As an entrepreneur, I’m always chasing results. Without profit, I can’t put food on the table. And if I have more money, I can build better services and businesses, which (hopefully) leads to even more money. Then I can finally do the hobbies I want to do—like being lazy.

If you think being lazy is easy, try doing nothing for a week. Your muscles start aching and your mind starts wandering. Even if you spend hours scrolling Instagram or YouTube, your eyes get tired and boredom seeps in—followed by the existential question: “What am I doing here? Why am I wasting my time?”

So I tweaked my definition of being lazy.

To me, being lazy means doing something simple and repetitive with awareness.

When I do that, my mind relaxes. It stops asking meaningless questions, because I’m clearly doing something—yet my attention stays with the activity instead of racing ahead. It feels restful and genuinely lazy, without my mind interfering.

The first activity I tried was reading. I’d grab a book—as long as it wasn’t heavy drama or too technical—and just read. It worked. I could “be lazy,” because my mind felt occupied while also drifting along with the story.

But then another problem appeared: my body still ached from sitting too long. I read that if you don’t move, your muscles can weaken over time. That sounded scary, so I had another idea: buy a couple of dumbbells and learn yoga.

Lifting dumbbells repeatedly can still keep the mind quiet, but with the bonus of exercise. And with yoga, I can simply follow the stretches—pulling, breathing, staying aware—enjoying the pain and the sense of energy moving through my body. Without even realizing it, yoga made my mind calmer and my mood so good that I didn’t want to stop. It turned out to be a great way to be “lazy.”

I found many ways to rest like this, but I also realized I still needed to run my business. So I asked myself: why not bring this “lazy mindset” into business too?

For example, when negotiating with clients, I sometimes price slightly lower than competitors to increase the chance of getting the purchase order. Then I go to suppliers and accept slightly higher prices in exchange for stable supply. I use accounting software to handle expenses and taxes, and I put someone in charge to manage and monitor the accounting process.

I also ask others to be intermediaries—finding new customers for commissions or connecting me with new suppliers—so the system keeps working without me having to sweat for every opportunity.

Wonderful ideas, right? Will they work? I have no idea.

Even when I try not to think about it, concern and worry still show up. That’s when I found a concept from Stoicism:

“The Reserve Clause (Hupexhairesis)”.

It teaches that after I’ve done everything I can, I should tell myself: “if nothing prevents it,” “fate permitting,” or “God willing.” Then I release what happens next to fate, God, or the universe—and stop adding extra thoughts.

That idea felt freeing. Do what you can, then let go of the outcome.

So now I’m practicing: acting with care, building systems that make life easier, and then loosening my grip on results.

What about you—do you also want to be lazy in this way?