Laziness gets the best of us from time to time, but we always have to resurface and get our things done. If you’re like me, this Japanese method for laziness will be of much-needed help.
Laziness affects us in many different ways. Aside from the fact that it causes us to become overloaded with tasks that need to be completed, it additionally causes us to become overwhelmed and stressed out. Laziness can also lead to more serious issues like heart disease and obesity. Laziness affects a person’s brain, body, and relationships and that is why you need to deal with the issue head-on, rather than just avoiding it – yes, I know it is easier.
Laziness might not be just a faulty character trait. It actually might have to do with your brain! Scientists figure that the brain connections responsible for the jump from decisions to actual action must be less effective in the apathetic. That would mean their brains would have to work harder to get them off their duffs. “If it takes more energy to plan an action, it becomes more costly for apathetic people to make actions,” explained one member of the study team, neurology researcher Masud Husain at the University of Oxford. “Their brains have to make more effort.”
It seems as if the longer we wait to fix the issue, the more issues we have to take care of. The longer you wait, the worse it gets. That is why you’re going to find this a Japanese method extremely helpful. Even better, it only takes one minute to do! Kaizen is the practice of continuous development. It originated from the western world by an author named Masaaki Imai. One of the main principles of Kaizen is that big changes result from small changes over a period of time. This can prevent the burnout that comes from trying to tackle one big task at once.
Under the principle of Kaizen, you’d want to break that larger task into smaller chunks of time. So maybe I set a timer for one minute and say “Ok, I’m going to work on assembling the drawers of this desk for one minute.” Here are the mental steps for achieving this.
Don’t focus on the problem at all – this makes the issue more refreshing. If you’re not focused on the problem, you become less frustrated and overwhelmed. This enables you to take on the task full force and get it done without stressing out.
Teach others how to do things you’re good at – this helps better your education of what you already know, while also inspiring others to share their knowledge.
Focus on yourself first – You’ll never get anything accomplished if you do not focus on yourself.