Everyone’s lazy to a certain extent. In some cases, being lazy can affect our productivity at work and sometimes lead to delays. While we look for various ways and techniques to overcome our laziness, today for our weekly segment of FYI, The Pioneer’s Tejal Sinha brings to you a Japanese technique to beat laziness.
You’re more likely to maintain your slothful mood later in the day if you start the day by snoozing your alarm or skipping breakfast.
For instance, you might have had the option to prepare a nutritious salad and bring it to work, but because you slept in too late, it took too much time and effort. Instead, you pick up a greasy, calorie-dense breakfast sandwich from a fast-food restaurant on your way to work. By mid-morning, you feel like you’ve already failed, so you take a sweet treat that someone brought to work, telling yourself that you’ll try again tomorrow. You now feel really lethargic and a little queasy, so you may want to have a few drinks after work to numb yourself.
At the rate you’re going, there’s a strong possibility you’ll snooze again tomorrow, and the cycle will repeat itself. Food might not be the issue; perhaps tomorrow you’ll opt to leave work early since you had a poor day of productivity and are too exhausted to make phone calls.
While there have been various ways and techniques to overcome laziness, today we are going to discuss Kaizen, with the approach of dividing the larger chores into smaller, more achievable steps to deal with the overpowering feeling of sloth. People can develop momentum and make consistent progress by concentrating on minor tasks.
According to reports and experts, Kaizen, or the 1-minute principle, is a Japanese strategy that requires people to perform an activity for exactly one minute each day. The words Kai (change) and Zen (good) are combined to form the word Kaizen.The term was first coined by Masaaki Imai, an organisational theorist and management consultant, and was introduced for the betterment of the management sector in Japan.
To understand more about this, we have Krisha Rao, a mental health professional, who explains it to us with an example. “A person who generally avoids exercise would, as a result, procrastinate. However, if he begins exercising for only a minute each day at the same time, it might start to appeal to him. That is what Kaizen is all about. One shouldn’t think of it as a technique for anyone in a specific field. No matter if you’re a sportsperson, businessman, teacher, or any desk employee, this technique is beneficial and also helps one to find their goals.”
The process of the Japanese technique includes determining the root cause of the problem, addressing the root cause, carrying out changes consistently, assessing the impact our continuous improvement efforts create, and determining how else we can keep improving.
Going ahead, Dr. Somashekhar S. P., Global Director, AIIO, GCC, and India, Lead Consultant, Surgical and Gynaecological Oncology, and Robotic Surgeon, Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore, puts some light on it.
Going ahead, Dr. Somashekhar S. P., Global Director, AIIO, GCC, and India, Lead Consultant, Surgical and Gynaecological Oncology, and Robotic Surgeon, Aster CMI Hospital, Bangalore, puts some light on it.
“Kaizen is a Japanese belief that focuses on sustained improvement, and it means “Change for Better”,” he says, adding, “It emphasises the importance of setting achievable goals and breaking them down into doable tasks. One can avoid anxiety and work-related stress by focusing and achieving smaller goals. It is all about making oneself better than yesterday. It stresses small changes that can lead to transformations over a period of time. This approach helps one get out of the laziness cycle and get into self-discipline and a productive lifestyle.”
The key aspects of Kaizen include
Recognise the habit of laziness
To change something, it is crucial to recognise there is a challenge and accept it; thus, it is important to know how to combat laziness and work out the areas where you are bound to be lazy. If you are spending too much time on social media, procrastination, looking for excuses to not complete a task, and being highly unorganised are some of the signs of laziness.
To change something, it is crucial to recognise there is a challenge and accept it; thus, it is important to know how to combat laziness and work out the areas where you are bound to be lazy. If you are spending too much time on social media, procrastination, looking for excuses to not complete a task, and being highly unorganised are some of the signs of laziness.
Take charge
Lack of self-discipline is often the cause of laziness; thus, it is crucial to train your mind to avoid falling prey to temptations and inculcate self-discipline. It can be accomplished by setting deadlines and prioritising tasks, which will help you stay focused and disciplined in what you are doing. Create and maintain a work schedule, and follow it up on a regular basis.
Set achievable goals
Setting achievable goals and accomplishing them boosts your confidence level, reaffirms positive behaviour, and keeps you motivated to stay focused on your goal. While you are focusing on the goals, you tend to reduce the enormous feeling of laziness.
Celebrate small wins
Celebrate small wins as they give you a sense of accomplishment and foster positivity, boosting one’s morale, self-esteem, and confidence. It will also keep you motivated towards your long-term vision. When you are confident and hopeful, you can concentrate better and work towards achieving your next goal.
One-minute rule
As the rule name says, if a particular work takes less than a minute to finish, do it immediately. This rule helps in dealing with procrastination and increasing focus. Though it sounds minimal, it is beneficial for overall well-being. Eventually, you can apply the one-minute rule to complete bigger tasks, breaking them down into a one-minute timeline.
Adopt a “growth” mindset
When a person focuses their thought process on growth,” learning, and improving, instead of being discouraged by hurdles and challenges, they start visualising tasks as an opportunity for success. Personal development is a journey and not a destination; if one realises this, they will achieve their goals and success in life.
The Pomodoro technique or time management
Pomodro is an Italian word for tomato. It is a recognised time management technique that talks about breaking complex work into smaller activities, which increases one’s productivity. It talks about focusing on a particular task for 25 minutes with a 5-minute break. This helps one to be attentive, concentrate at work, and increase productivity at work with no stress.
Practise a regular regime
Be consistent and follow a regular regime; this can help combat laziness. Follow a routine and maintain a daily activity calendar; have a timeline for work, play, exercise, and family time. This helps in developing discipline, instilling discipline, and reducing the inclination towards laziness.
Find a liability companion
Create or join support groups that share similar passions and goals. Engage in regular discussions, share your successes, and hold each other accountable. Working with like-minded people will inspire and keep you motivated.
