In 2022, two researchers published a paper modeling the mathematically ideal amount of effort to exert when you don’t want to do something. It even has an objective function. They called it “A Reference-Based Theory of Motivation and Effort Allocation”, which is a very motivated way to describe not wanting to try.
The model balances the cost of exertion against the value of the outcome, then solves for the point where pushing harder stops being worth it. The answer depends on how much you care about the result, your track record of past performance, and what you realistically expect to achieve with or without the effort. Under the right conditions, the math genuinely recommends doing less.
Which, if you squint at it the right way, isn’t really about laziness at all. Energy is finite. Choosing where not to spend it is just as deliberate as choosing where you do. The researchers basically formalized something that effective people figured out a long time ago without needing an objective function.
Procrastination with a gradient descent. Have a good weekend.
