Is your success measured by a stopwatch or by a forest?

We’ve been trained to worship hustle. Productivity. ROI. Efficiency. The faster, the better. The busier, the more valuable.

But here’s a thought: What if laziness is actually a form of creative intelligence?

A so-called “lazy” person won’t waste time on unnecessary steps. They find the simplest, most efficient way to do something—which, ironically, is exactly what transactional thinkers chase in their obsession with ROI (Return on Investment).

But here’s the twist: ROI optimizes for output. Laziness optimizes for ease. In doing so, laziness often eliminates struggle that was never necessary in the first place.

ROI vs. ROO: The Case for Measuring What Actually Matters

We’ve been trained to think in linear returns—money in, money out. The golden metric? ROI (Return on Investment). Efficient. Measurable. Predictable.

But here’s the problem: Some of the most valuable things in life don’t yield instant returns. They take time. They take care. They take depth.

So what if we measured Return on Objectives (ROO) instead? A long-term lens that values:

Relationships over quick wins; Regeneration over extraction; Learning over rigid efficiency

Because let’s be real—some of the best investments look like “wasted time” to a spreadsheet.

• Conversations that shift perspectives.
• Ideas that take years to bloom.
• Decisions that prioritize well-being over short-term profit.

Linear ROI is obsessed with efficiency. ROO is committed to endurance.

It’s time we stop treating life, work, and impact like an assembly line. Let’s stop measuring success in immediate outputs and start asking:

What are we nurturing?

What are we truly growing beyond numbers?

Your move: Are you still chasing ROI, or are you ready to build something that actually lasts?

Laziness as Resistance to Struggle Culture

Modernity glorifies hard work even when it’s pointless. We’re told that success requires sacrifice, sweat, and suffering. “Good things come to those who hustle.”

But step back for a moment. Nature doesn’t hustle. Trees don’t rush to grow. Octopuses don’t waste energy on unnecessary effort. Rivers don’t “push through”—they flow, adapting to the landscape.

And yet, humans are stuck in an urgency trap. A transactional mindset that asks: How much can I extract for the least amount of input? How quickly can I get results?

This is linear ROI thinking. It’s obsessed with short-term wins and instant output.

But what if we measured success differently? What if we asked: What am I actually growing? What will still matter in 10, 20, 50 years?

Laziness is Not the Enemy—It’s the Hack

A truly lazy person isn’t resisting work. They’re resisting wasted work. And when you look closely, that’s not laziness—it’s wisdom.

So the next time someone calls you lazy, ask yourself: Am I actually avoiding effort or just avoiding nonsense?

Maybe ( probably) the laziest people aren’t unproductive at all. Maybe they’re just ahead of their time.

#ReturnOnObjectives #LazyButSmart #BeyondROI #RethinkWork #SlowSuccess