Productivity & time laws · law 087
Laborit's Law
Also known as: Law of least effort
By Shivam Bhandari · Reviewed 31 October 2026 · How we write
what it means
People naturally avoid unpleasant tasks and seek immediate rewards — so the hardest, most important work gets postponed.
How Laborit's Law works
The brain prefers easy tasks with instant feedback — answering emails, tidying files — over difficult ones with delayed rewards, like strategy or tough conversations.
The common productivity advice that follows is to tackle the most important, unpleasant task first, before easy rewards pull you away.
where it comes from
Associated with French surgeon and neuroscientist Henri Laborit, who studied the brain's reward and avoidance behaviour and wrote widely on why people act as they do.
Laborit's Law examples in business
Owners
A founder spends the morning on social media replies and never gets to the overdue pricing review.
Sales
Salespeople update CRM notes instead of making difficult follow-up calls.
Managers
A manager delays a necessary performance conversation for weeks.
How to apply it
- 1Each evening, choose tomorrow's most important hard task.
- 2Do it first, before checking messages.
- 3Break it into a small first step to lower resistance.
- 4Reward yourself after completing it.
common misreading
It doesn't mean every hard task is important. Prioritise first, then tackle the hard, important ones early.
ask yourself
What important task have you been avoiding because it is unpleasant?
put it into practice
Frequently asked questions
What is Laborit's Law?
People naturally avoid unpleasant tasks and seek immediate rewards — so the hardest, most important work gets postponed. The brain prefers easy tasks with instant feedback — answering emails, tidying files — over difficult ones with delayed rewards, like strategy or tough conversations.
Who came up with Laborit's Law?
Associated with French surgeon and neuroscientist Henri Laborit, who studied the brain's reward and avoidance behaviour and wrote widely on why people act as they do.
How do you apply Laborit's Law in business?
1. Each evening, choose tomorrow's most important hard task. 2. Do it first, before checking messages. 3. Break it into a small first step to lower resistance. 4. Reward yourself after completing it.
What is a common misunderstanding of Laborit's Law?
It doesn't mean every hard task is important. Prioritise first, then tackle the hard, important ones early.