📚 Laziness Does Not Exist Book Club-Week 5️⃣

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📖 Week 5: | Chapter 4 & 5 (p105-156)

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Alright.... Lets Do This 🤍

Chapter 4: Your Achievements Are Not Your Worth

Jumping right in! I've been reading this on the go: planes and trains and at random recharge moments in my days... but I will do my best to capture my thoughts as a whole as best I can 🫶

Here are a few things I really liked from this chapter:

1. The reminder that “achievements are fleeting things” and can never bring us lasting satisfaction. It’s so easy to be focused on what’s next that we forget to actually enjoy where we are.

2. The author talks about learning to savour experiences, being present, and seeking out moments of awe and wonder. I loved this reminder that “unfamiliar places and experiences take longer for our brains to process,” which can make time feel like it’s slowing down. Watching the sunset from the plane right now as I read this chapter and write these reflections feels like a good example of this. ✈️❤️

3. I also really liked the idea that when we stop expecting ourselves to always be the very best, we can find joy in all kinds of slow, “unproductive” activities. The anxiety about what comes next is such a common theme in my therapy sessions, and I think there’s something important here about learning to actually be where we are instead of constantly moving the goalposts.

I did find the section on gamified apps and social media a little one-sided. While I agree that the notifications and constant stimulation can be distracting (turning off notifications is a good call!), these spaces can also be fun, offer a break from the demands of everyday life, and help us stay connected to friends, especially those who live far away. As always, I think it’s about finding a balance rather than treating everything as "all good" or "all bad" and this author definitely leant towards "social media" is all bad in her discussion here.

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Chapter 5: You Don't Have to Be an Expert in Everything

aka ... Nobody Can Be an Expert in Everything

I’ve been thinking a lot about how much information we’re expected to take in every single day, and how exhausting it can be to feel like we need to know about everything. The news, social media, world events, other people’s opinions, the latest research, the next thing we should be worried about. We have access to more information than any generation before us, but that doesn’t necessarily mean we’re better informed, more connected, or better equipped to do something meaningful with it. Sometimes, we’re just overwhelmed. And yet, how often do we feel guilty for not knowing enough, not keeping up, or not doing more? I know I can fall into the trap of wanting to educate people, stay informed, and understand every side of an issue, even when it comes at the expense of my own peace. I agree with this book that taking in a constant stream of distressing information doesn’t automatically make us more compassionate, more effective, or more capable of creating change. Sometimes it just leaves us anxious, distracted, and feeling powerless. We’re taking in so much data that it can actually become harder to process what matters.

I like how this chapter also kept coming back to the idea that setting limits on what we consume isn’t laziness; it’s a form of care. We can care deeply about what’s happening in the world without being constantly exposed to every terrible thing happening in it. We can be informed without scrolling endlessly, and we can acknowledge that suffering exists without making ourselves bear witness to all of it, all the time. When we’re constantly flooded with frightening news, we can end up feeling less capable of taking meaningful action, not more. I especially appreciate the reminder to get comfortable with not knowing everything.

There will always be another article to read, another issue to understand, another conversation to join, and another reason to feel like we should be doing more. But we are human beings with limited time, energy, and capacity. We’re allowed to choose where our attention goes. We’re allowed to log off, to stop reading the news before bed, and to be present in our own lives. We don’t have to be endlessly available to information to be thoughtful, engaged people. I agree with the books argument that the goal isn’t to know everything, but to be intentional about what we let in, what we do with it, and where we choose to put our energy. Protecting our capacity to think, connect, and act isn’t checking out of the world. It is exactly what allows us to keep showing up for it. <mini rant over>

And just like that, another week of reading is in the books! 📚

I’ve really been enjoying having this little space to reflect on what we’re reading, and I hope you’ve been enjoying the book and finding things that resonate with you, too. 💛

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🗣️ Your turn!

What are your initial thoughts/reactions to the book so far?

Anything that made you pause, nod aggressively, disagree, rethink something, or immediately want to send the book to someone?

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⏭️ Up next

Week 6 (Oct 19–25) → Chapter 6 (p. 157–182).

Happy reading, everyone & talk soon! ☕️