Lazy intelligence can set you free!
Welcome! I am The Lazy Intelligent. My chosen name might evoke some feelings in you. Curiosity, laughter, intrigue, skepticism, disgust or dismissiveness? Juxtaposing the words lazy and intelligent may seem paradoxical.
I assure you, my name has a point, and it might soon become evident.
“Take a simple idea and take it seriously.”
—Charlie Munger
What is Lazy Intelligence?
Lazy Intelligence, simply put, is about getting more for less. It is about doing the least amount of work to achieve the maximum output. It is putting thinking above doing, using creativity and ingenuity to achieve results and getting what you want without breaking your back for it. It is about using the 80/20 principle for doing the most important thing, minimalism and saying no. Some well known practitioners of lazy intelligence are Richard Koch, Tim Ferriss, and Charlie Munger.
The Theory of Lazy Intelligence: the Work-Output Paradox
The theory of Lazy Intelligence is that, in most human endeavors, output increases by the amount of work put in, BUT (and this is a big but!) only up to a certain point. Once that point is reached and more work is applied output DECREASES. This is the work-output paradox.
The Work-Output Paradox
The reasons for the work-output paradox are manifold and may inlude some of the following explanations: if there is time left after the important work, non-productive or negative output work is added; sloppy thinking before beginning a major task may create double-work; overwork can cause slowdown in productivity or negative productivity, in the long run even leading to burnout.
Are you a Lazy Intelligent?
How do you know if you are a lazy intelligent? From my observation you can judge this based on your everyday life and/or by your achievements.
Method 1. Judging based on achievements
To figure out if you are a lazy intelligent, try to honestly answer this questions: have your biggest achievements come more from intelligence or from hard work? And choosing ”both” is cheating!
Have your big achievements come more from intelligence in the form of, e.g. strategic decisions, creative leverage, ingenuity, placing yourself at the right place at the right time or serendipitous brilliance?
Or have they come from hard work in the form of working overtime, grinding it out, pressing forward, herculian strength and endurance?
If from the latter, you are more likely a hardworking intelligent (and there is nothing wrong with that) and if from the former you are likely a Lazy Intelligent!
Method 2. Judging based on everyday life
Ask yourself this: in your everyday life, when doing something or working, do you usually end up in the right or left hand side of the optimum on the work-output paradox graph? If more often then not you end up on the left, then you are a lazy intelligent, and if you end up on the right hand side you are a hardworking intelligent.
Another practical way of judging is to think of times when you have finished tasks and ask for feedback. Do you often get good and valid suggestions on things you can add, or are you 100% finished when you ask for the feedback, with the person not noticing or appreciating your extra hard work and labour? If you have done a lot of things that go unnoticed and receive little positive feedback, then you have most likely overworked, and you are a hardworking intelligent. If you most often get valid feedback on things that can be added or improved then you are a lazy intelligent.
You probably have a good idea now whether you are a lazy intelligent or a hardworking intelligent. Remember, my friend, that even if you are hard working you can learn to become lazy. And even if you or other people think you are stupid, you are intelligent at something!
If you are a lazy intelligent, or wish to become one, then read on—this blog is for you!
What are the benefits of Lazy Intelligence?
If you believe in the Theory of Lazy Intelligence, the simple work output paradox graph shows that the lazy intelligent can get at least the same output as the hardworking intelligent, but with less effort spent! In practice, the lazy intelligent often get much more output than the hardworking intelligent. Why is this so? The reason is self-evident—the lazy intelligent can use the extra effort and time on something else: going for a walk, reading a book, having a laugh with friends, or planning and working on the next project. Less evident, the lazy intelligent can use that extra time and energy for totally changing the frame or character of their output, thinking or experimenting broadly on even more valuable projects or activities. This is what can create leaps in performance on the part of the lazy intelligent.
What will this blog give you?
This blog is dedicated to lazy intelligence. In the blog I will write about:
- Practical methods for deploying lazy intelligence in everyday life; I call this casual lazy intelligence
- Big ideas and principles from great thinkers and achievers; I call this ambitious lazy intelligence
- Real examples of how lazy intelligence is used for maximum output
My promise to you is that we will all become a bit smarter and more effective, i.e. be more lazy intelligent.
What is Lazy Intelligence not?
We have sung the praise of lazy intelligence, but some reservations may still exist in your mind as to what is lazy intelligence is and what it isn't. To clarify, lazy intelligence
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is not promoting general laziness
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is not an excuse for acting unethically
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is not a reason for shirking responsibility or avoiding accountability
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is not a free pass for cutting corners