Burnout vs. Laziness: What’s The Difference? (2024)

Burnout is something we all fear, and it can creep up at any moment. We can especially get scared of burnout when we have a lot of tests and quizzes one after the other. Burnout is defined as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. This can occur after an incredibly overwhelming time, with all the pent-up stress manifesting itself as burnout. However, why do people say that those who are burnt out are just being lazy? What are the differences between burnout and laziness? What tools can we use to help avoid burnout and laziness?

Burnout can be an all-consuming feeling. It has similar symptoms to a depressive episode: the inability to do tasks, the inability to get up, exhaustion, and more. It usually comes with stressful events. This can be a week filled with tests and papers, trouble at work, or simply feeling bogged down by all the piles of stuff you have to do. We often feel the emotional effects of burnout before its physical effects. As the term burnout suggests, I like to imagine a match. All you have to do is light the match, and it gets lit. Things go fine for a while, but as more and more things come at you, that motivation starts to dwindle, and the spark starts to disappear. However, burnout is not laziness. Yes, that motivation has now reduced, but it was there to begin with and has only started to fade after using motivation for so long. Your body almost gets exhausted from constantly trying to stay motivated to accomplish tasks.

Laziness, however, never starts with motivation. The dictionary definition of laziness is “the quality of being unwilling to work or use energy; idleness.” The dictionary clearly says laziness is an unwillingness to produce any motivation. This can be bad if you are lazy and have a big project coming up worth 70% of your grade or a paper that is part of a group project. But is laziness always bad? No! I feel that laziness can almost be a way to alleviate burnout. I think it’s so important to have those lazy moments, to have those moments where you just lay in your bed and do absolutely nothing. But you have to have limits. If you have something due, it would be unfortunate if you spent all day not working on that project. But, if you take thirty minutes to be lazy, an hour to be productive, an hour to be lazy, an hour to be productive, and so on, you will find that it may be easier to focus on one particular task. But everyone is different. So, it’s essential to find what works best for you to get out of your temporary lazy state of mind. I encourage you not to be lazy 24/7. Your grades, your mind, and your future jobs will thank you.

But how can we prevent these things that can bring so much discomfort to our lives? One of my favorite ways to avoid burnout is to practice good sleeping habits. I feel much less overwhelmed by the constant stress of school when I go to bed early. I go to bed at 11:30pm and wake up at 8:15am. That’s 8 hours and 45 minutes! Find what works best for you and your body. Only you know your body. Another fantastic way to prevent burnout is to ask for help and surround yourself with people who notice and care. For example, if you see one of your friends working too hard and biting off more than they can chew, talk to them. Let them know that you care about them and their well-being. If you feel like you are about to experience burnout, reach out to someone. Whether that be through therapy, talking to a friend, a pastor, or even to a family member, it’s crucial that you prevent your feelings of overwhelming stress and pressure before it makes you feel awful.

To prevent laziness, as I mentioned, one thing that helps me stay motivated is setting a productivity alarm. I usually put this on my phone, but you can also use Tomato Timer. Even as I write this article, I have set a timer of forty-five minutes that lets me know that I must be productive for that time. This can help you break the cycle of procrastination and laziness. Another way to prevent laziness is by writing the tasks down. One of the most satisfying things is completing a task and aggressively crossing it off your list. This will help you visualize your to-do list, and it may start to look less scary than you thought. You can also write down or verbalize the problems you're having and why you may be having those issues with motivation.

As we get closer to the end of the semester, I wanted to encourage everyone that there are many ways to prevent burnout and laziness. You're not being lazy if you get burned out. Make sure to take care of yourself. For students, remember that your professors may be experiencing burnout. Professors, make sure to remember that your students may be experiencing burnout. It’s essential that, while we have things we need to do, we all watch out for each other as part of a beautiful college community.