourself, or consider yourself "worse" than someone with more discipline. Don't even try to just "power through" the laziness. None of those things work, and often actually lead to more laziness. Honestly, the author does a good job explaining what you should do. But - if you're lazy, you're lazy, and calling it something else like "internal resistance" is just sugar-coating it.

hypertele-Xii 5y ago
> work to become less lazy, without punishing it But to laziness, work is punishment.
- armchairhacker 5y ago
  See, that's a fallacy people believe which prevents them from acknowledging their laziness. The key is to work smarter, not harder. Some things, such as getting fit or studying, are going to take effort. But the effort is an unintended side-effect of the work, not the goal. In my experience, if you work towards the solution and not think of it as "putting in X effort", the perceived effort is a lot less.

navd 5y ago

This sounds a little hand wavy and honestly just comes across as a lack of discipline. In my experience when you feel resistance you can get really far just sitting down and devoting a bit of time to doing the task at hand. It's hard and unmotivating at FIRST, but it tends to go away. If it doesn't just try again tomorrow. At least you got some work done.