Bill Gates thinks you should hire lazy people. No, seriously. He famously said, “I choose a lazy person to do a hard job. Because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.”

The hardest way is often not the best way. In fact, in the startup world, over delivering can be just as dangerous as under delivering when time and money are finite resources and a lesser solution would have solved the problem effectively.

Feeling lazy is often a sign we need rest. I want to make one thing clear: Rest does not equal laziness.

Tech culture at large has this problem: The perception of productivity is more important than actual productivity.

Longer breaks are critical in preventing burnout. What may look laziness deceptively makes you better.

when you rest, really rest. Don’t check Slack from your phone. Don’t respond to email on your vacation. Truly take the space for restorative rest — and give your colleagues that space as well. You’ll likely come back motivated and better equipped to work.

Lack of motivation is something a lot of us berate ourselves for as a personal failing. Instead of hurling insults at the mirror, what if we started from a place of curiosity? Try asking yourself why you’re avoiding certain tasks. Don’t settle for the easy answers.

To address them in others, you must come from a place of deep empathy. It’s not easy to talk about fears of inadequacy or losing meaning in your work. It’s a human problem, not an outcomes problem, but it does impact output. Connecting with others at work makes people more productive.

Identifying what’s holding you back, whether it’s perfectionist tendencies or low self-efficacy, is the first step towards taking action.

The progress principle states that “of all the things that can boost emotions, motivation and perceptions during a workday, the single most important is making progress in meaningful work.”

Studies show that a 30-minute nap can stop performance deterioration in its tracks. A 60-minute nap can reverse it. If you’re feeling lazy, it could be your cue to rest.

Lack of meaning in your work is a primary contributing factor to diminished motivation.

Actually do less.