#193 Laziness is a myth. Here's what's actually going on

That Hoarder: Overcome Compulsive Hoarding

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In this episode, I unpack the myth of laziness and why it’s such a damaging label for people with hoarding disorder.

I’ll break down how blaming ourselves or others for being “lazy” ignores the real barriers - like overwhelm, poor mental health, executive dysfunction and more - and just piles on more shame.

Let’s get honest about what’s actually holding us back and why reframing this idea matters.

• The Myth of Laziness in Relation to Hoarding
• Revisiting a previous episode’s question: Are hoarders lazy?
• Arguments against the idea (hoarded homes require more energy to live in, etc.)
• The aversion to external intervention reveals deeper issues than laziness
• Societal attitudes towards rest and productivity
• Internalised and external accusations of laziness
• The damaging effects: shame, isolation, distress
• Understanding Hoarding as a Mental Health Issue
• Hoarding as a coping method for difficult emotions
• Judgments of laziness overlook the disorder’s complexity and nuance
• Such labels add barriers to seeking help and reinforce stigma
• Consequences of Labelling People who Hoard (or Ourselves) as Lazy
• Shame and self-criticism deepen the problem
• Laziness as a simplistic explanation that ignores underlying issues
• Possible root causes: executive dysfunction, decision-making difficulties, emotional attachment to items, avoidance, depression, physical disability, etc.
• The Harmful Cultural Narrative Around Laziness
• Societal pressures to be constantly productive
• Inaccuracies of the “we all have the same 24 hours” myth
• Differences in time and capability due to systemic inequalities
• Examples: physical ability, mental health, neurodivergence, responsibilities, discrimination
• Moral and Social Implications of the “Lazy” Label
• Care tasks are morally neutral (reference to KC Davis, episode 82)
• The negative cycle: shame leads to paralysis, makes it harder to seek help and make progress
• Laziness label used as a justification for lack of societal support
• Political and social consequences for marginalised groups
• Importance of community, support, and helping each other
• The Danger of Linking Self-Worth to Productivity
• The toxic culture of non-stop productivity and hustling
• Problems with feeling guilty for resting
• The spiral of self-worth being tied to continuous output
• The Limiting Nature of the Laziness Concept
• It shuts down further exploration of underlying problems
• Missed opportunities for self-compassion, empathy, and effective assistance
• Underlying Reasons for Struggles That Are Mistaken for Laziness
• Lack of motivation: exhaustion, depression, overwhelm
• Overwhelm due to the scale of the task
• Executive dysfunction (planning, initiating, processing tasks)
• Fear (of the process, of making wrong decisions, of consequences)
• Fatigue, burnout, and mental health struggles
• Being practically or emotionally stuck, lacking skills or knowledge
• Societal Structures and Individual Blame
• Blame placed on individuals ignores wider systemic and commercial influences
• Industries profit from reinforcing personal inadequacy (beauty industry analogy, storage solutions)
• The cycle of self-blame, shame, and attempts to “fix” via consumerism
• Breaking the Cycle and Moving Forward
• Recognising the myth of laziness enables real progress
• Compassion, curiosity, and support as healthier responses
• Encouragement for self-acceptance and seeking genuine solutions

Buy your copy of Everything You Need to Know About Hoarding by Dr Lynne Drummond at cambridge.org/EverythingHoarding, and get 20% off with the discount code HOARDING20. #ad

Links

• Podcast ep 57: Are hoarders lazy? I think you’d be surprised…
• Podcast ep 82: Dehoarding when you’re drowning with KC Davis of Struggle Care
• Podcast ep 112: Executive function, executive dysfunction and hoarding with Dr Jan Eppingstall
• Podcast ep 186: 10 executive dysfunction tips and tricks to help people who hoard, whether we have ADHD or are neurodivergent or not – Hoarding Awareness Week 2025
• Podcast ep 183: ADHD, executive dysfunction and creating hacks and systems to reduce clutter chaos, with Carrie Lagerstedt
• Podcast ep 162: From Fibble to Focus: Defibble your executive dysfunction with Jo Cavalot
• Podcast ep 188: 12 ways to make decision-making easier (and why people who hoard find it so hard to make decisions in the first place!)
• Podcast ep 139: Chronic disorganisation with Jo Cooke of Hoarding Disorders UK
• Podcast ep 107: Things that look like hoarding but aren’t: ADHD, depression, autism, OCD, OCPD and more
• Enough, the Podcast

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