I write this article because I am both surprised and annoyed by a very common “argument” given by people. I don’t know if anyone will ever read this and learn, but at least I tried!
The title says it all. It’s the argument that anything that is relatively little work should just always be done. Because it’s “free”, right? That activity is so little work, that not doing it just means you’re lazy, right?
It’s similar to saying that any product that costs less than 1 dollar should just be given out for free. And yes, that comparison illustrates how dumb the argument is.
Example #1
Let me give you an example of such a situation that you probably experienced yourself. Or something similar, of course.
- Someone blocks the doorway. Maybe they bought something big and didn’t place it in a smart way, maybe they physically don’t want to move, maybe a door can’t open because of something they’re doing. The reason is irrelevant.
- You ask them: “Could you please clear the way? I need to get through.”
- They say “Just lift it up” or “Just jump over it” or “Just take the long way around to the other door”
- You say: “No. Just don’t block the doorway. Why would I need to work harder or take extra steps because you’re being an asshole?” (Or, well, you might want to phrase that more kindly. Depends on your mood I guess.)
- And they are aghast! “What are you whining about? It’s barely 20 seconds to take the other route!”
This is a very minor example, of course, but it’s a good one to start with. The assumption here, which is used in abundance, is that something “easy to do” is basically “no effort at all”. If it’s not terribly hard to walk a different route, or lift a few objects to clear the way yourself, then you should just do it and stop complaining.
Example #2
Let’s scale it up. I am a freelancer. It’s rare, I admit, but I sometimes get hired for tasks and projects.
Below is an example of a regular conversation, obviously paraphrased and simplified.
- Someone sends me an image they want me to use.
- I tell them the image is delivered in the wrong format, or resolution, or the contrast isn’t great.
- They tell me: “You’re a designer. Just open the thing in Photoshop and fix it yourself.”
- I ask: “Will I get paid for that work?”
- And they are flabbergasted! They say: “Of course not! It’s 2 minutes!”
Firstly, the right response to this is always “if it’s so easy, why didn’t you do it yourself?”
But secondly, this is another example of people who truly believe that any work that is quick or simple should be “free”. Anything that is low effort should be considered as being no effort. And this assumption, of course, only applies when it benefits them to think that way. If you turn it around, then suddenly it’s too much effort to download Photoshop and whatnot.
I think most people know this is stupid. They just lie to themselves and think it’s okay to treat others this way, but it’s really not.
Example #3
The same thing is true with “low-wage jobs” or “jobs that don’t require a higher education”.
- Maybe your kitchen faucet stopped working.
- You call a plumber.
- They take a look and fix the issue in 2 minutes.
- And what do people expect? That it’s free. Or that it’s only 2 dollars or something. But it’s not!
- People are dumbfounded! When they realize they really have to pay, they’ll complain to their friends for days. “It only took 5 minutes! It’s such little work. Their prices are extortion!”
Repeat after me: “If it’s so easy, why didn’t you do it yourself?” :p
Then also repeat after me: Simple work is still work.
Quick work is still work. Work that doesn’t require a genius or a degree is still work. Someone has to do that work. And if it’s not you doing it, then you must pay the one who does. (Or compensate in some other agreed-upon way, of course.)
Example #4
This issue pops up in school too.
In so many group projects, people dole out commands to fix all sorts of tiny issues. And when you say “that’s not my job, we agreed that I’d only write the Conclusion”, they get angry. It’s just a few tiny mistakes to fix! It’s just 10 minutes of work! And now you have a falling out with your group and they all think you’re lazy and a complainer. Even though you’re absolutely right, because even simple work is still work.
Or you might have teachers who get mad at you when you’ve left a few mistakes in the report. Or didn’t update the cover image from the temporary one. Even though you’re swamped with school work, or you were on vacation, or have perfectly valid reasons. It doesn’t matter. They’ll expect you to make no tiny mistakes at all because fixing tiny mistakes is relatively little work.
Similarly, as a writer, I’ve sometimes experienced readers who want to see you burn in hell for a single spelling error. They’ll think all your books are terrible and you as a person are terrible, forever! Because, as they say, it takes only two seconds to fix the issue. And we even have spell checkers an AI these days. Surely, when it’s so easy to prevent spelling errors, anyone who lets them be simply is a bad writer who doesn’t care. Right?
