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Editor’s note: Gabriel Judge AKA the anti-work girl boss, Although I write exclusively for Entrepreneur+, I am offering this article free to our readers. Subscribe now Get access to her upcoming and latest articles to help you earn more with less effort.
You’ve probably heard of the recent fad known as “lazy work” — I’m the one who created it.
There have been mixed reactions from the media, some calling it a bad thing, but the real reason I took a lazy job was to become an entrepreneur.
“Lazy jobs” aren’t a secret list of jobs that promise high pay for minimal work. In fact, there are very few rules governing what is or isn’t a “lazy job.” The only definition I really have is a job that gives you the autonomy you desire.
Related: This simple money formula helped me escape a 9-to-5 job and achieve financial freedom
For some, it might mean running a small business, becoming a desk assistant, or working in the gig economy. It’s all about taking control of your work-life balance. Work culture has changed a lot since the pandemic. Everyone Remote Work I feel like I can set my own schedule and there’s no commute or pressure to be physically there anymore. Remote work has been a huge gift that has shown me how autonomous our lives can be.
So, as crazy as it may sound, I got a job that allowed me to be lazy so I could be an entrepreneur.
This is where I started
My first job out of college was in tech. At the time, it felt like my dream job: good pay, nice offices. My job title was Technology Consultant, and the job description was vague.
This was an environment where projects outside my scope were likely to emerge, a career space where I could seek promotion, and an employer-backed private equity firm that changed direction every quarter. They appreciated that I loved doing my job and never opposed me taking on responsibility without a raise or promotion. I was confident I would be a huge success. But this confidence came to an abrupt end when I suffered a concussion and could no longer use the same brain power that had helped me work 40-plus hour shifts.
I did something truly horrible during my concussion recovery process: I decided to quit my job and look for a “lazy job” during the so-called “great quitting era” of 2021 and 2022.
Another way to look at it is that I was becoming underemployed, meaning I was working a job for which I was way more than qualified. The job didn’t yet have a fun, cute nickname. It was not fun at all and was pretty scary for me at the time. I felt like I was going backwards and not “advancing” like I expected with every career decision for the rest of my life.
Related: More and more companies are looking to retain their employees, and vice versa. Here’s how you can take advantage of this job market.
Content creation was calling my name so I took on my first “lazy job” – around this time TikTok was becoming popular. I created a community By posting about my career on the app, I was able to share my experiences with my followers as I took on many side jobs and part-time work throughout my teens and early twenties.
So I spent 2 hours a day at my “lazy job.” I was working at Wix, but I realized my job was completely irrelevant in terms of the company’s goals. I loved this job because it allowed me to focus my energy on being a content creator and educator.
I’d never been fired. I liked my bosses and the work environment. I had no complaints. I just knew this wasn’t my 40-year plan. And somehow, the longer I was able to maintain a good reputation at work and stay true to my business goals, the more I believed in myself.
A year and a half later, I had more followers than my employer, my content was getting in the way of my job, and I was struggling to meet my quota of just 2 hours a day, so I decided to walk away. It was a tough 2 weeks. It tested everything I knew about work and financial security. In my first month on my own, I was making 10x what I normally would. I finally breathed a sigh of relief and felt like I knew I made the right decision.
Advice for people considering a career change to a “lazy job”
When I coined the phrase “lazy jobs”, my goal was to help young people feel more confident in themselves. The biggest thing that stopped me from starting a full-time business right away was that I didn’t believe in myself for some reason. I want to help young people feel more confident in taking on “easier jobs” and having a work environment that allows them to have a work-life balance. Eventually, they will have enough space and clarity to discover their true talents.
My “lazy job” was a stable safety net that kept me from being emotionally drained or wasting my time. If you want to be an entrepreneur, I recommend finding a job that provides a stable income but also gives you more autonomy to work on your passions.
But becoming an entrepreneur isn’t the only reason to take a “lazy job.” It’s okay to take your foot off the gas on your career at any time, for any reason. We’re just trying to move forward and worrying about what steps are ahead of us on the never-ending corporate ladder.
Related: Why the hard-working entrepreneurial mindset is unhealthy
I often talk about being “anti-labor” on my platform. This doesn’t mean I don’t like to work. I like to work. This means I de-center the corporate definition of work.
Successful work is not about mindlessly agreeing to any learning opportunity that hits your desk in the name of upskilling. The project you agreed to may consist of chores done by a few links up the chain of command to justify the existence of that role. The project may not add intrinsic value to the organization or your career and you may just be wasting your time completing it.
If you stop and slow down today, you can speed up tomorrow, or in a few years, or never. “Lazy girl jobs” was a big social experiment for me. It was intentionally polarizing, and aimed to speak out about the low productivity I see in the workplace today. And, I forgot to mention, it’s not just for women.