Can you do nothing when other people are working?

[ssandra]

Like the title says... Can you do nothing when other people are working?

When sitting at home and seeing someone else cleaning, can you just keep watching tv (or reading, or simply doing nothing)?

Does that change if you pay that other person to do that cleaning?



(*I do not have any issue with this, it is just a curiosity of mine to find out what other people think of this).

[Matthew Cluff]

I think it depends.

Certain people in a household usually carry with them certain responsibilities.

If someone usually does all the cooking in a household, they're going to be the one who cooks all the time, so it's unlikely that you'd help them (just from habit and both where the responsibilities lay) but certain other responsibilities will be left up to you and you'll have to fulfill them by yourself.

I think if there was a deep sense of helpfulness and cooperation in a family, I think that individuals would naturally help each other. Same goes for if they were brought up in a household where "everyone helps out with everything."

To Your Success,
Matthew Cluff

[SatvikBeri]

Personally I have no problem with doing nothing while others are working, or working while others are doing nothing. I know not everyone is like that, though.

[Agota]

I generally try to help people who are doing something, unless they usually handle that task alone, tell me to sit and relax or it would be inappropriate in a situation to help them. My friends usually do the same thing. That's mainly because this is a habit conditioned by many years in martial arts and most of my friends grew up in martial arts classes

I notice that when I feel uncomfortable in situations, I often try to help people when it's inappropriate to do so, so I'd like to be more sensitive and learn when to relax and when to help people. I also noticed that I get annoyed when people don't help me when I clearly need help, especially if guys around me chill while I'm carrying something heavy or other female is carrying something heavy or is doing something physically demanding (..I usually refuse to carry something heavy, but you get the idea ). I'd like to learn to accept situations like that and remain calm

[Andrew Brunelle]

If someone is splitting atoms, I try to stay out of their way. Otherwise, it's good to offer to help in any way I can, unless it is something like degreasing or any kind of manual labor.

[ssandra]

So if you guys would pay someone to clean your house, could you sit down and read a book while they are cleaning?

[aelle]

I don't feel an urge at all to work if I see someone else working. I have no problem whatsoever gracefully accepting a service. Doesn't mean that I am oblivious to the work of others or that I would sit on my butt and do nothing if that were rude, but it means that helping will be a conscious decision on my part.

I haven't used cleaning services very often, but when I did I had no problem doing something else while they worked. I would just offer to not be in their way (as in, "please let me know if you need me out of the room / off my chair at some point").

[Agota]

Yes, I think it wouldn't be a problem to me if I had paid them to clean my house.

I wouldn't leave my house a complete mess, though, I would probably do some basic cleaning before they come

[Brutha]

So if you guys would pay someone to clean your house, could you sit down and read a book while they are cleaning?

Do you really consider reading a book to be doing nothing?

[Clint Cora]

If I'm paying somebody to do something at my home, it's usually because I'm already too busy doing something else or it is something that I don't know how to do (like a home repair). When they are doing the job I'm paying them for, it has no bearing on what I would be doing at the time.

[ssandra]

Originally Posted by Brutha

Do you really consider reading a book to be doing nothing?

Not really I mean there reading a book JUST for the fun of it. Not studying, not learning, not pd, just reading for only fun.
Or basically doing anything just for fun, while others are working.

(and thank you for pointing that out... a limiting belief that I took over from my parents without even realizing it)

[forexpreneur]

I have management experience and plenty of people thought that we weren't doing anything. However, reality is that it is rare that a person does nothing, and yes that even means managers .

I have no problem having other's do my housework, yardwork, etc, but just because a person isn't involved in the same activity doesn't mean that they aren't doing anything. So no, I don't feel guilty.

It is very rare that I am sitting around doing nothing. There are plenty of times that I am sitting and waiting for trades to set up with my currency trading that feels as though I'm doing nothing, but I am still doing something.

I also do a lot of work on myself healing my past emotional traumas, so I can honestly say that to a person who does not know me it may seem like I'm sitting doing nothing sometimes. In reality, at those moments I am doing work that very few could even try to handle.