Yes, all these things are (relatively) little work. Yes, you can classify many persistent mistakes as “tiny mistakes” or “easy to fix or work around”.
But you still need to do it.
That still requires time and energy. It still means that the task has to prevail over another pile of tasks. And when someone has to choose between “meticulously scanning my entire book again for one or two spelling errors” or “finally spend time with my family for the first time in months”—what do you think they’ll choose?
Priorities Rule
The conclusion I’m working towards, I guess, is that people always seem to forget that priorities exist. So many times, the only arguments used by people rely on the assumption that you have infinite time and energy. As long as they can give a reason to do something, then you must do it of course. As long as an issue is tiny, then you must have already fixed it yesterday of course.
That’s just not how the world works. We have a limited amount of time and energy. Anyone, in the real world, will always have to prioritize. You are constantly choosing, every moment of every day, on what handful of activities to spend your minutes and your focus.
Most of the time, tiny issues are exactly the things that are of low priority. So no, doing something “because it’s so little work”, and especially doing that for free because it’s “almost no work at all”, is not reasonable in any way. It’s probably the worst choice. Because now you’ve lost time on something insignificant and couldn’t spend it on something that truly matters.
It’s also why you rarely see me actively support good causes, even if it’s just a nod in my writing work. For example, if you know me, you know I am a fierce proponent of freedom in basically every way. Way more than people who claim they’re freedom fighters or whatever.
People may call themselves whatever they want, they may fall in love with whomever, they may wear whatever clothes. I truly don’t care if you have a university degree or flunked out of elementary school. You can try to provoke or offend me, you can spread obvious lies about me or burn my work to the ground, you are free to do so and I don’t care. Freedom also means the freedom to hate me, or tell lies, or say stupid things.
I am obviously against racism, sexism, war, you name it. But … I will rarely say this, or use it in my work, or sign petitions, or support you when you ask me to. Because most of the issues that are presented, and given time and energy, are so incredibly low priority that they will never ever reach the top of my list. And it scares me that it reaches the top of other people’s lists.
Unisex toilets? Amending the law to give whistling at a woman a severe punishment? Trying to cancel a famous person who said something horrible? Publishers only accepting stories if your novel passes a diversity checklist? The city of Amsterdam releasing a guide on how to talk to not offend anyone?
Even if I did agree fully, which I often don’t, it would just not be worth my precious time and ever-fleeting focus.
I’m sorry, I’m battling chronic illness here, barely getting enough food to survive, and just trying to be a good person in daily life. I focus my efforts on improving the system of education and informing people about climate change. I am knowledgeable about it, I can really use it in my creative work, and both topics have had direct significant effects on my own life.
And that’s that. Even though it would be little work to involve anti-racism themes in my work, it would still be work. Even though I could easily include a gay character in all my novels, it would still be extra work.
Most people around me tell the same story of their own struggles of greater priority. Even those who are rich or successful. I’ve never been one for small talk, always reaching for the true feelings or important thoughts inside someone. Sometimes this fails miserably, of course. But just as often, it has led to pretty interesting revelations from people who I thought were successful, and had an easy life, and could do whatever they want.
No, most people can’t. They have invisible priorities, and if you knew them, you’d (hopefully) understand why they don’t go out of their way to support your activist group.
The fact that it’s “low effort” to sign a petition, or “little work” to just say you stand behind something, means nothing at all. Because little work is still work. A small gesture is still a gesture that needs to be made. And very important tasks obviously take priority over very insignificant ones.
At least, those are my thoughts for now.
In summary, don’t fall for this trap. Simple work is still work. It takes time and energy to do it, and that needs to be compensated. Don’t have your laziness or righteousness cause others to do extra work. Because even if it’s simple or low effort, it’s still work.
Don’t accept it as a supposed argument from other people. Don’t use it as an argument yourself.
In fact, it’s a well-known productivity trick to write down every single task on your to-do list. No matter how small or irrelevant, no matter if it’s 5 seconds of work. I’ve used this to great effect for years now. Because you’ll never forget a task and feel good about crossing them out—and you’ll be surprised about how much you actually need to do and can actually get done in a day.
As they say: “The first task on your to-do list … should be writing the to-do list.”
Tiamo