TL;DR: Smart "Lazy" Life Hacks to Boost Productivity
Working smarter, not harder, is key to efficiency. These seemingly "lazy" hacks help simplify everyday tasks and free up time for what matters most:
• Automate repetitive tasks with tools like Zapier or IFTTT to save hours.
• Say “No” more often to focus your time on priorities that align with goals.
• Batch similar tasks together to maintain deep focus and avoid mental fatigue.
• Outsource disliked tasks, such as cleaning or admin work, to optimize time use.
By adopting these strategies, you can boost productivity without burning out. For more on time-saving tools, check out Small Business Efficiency Tips. Start implementing one hack this week and watch your output improve!
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8 “Lazy” Life Hacks Smart People Use That Hard Workers Judge but Secretly Wish They’d Thought Of
Sometimes the people who achieve the most in life don’t hustle or grind the hardest. Instead, they think differently, finding seemingly “lazy” ways to get ahead. These tactics may draw judgment from hard workers who stick to traditional approaches, but deep down, they envy the results. As someone who has built and sold multiple businesses, I’ve learned that working smarter, not harder, is the secret weapon of the most successful people I know. Today, I’m sharing the eight “lazy” life hacks that I’ve personally tested to achieve more by doing less.
What Are These “Lazy” Hacks That Work So Well?
The word “lazy” gets a bad reputation. It implies sitting around and doing nothing. But what I’ve learned, and what many smart people understand intuitively, is that laziness can be efficiency in disguise. These life hacks aren’t about being unproductive; they’re about working strategically and valuing your time. Here’s a breakdown of the most effective strategies.
1. Automate Boring, Repetitive Tasks
How many hours do you waste on tasks that technology can handle for you? Smart people automate everything, from paying bills to managing email. Tools like Zapier or IFTTT allow you to connect apps and automate workflows. For instance, you can automatically back up important documents to cloud storage or send personalized replies to customer inquiries. It might take an hour to set up initially, but automation frees up endless hours in the long term.
- Use auto-investment apps to grow savings without effort.
- Schedule repetitive emails with email automation tools.
- Create recurring grocery and household supply orders online.
By putting these systems in place, you can focus on high-value tasks, rather than getting bogged down by administrative ones. Hard workers might call this “cutting corners,” but it’s simply strategic.
2. Say “No” More Often
“No” is a powerful word. Successful people are ruthless about their time and know that not every opportunity is worth pursuing. Warren Buffett famously said, “The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything.”
- Turn down unnecessary meetings.
- Politely decline projects that don’t align with your goals.
- Protect your weekends and personal downtime.
Hard workers might take pride in always being available, but this approach can lead to burnout. Saying no shows that you value your time and energy.
3. Batch Similar Tasks Together
Jumping from one task to another kills productivity. Instead, batching means grouping similar tasks and tackling them in focused blocks of time. For instance, rather than sporadically replying to emails throughout the day, dedicate a 60-minute window to process your inbox.
- Set specific times to check emails, such as 10 AM and 4 PM.
- Batch phone calls into one session rather than scattering them across the day.
- Process invoices and other paperwork in a single sitting.
This eliminates the mental energy wasted on task-switching and lets you enter a state of deep focus. Hard workers might see this as rigid, but it’s highly efficient.
4. Outsource Tasks You Dislike
Why spend hours cleaning your house or designing a website when you can pay someone else to do it better and faster? Smart people understand that their time is too valuable for low-priority tasks. Platforms like Fiverr or Upwork connect you to freelancers who can handle almost anything.
- Hire virtual assistants for tasks like calendar management or research.
- Have groceries delivered instead of shopping in-person.
- Outsource repetitive admin work, like data entry.
This isn’t laziness, it’s optimization. By delegating, you free up mental space to focus on things only you can do, such as growing your business or spending time with family.
5. Accept “Good Enough” Over Perfection
Perfection is a time thief. Trying to achieve flawless results often delays progress or kills momentum. Smart people believe in getting something to 80% and iterating later, instead of wasting time on unnecessary details.
- Launch products as MVPs (Minimum Viable Products) and improve based on feedback.
- Send emails without obsessing over every sentence.
- Finish presentations without nitpicking fonts or slide styles.
Hard workers might scoff at “good enough,” but smart people understand that done > perfect.
6. Take Breaks to Recharge
Many people believe that working without breaks proves dedication, but research shows that regular breaks enhance productivity. Simple activities like walking, meditating, or napping can have a massive impact on your focus and energy.
