Home, Self

I’m Suffering From Lazy Guilt

House_Cleaning_CBF

I’ve been suffering lately from something I have decided to call Lazy Guilt. Lazy Guilt is an inability to enjoy the immense joy of sitting at home doing nothing because you’re too busy feeling guilty about all the things you know you should be doing instead.

Right now I’m having an internal debate because there are empty cardboard boxes in my garage I know I should be taking to the garbage dump but I just can’t be bothered putting them in the car and going there. So, if I’m not going to take the rubbish to the dump, I should be fixing the paint on the walls, cleaning and conditioning the leather on the couch or one of the many other things I know I should be doing but don’t want to.

I’m sure there are people out there who do all these things then have a relax. Who don’t have dust on their bookshelves, have perfectly conditioned sofas and never have random rubbish overflowing in the garage. In fact, I know they exist because I am the spawn of one of them. My mother is one of these people who always has a spotless home, no build up of dirty towels in the laundry and actually cleans the windows.

I often refer to her as Superwoman, which is part awe that she achieves everything she does in the same 24 hours as everyone else, and part guilt that I haven’t inherited that trait.

The Viking does not suffer from Lazy Guilt. I’m not sure how this is. Right now he is lying on the futon reading reddit, watching stand up comedy enjoying the long weekend before all the kids come back for Term 1. He’s the one who is encouraging me not to put all the rubbish in the car and take it to the dump, telling me to just relax and enjoy the day. Wanting me to do crazy things like, I don’t know, actually spending time with him.

But I can’t.

Even if I make the conscious decision not to do anything, I’m going to sit here feeling anxious about all the things I haven’t done and convinced it will somehow make a difference if I clean the sofa today or some other day.

You know how this is going to end, right? I’m going to end up cleaning the damn sofa…

Do you suffer from Lazy Guilt? 

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  • Gary

    I’m like Viking. I used to suffer from Lazy Guilt but then one day stopped worrying and just enjoyed watching Star Trek DVDs as a binge watch and from that day, I’ve discovered the joy of binge watching. You can ameliorate LG a little by doing some things together. I have a Sunday ritual of ironing and watching an episode of Star Trek.
    Give in to LG and spend some time with Viking. You’ll feel happier, he’ll feel happier and if the cats are there, they’ll feel happier 😀

    • https://kikiandtea.com/ Tamsin Howse

      The cats are happy enough!!

      You’re right, though, I need to just enjoy it.

  • http://johnanthonyjames.com/ John James

    I think I’m like The Viking too… and I don’t like playing the gender card, but I suspect it might be a bloke thing… because I know The Rhonnifer suffers from the Lazy Guilts too…

    Personally, I think we all need to be lazy sometimes… I tend to listen to my inner “lazy” – it’s usually a sign that I need to stop and have a break… I think it’s a good thing…

    I usually get bored before I get the lazy-guilts – boredom is my anti-lazy trigger – if I’m bored, then I know it’s time to get up and do stuff… I listen to my inner “boredom” too… :)

    • https://kikiandtea.com/ Tamsin Howse

      You’re right, I do need to stop and have a break.

  • Sally

    I suffer ALL THE GUILT! And I have a mother-in-law like your mum – spotless house, every item on the dinner table is homemade, every vegetable is home grown. (But to be honest, she doesn’t work and has no commitments.)

    I desperately want a perfectly spotless house and to grow all my own food (I only grow a little bit of veg, and almost nothing in summer due to the intense heat) but there’s just not enough time. The problem being home is also my workplace. So if you’re at work, you might as well work, right? I have a hard time separating work and home life which is something I need to get better at because my last day off was Christmas Day. And I’m working hard on not feeling the guilt – however it doesn’t help when certain relatives come to my house and look down their nose at me because I haven’t churned my own butter or grown my own pumpkin or baked my own bread.

  • Jen

    Totally get this, although I think I tend to feel guilty that I don’t feel more guilty!

  • A Blog Called Henry

    Oh, I SO understand this. And I think I am the same – my mother is a crazy, organised clean freak and I feel a bit of pressure to live up to expectations. In saying that, as a kid I used to hate when we all sat down to watch a movie on a Friday night and she’d be ironing or folding clothes. I just wanted her to sit and chill out too. My other half is even worse than me and he can never relax – it is actually annoying because it makes my relax time less enjoyable when he is huffing and puffing and cleaning around me…I feel obliged to get up and help even though I’ve done that all week. Today is my first day without the small people after the summer holidays and there is lots to be done. However, I am conscious that I have worked hard all summer around kids trying to get my work done late at night and still keep a clean house. So, this article has made me think that I will do the bare minimum and give myself the arvo off!! No lazy guilt here today :)