7 Fascinating Japanese Techniques That Help People Overcome Laziness (2024)

It’s common for people to experience burnout throughout the year. Whether it be in their jobs, caring for their family, or simply doing chores around the house, working too hard with no rest can only be cured with time off and deep relaxation.

That might be the cure for “burnout,”but what about those of us who are struggling with good old-fashioned laziness? How can you motivate yourself to get out of a rut and back into your normal routine?

Here are 7 fascinating Japanese techniques that help people overcome their laziness.

1. Kaizen:Taking small steps every day that culminate in big changes.

We’re all guilty of it, setting a New Year’s Resolution or making a big goal to radically change our lives, and then falling off the rails within a week or two. It’s not “laziness” that makes us quit so easily, but rather a lack of attainable goals to keep us on track.

“Kaizen” in Japanese means continuous improvement. Basically, we can’t attain our ultimate goalwithout smaller daily habits that make the ultimate goal feasible.

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Adopting this practice means setting attainable tasks that can be built upon.Maybe one week you decide to exercise once a week. The next week, if you’re feeling good about yourself, you move that to two days a week plus some kind of meditation.

Continuously creating feasible habits and building upon them can help youcreate larger changes in your life that you can actually maintain.

2. Ikigai: Finding a sense of purpose that fuels your focus and motivation.

Maria Turco, Chief Yogini of Honor Yoga, spoke to Forbes in 2018 to discuss the strength of “Ikigai” when leveraged uniquely to the person looking for change. Ikigai roughly translates to “reason for being,”and as Turco simplified in the article, it’s the “reason you get out of bed each morning.”

Photo: Dmytro Buianskyi / Canva Pro

Ikigaiexemplifies the power of finding our purpose, whether that be our coffee in the morning or our dream job. Finding these sparks of joy in life can help motivate us to stick to healthier habits and work back into a healthy state of being.

If you’re feeling “lazy” or in an unhealthy state of mind, look for small areas of your life that make you feel gratitude. Focus on daily changes that allow you to reconnect with those joyful moments.

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3. Wabi-sabi: Embracing imperfect or unique aspects of your work.

This philosophy, deeply held in Japanese culture, ditches traditional ideas of “perfection” for a more patient approach to findingmotivation and getting work done. Instead of striving for perfection, you can find joy in paving your own path and getting out of your “lazy rut” in a unique way that fits your life best.

While it’s typically used to describe imperfection in natureit can be easily applied to people’s perception of their realities. When you start finding joy in your life, accepting your flaws, and appreciating an imperfect journey to happiness, every aspect of your life benefits.

4. Gaman: Giving yourself patience and holding your head high during difficult times.

Gaman is a Japanese term that essentially means “enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity.”

Creator Nikhil on TikTok definedthis essential term to mean “preserving emotional maturity” and grace even in the face of difficult challenges. Oftentimes, it can be difficult to hold ourselves accountable and to a high standard when we’re struggling to get back on track.

Making an effort to treat ourselves and others with kindness and respect can ensureprogress on your own journey without tearing anyone else down to get there.

5. Kintsugi: Embracing your flaws and turning them into something beautiful and motivating.

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing potterywhich is often done with gold or silverto highlight the beauty in the errors or imperfections of the piece.

While the art technique makes broken things whole againthe term is generally used as a metaphor for people navigating through tumultuous times in their lives. When you’re feeling broken, when pieces of your life feel misaligned“kintsugi” can help you to find peace in the imperfection.

Whether you're actively trying to fix habits or are trying to find confidence in yourself this metaphor can help you to find joy and beauty in all your imperfections.Oftentimes, when we make positive changes in our livesthe result can be even more beautiful than the burden we placed on ourselves before.

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6. Ganbaru: Encouraging perseverance and resilience in the face of difficult tasks.

This Japanese term is translated simply to “doing one’s best” and it’s a foundational principle to making positive changes in your life. When you make a goal or start a wellness journey, channeling this principle will help youstick to your habits, remain optimistic in the face of struggle, and commit to achieving your goals.

Photo: Andrea Piacquadio / Canva Pro

Many communities find this wordto be overusedbut it essentially means finding joy in the “experience” of completing a task or journey. So, while it shouldn’t be your primary focus —to complete a task —it can help to motivate you to try.

7. Monozukuri: Paying attention to the details of the journey rather than focusing on the destination.

If you’re stuck in a rut and idolizing an influencer, celebrity, or even a close friend as motivation to pull yourself out of it,chances are you’ll be giving up in a week. Instead of focusing on an end goal or idolizing a person, try focusing on your unique journey.

Finding beauty and encouragement in small daily tasks can help motivate you to stick to a routine forlonger. Essentially, the concept is about living in the moment and enjoying the journey, even the struggles.

Remember that everyone deserves rest, butif you find yourself in an unhealthy routine or spending too much time outside of your interests, using these principles can help to rein in an important purpose to bring meaning into your life.

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Zayda Slabbekoorn is a news and entertainment writer at YourTango focusing on pop culture and human interest stories.