- Step outside for a 10-minute walk every 2-3 hours.
- Switch off screens and rest your eyes periodically.
- Adopt the Pomodoro technique, 25 minutes of work, followed by a 5-minute break.
Hard workers grind for long hours but risk burnout. Smart people treat rest as part of the job.
Final Thoughts
Being “lazy” isn’t about avoiding work, it’s about being efficient and intentional with your time. Each of these hacks saves energy for what matters most: achieving meaningful results without burning out. Traditional hard work has its place, but strategic “laziness” lets you thrive in the long run. Start by applying one of these hacks this week and watch how it reshapes your productivity.
FAQ on Smart Productivity Hacks
What are some examples of so-called “lazy” productivity hacks that work effectively?
“Lazy” doesn’t mean unproductive; it often means being strategic. For instance, automating tasks like bill payments, email responses, and even repetitive work like social media scheduling saves immense time. Using tools like Zapier or IFTTT allows individuals to streamline workflows without manual effort. Another example is outsourcing tasks you don’t enjoy, such as household chores or administrative work, using platforms like Upwork. These hacks reflect leveraging resources for consistent productivity with less personal time investment. Explore Efficiency Hacks for Productivity
How does saying “no” contribute to overall productivity in busy schedules?
Saying “no” to low-priority activities or time-wasting meetings creates more opportunities to focus on high-impact tasks. Setting personal boundaries is essential to avoid unnecessary obligations, enabling individuals to align their efforts with meaningful goals. As thought leader Warren Buffett notes, successful people say “no” to almost everything, ensuring their energy is preserved for what truly matters. Learn to channel time management effectively by making intentional decisions. Discover the Female Founder Mindset
Why is batching tasks more effective than multitasking?
Batching tasks reduces the cognitive load caused by frequent task-switching. By focusing on similar activities in one time block, such as emails in the morning and meetings in the afternoon, you minimize fragmented attention. This fosters deeper focus and operational efficiency. Adopting time-blocking techniques is particularly useful for individuals managing multiple responsibilities. Read More About Startup Time Strategies
How do automation tools help improve productivity for startups?
Automation tools like CRMs, AI-powered platforms, and email schedulers automate repetitive tasks, freeing time for more strategic activities. This significantly benefits lean teams or startup founders managing limited resources. Additionally, integrating these technologies reduces human error and allows scalable growth models. Learn More About Automation Tools for Startups
Why should entrepreneurs embrace “good enough” over perfection?
Perfectionism stalls progress and delays launch timelines. Highly successful entrepreneurs incorporate an 80/20 principle, focusing on getting things done and refining through feedback later. This approach boosts iterative improvements while keeping momentum. Launching minimum viable products (MVPs) for testing is one practical application of this principle. Explore Startup Skills for Founders
How important is outsourcing tasks for entrepreneurs?
Outsourcing tasks that consume energy, like admin work or technical activities beyond your skillset, allows you to direct energy to scaling core business areas. Platforms like Fiverr or TaskRabbit connect entrepreneurs with freelancers who efficiently handle these tasks. Delegation is not a shortcut but a high-leverage strategy that maximizes productivity. Increase Efficiency with Outsourcing
What role does taking breaks play in improving performance?
Breaks are essential for maintaining focus and preventing burnout. Techniques like the Pomodoro Method (25 minutes of focused work followed by five-minute breaks) have been shown to increase overall output while reducing fatigue. Activities such as short walks or meditation sessions keep your mind fresh. Learn How Founders Maintain Balance
How do “lazy” life hacks apply to the rising gig economy and remote work?
Gig economy professionals and remote workers benefit significantly from strategic productivity hacks. Tactics like batching tasks, automating redundant activities, and outsourcing align perfectly with the decentralized nature of modern work. The flexibility in creating custom schedules also complements strategic laziness. Explore Female Founder Trends
In what ways do automation and batching improve focus within startups?
By automating mundane tasks such as data entry or calendar scheduling, startups can improve operational efficiency. Combining this with batching schedules for related tasks creates deep focus periods, ideal for solving complex problems or managing client relationships. This is especially vital in resource-strapped environments. Access European Startup Hacks
How does “smart laziness” affect long-term success for female entrepreneurs?
Smart laziness empowers female entrepreneurs to achieve more while conserving energy, reducing burnout, and focusing ambition. By mastering tools such as process automation and time-blocking, founders can allocate time for strategic growth activities like fundraising and scaling. Kickstart Female-Led Startup Growth
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the “gamepreneurship” methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the point of view of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.