The Difference Between Being Lazy or Burnt Out

By: Sidak Setia

“80% of college students reported feeling overwhelmed, and 40% reported it was difficult to function” (Kosmin). This statistic by Kosmin illustrates that the majority of college students feel overwhelmed, and half of the majority are unable to function. This defines the difference between lazy and burnt out, wherelazy is caused by being overwhelmed and having a lack of motivation, while being burnt out is the exhaustion that causes one’s body to not function. Some people do not know the difference between being burnt out, or if they feel lazy. Below this identifies the differences of the percent of teenagers who feel overwhelmed (Rutherig).

When might one be lazy?

Being in a state of laziness is when one is procrastinating one's work. This is when one is not currently doing the work, but is overwhelmed by the work; leading to one not doing anything, and leaving the work at the last minute, or not doing it. Additionally, another key difference between laziness and burnt out, is when one is avoiding work. If one is avoiding work, then they are being lazy. If one can not function to do the work, and their body is shutting down, then that is a sign of being burnt out. Subsequently, doing the bare minimum is laziness, as you are not trying to understand the topic, and instead are just trying to finish the assignments. 

When might one be burnt out?

When someone is burnt out, their body can not function anymore, making it incapable of doing anything. This occurs when one has too much stress.Therefore, I would recommend dropping some extracurricular activities or classes. 

Overall, these are the key differences between laziness and being burnt out. If one is burnt out, please work on oneself, and fix whatever is causing the stress. If one is lazy, try motivating oneself by different study methods, and taking breaks. Make the breaks a goal for one to achieve.