“Progress is made by lazy men looking for easier ways to do things”
Robert A. Heinlein

I hate washing dishes. I could always not do the dishes (now that would be lazy),  but a) I’m married and b) I need clean dishes. I don’t really have an option, but because I have to do it, I want to get it done as fast as possible. And that means I look at every step of the process and look for inefficiencies and find ways to make the job easier.

I’m innovating.

So many of the major innovations throughout history - the wheel, the printing press, the assembly line - are all about efficiency and productivity. And none of these innovations are created by people saying “I like doing the same repetitive task over and over”. I want to do other things with my time, and I will find (almost) any means possible to cut the time it takes to do unpleasant work (and still do a good job).

There are certain people I watch doing a job and I think “if you organized it like this, did it in this order, and used this tool, you’d cut your time in half”. But since many people are resistant to trying new ways, old processes remain. Which is why many innovators seems lazy in their minds.

I love this definition of “lazy” from the American Heritage Dictionary: “Resistant to work or exertion; disposed to idleness”. All I can say is “hell, yes”, and find a fast, easy and efficient way to get through the work so I can dispose myself to idleness. And I create better processes as a result.

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