It’s human nature to be a little lazy. It’s so fun to not do something you were supposed to do. Like John Mulaney once said, «In terms of instant relief, canceling plans is like heroin.» He couldn’t be more right. If you’ve been dreading something, the idea of simply not doing it is so attractive that it’s amazing we do anything at all. Sometimes we forget we have free will as humans, and when we remember that we can actually do whatever we want, a sense of euphoria sets in. Once we realize we can stop what we’re doing right now, buy a bag of chips, and call out of work, the world gets a lot brighter.

For centuries, workers have sought out clever ways to avoid the work they’re supposed to be doing. I have to imagine that once upon a time, a dairy farmer was like «I can’t milk the cows today, they all have cow disease» and everyone believed him and then he went home and took a nap.