20 Ingenious Ways Laziness Led to Brilliant Solutions
Hey there! Bill Gates once said, “I will always choose a lazy person to do a difficult job because a lazy person will find an easy way to do it.” Sounds crazy, right? But when someone on Reddit asked for real-life examples, the responses were pure gold! From automating boring tasks to outsourcing chores, these folks turned laziness into genius. We’ve picked 20 of the best stories, checked their plausibility, and wrapped them up for you. Ready to see how slackers can be superstars? Let’s jump in!
1. The Guy Who Turned Data Reports Into a Breeze
This dude had a low-level reporting job with tons of tweaking. Instead of slaving away, he set up macros to automate everything. He’d run them, wait a bit, then deliver just before deadlines—looking reliable while barely working an hour a day. Smart, lazy perfection!
2. The Kid Who Outsourced His Chores
A nephew got $10 a week for chores—without complaints. One day, his uncle caught the neighbor kid tossing trash for $5 a week. Turns out, the nephew outsourced his duties and pocketed the profit. Lazy? Yes. Brilliant? Absolutely!
3. The Data Entry Pro Who Barely Worked
A company replaced a slow data entry worker with someone skilled. The new hire automated the whole gig in a week, cutting 40+ hours to 10-15 minutes weekly. They even added fake errors to keep it real—all while chilling at home.
Shared by: DLS3141
4. The Warehouse Shortcut King
Working ‘goods in’ at an aircraft manufacturer, this guy found data entry tedious. He programmed terminal shortcuts, slashing hours off daily tasks. The extra time? Spent pranking coworkers—lazy and mischievous!
Shared by: john_C_random
5. The Python Wizard Hiding His Trick
This person automated data cleaning with Python, finishing in 10 minutes what took coworkers 2 hours. They shared the code with some, but management wasn’t thrilled—guess laziness threatened their vibe!
Shared by: [Reddit User]
6. The Script Genius Who Automated Life
A techie left behind scripts—like one texting his wife “late at work” after 9pm or fixing a client’s database when “sorry” popped up in emails, these hacks were pure lazy brilliance!
Shared by: EarlyHemisphere.
7. The Shelf Stocker Who Rolled Boxes
Tired of lugging heavy boxes, this student put them on an old desk chair and rolled them around. No more bending or carrying—genius! The guys kept hauling to flex their strength, though.
Shared by: sonia72quebec
8. The Coffee Pot Hacker
An engineer spent hours coding so they could start the coffee pot from their desk. No waiting in the break room—just pure, lazy caffeine efficiency!
Shared by: FutureRenaissanceMan
9. The Apple Picking Shortcut
At a yearly apple pick, this person suggested tarps to catch apples, cutting a full day to 2 hours. It worked so well they skipped the picnic—laziness for the win!
Shared by: IGHOTI907
10. The Excel Hero Who Beat 124,000 Rows
Tasked with checking 124,000 Excel rows for errors, this person built a formula in 30 minutes. Done in under an hour, they shocked their boss who expected days of work!
Shared by: Kompottkopf
11. The Clerk Who Printed Instead of Counted
Need 145 sheets? This clerk printed 145 blank pages instead of counting by hand. Simple, lazy, and effective!
Shared by: Rino_samuel
12. The Kids Who Flattened a Hill
Teens dug through a hill on their school path, turning a 10-second climb into a flat stroll. Three days of work saved years of effort for hundreds of kids!
Shared by: Yoinkie2013
13. The Fan That Outsmarted Engineers
Engineers built a system to catch empty toothpaste boxes, but workers added a fan to blow them off instead. Cheaper and faster—laziness trumped tech!
Shared by: notgoodwithyourname
14. The Milk Cooler Master
Stocking milk one-by-one? Nope. This newbie placed whole packs in the cooler and cut the plastic off—faster and way less effort!
Shared by: necropants
15. The Kid Who Let Alexa Do Math
Left with math worksheets, this 9-year-old asked Alexa for answers. Dinner was ready, and he was done—lazy tech at its finest!
Shared by: SparkieMark1977
16. The Intern Who Chilled All Summer
An intern automated data importing and reporting in Excel, cutting work from 9-5 to an hour a day. They even helped another intern slack off too!
Shared by: adhiyodadhi
17. The Grocery Bag Belt Trick
Hate multiple trips? This kid tied grocery bags to their belt loops, hauling everything in one go. Lazy and resourceful!
Shared by: blenderstyle
18. The Nursery Irrigation Savior
Watering 15,000 plants daily was brutal. This laborer built an irrigation system in weeks—still running 15 years later!
Shared by: InquiringKata
19. The Paper-Hater Who Streamlined Work
Frustrated with paper orders, this person digitized forms and simplified processes, cutting busywork in half. Laziness met efficiency!
Shared by: thisbuttonsucks
20. The Design Template Fixer
In a graphics studio, this intern reorganized messy templates, slashing task time from 10 minutes to 2-3. The boss was floored!
Shared by: Sekio-Vias
Wrapping It Up!
Wow, who knew laziness could spark so much brilliance? From macros to irrigation systems, these slackers prove Gates was onto something. Which story blew your mind? Share your own lazy hacks in the comments—I can’t wait to hear them!