Japan Has a Simple Lifehack For Lazy People to Be More Productive
X is your typical 25-year-old procrastinator. He works at a law firm five days a week, but he sometimes logs on Saturdays just so he can “maximize productivity.” Unfortunately, that never worked out as he only browsed cases aimlessly, without making substantial reports. Worse, he often comes late during weekdays, which led to his recent probationary status.
X knows he needs to change. Luckily, he stumbled upon Kaizen in one of his lazy shifts. He began asking himself, “What’s one small thing I can do to get things done?”
X then visualized himself going through the bulk of papers on his table. In his head, he finished writing one report on time. It’s a small achievement, but he’s happy about it–his boss, too.
X knew what to do. Instead of wasting time drafting his idealistic “work schedule,” he jumped right into one case and opened a blank document in his computer. He actually started writing!
At this point, X realized that he was only procrastinating because he was not motivated to work. Having identified the bigger problem, he thought of researching on ways to get inspired in his job. He did so after completing the report.
X finished his report in just an hour–a rare feat as he called it. He decided to reward himself with a slice of a five-star cheesecake.
Abiding by Kaizen, X then monitored his thinking and behavior the following day, taking note of small moments that may cause him distractions. These include petty temptations such as gossiping with colleagues, which he successfully avoided by sticking up with the mantra, “Grind now, party later.”
Soon enough, he found himself lifted out of the probationary status and even promoted to an associate position!
