On March 21, Robert Doze came to Guilford to conduct workshops about the joys of being idle.

Student Recovery, a new club on campus, recruited him to give pointers about how students can relax in the midst of their exhausting schedules. The event, titled “Envisioning Freedom through Laziness,” was sponsored as part of an ongoing effort by Student Recovery to get students in touch with their core value of procrastination. 

“This is a very important event for this community,” said Student Recovery President Zen Smith. “Stress is a deadly killer and we’ve been working hard to raise awareness about its insidious effects. It also ties into Student Recovery’s theme for this year, ‘Idleness and Beyond.'” 

The event took place in Dana Auditorium. Doze set the tone for the evening when he walked onto the stage wearing a blue onesie. 

“It’s the perfect outfit for doing nothing!” said Doze. “I’m here tonight to talk about how those pesky aspirations of yours are bringing you down and getting in the way of your free time.” 

The event focused on utilizing laziness to access the joys of life, as opposed to living a stressful life that is scheduled down to the last minute, according to Doze. The workshop ranged over many topics. Highlights included specific tips for maximizing free time through procrastination techniques. 

“We aren’t born lazy,” said Doze. “It takes dedication to become a master. For example, during my undergraduate career, I chose to do a presentation on procrastination. When it was time for me to present, I walked into that class empty-handed, and told the class: ‘My project was on procrastination. Unfortunately, I forgot about it until last night.'” 

“Well, folks, I received an A on that project. If I had spent 3 weeks on that project, I probably would have gotten a B-. In this culture, we’re taught that laziness is evil, but sometimes trying to do things the way society expects us to causes more stress then the thing itself. It’s not the paper that’s stressing you out, it’s the due date.” 

The evening turned out to be an amazing success, stimulating conversation and inspiring action on an issue that affects all students. 

“I have a lot to think about,” said sophomore Taylor Jordan. “I always try to do my papers way in advance, but it’s time for a change. Instead of doing my work as soon as possible, I’m going to spend that time looking at kittens on YouTube.” 

The evening came to a close with the students meditating on what truly makes them happy, from getting a solid 10 hours every night to watching baby animals on YouTube. 

“They say that the early bird catches the worm,” were Doze’s closing words. “To that I say, is a worm really worth the effort?”