For the longest time, I was a serial procrastinator. 😞
I genuinely believed everything could wait until tomorrow—starting that gym membership, meeting new mum friends from the Peanut app, tackling the oven that desperately needed a deep clean.
Anything demanding significant mental or physical energy got relegated to my perpetual back burner!
So what did I do instead?
Scrolled mindlessly through social media, reorganised my sock drawer for the third time that month, and watched “just one more episode” of You on Netflix. 😒
That cycle of delay might feel familiar to many of us. The constant pushing off of tasks, the guilt that follows, and the stress when deadlines loom too close for comfort.
What I didn’t realise was that across the globe, Japanese culture has developed practical approaches to tackle this universal struggle—techniques rooted in simplicity, mindfulness, and practicality.
When I stumbled across these methods during a late-night productivity rabbit hole (yes, ironically while procrastinating), something clicked.
These weren’t complicated systems requiring new apps or elaborate planners. They were straightforward practices that acknowledged both our limitations and our potential.
Let me share 9 techniques that finally broke my procrastination cycle and might just change yours too!
1. Kaizen: The Power of Small Steps
The Japanese concept of Kaizen (改善) translates to “continuous improvement” and might be the most procrastinator-friendly philosophy ever created. Rather than demanding dramatic change, Kaizen celebrates tiny, almost effortless improvements.
When facing a task that makes you want to run for the hills, Kaizen suggests breaking it down into absurdly small steps.
And I mean absurdly small.
For example, when I couldn’t motivate myself to start exercising, I didn’t commit to hour-long workouts. I started with just putting on my trainers. That’s it. The next day, I added standing in them for one minute. The day after, a 30-second stretch.
This approach sounds almost too simple to work, but that’s exactly why it does.
It mirrors the science behind Dr. BJ Fogg’s revolutionary “Tiny Habits” methodology—detailed in his New York Times bestseller.
Through two decades of research at Stanford University and after personally coaching tens of thousands of individuals, Dr. Fogg discovered these micro-actions slip past our mental resistance barriers, creating momentum so subtly our brain doesn’t have time to protest!
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2. Hansei: Reflective Self-Improvement
Hansei (反省) is a Japanese practice of critical self-reflection deeply embedded in both business culture and personal development.
Unlike Western approaches that might focus solely on outcomes, Hansei examines both the process and the mindset behind our actions—making it particularly powerful for addressing procrastination patterns.
The practice involves regularly asking yourself thoughtful questions about your behaviour:
- Why did I delay starting?
- What emotions came up when facing this task?
- What small changes could make beginning easier next time?
What makes Hansei different from typical self-criticism is its forward-looking nature. Rather than dwelling on mistakes, the reflection serves as a blueprint for improvement.
Toyota famously incorporates Hansei into its production system, with employees at all levels examining how processes could be improved—regardless of whether targets were met.
This accountability without shame creates a powerful framework for personal productivity too!
I started implementing Hansei through a simple evening reflection.
Instead of beating myself up about procrastinating on my writing, I’d ask: “What specifically triggered my avoidance today?”
Often, I discovered that starting felt overwhelming because I hadn’t broken the project into clear enough steps or I was trying to work during my natural energy slumps.
These insights led to practical adjustments—outlining articles the night before so I could start writing immediately in the morning, or scheduling creative work during my peak focus hours before noon.
3. Ikigai: Purpose-Driven Productivity
Procrastination often stems from disconnection between our tasks and our deeper values.
The Japanese concept of Ikigai (生き甲斐)—finding the intersection between what you love, what you’re good at, what the world needs, and what you can be rewarded for—offers a solution.
Before adding anything to my to-do list now, I ask myself which aspect of my ikigai it serves. Tasks aligned with my purpose feel less like obligations and more like stepping stones.
For instance, organising my digital files felt tedious until I connected it to my value of creative expression—having a well-ordered workspace allows me to find inspiration and references quickly when designing.
Suddenly, the task transformed from mindless sorting to laying the groundwork for future creative projects.
4. Kintsugi: Embracing and Learning from Mistakes
Kintsugi (金継ぎ) is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer mixed with powdered gold.
Rather than hiding flaws, this technique highlights them, transforming damage into something beautiful and valuable.
Applied to productivity, Kintsugi offers a powerful mindset shift.
Instead of viewing procrastination as a personal failure, we can see each instance as an opportunity to learn and strengthen our approach moving forward.
When I catch myself falling into avoidance patterns, I now practice “productivity kintsugi” by journaling about what triggered my procrastination.
Was it fear of imperfection? Lack of clarity? Overwhelm?
These insights become the “gold” that repairs my workflow.
5. Kanban: Visual Task Management
Kanban (看板) which translates to “signboard” or “billboard,” originated in Toyota’s manufacturing processes but has become a powerful tool for personal productivity.
The system involves organising tasks on a board with columns typically labelled “To Do,” “In Progress,” and “Done.”
The genius of Kanban for procrastinators is its visual nature. Seeing your tasks—and the progress you’re making—taps into the brain’s reward systems.
My simplified version uses Post-it notes on my wall with just three tasks in the “To Do” column at any time.
This prevents the overwhelm that leads to avoidance while creating a satisfying visual record of accomplishment as notes move across the board.
RELATED: How To Create A Feng Shui Vision Board (That Actually Gets Results)
6. Shinrin-Yoku: Forest Bathing for Mental Reset
When procrastination feels overwhelming, Japanese culture offers Shinrin-Yoku (森林浴) or “forest bathing”—spending mindful time in nature to reset cognitive functioning.
This isn’t just spiritual advice. A study randomly assigned sixty adults to a 50-min walk in either a natural or an urban environment in Palo Alto, California, and found that compared to urban experience, nature experience led to affective benefits (decreased anxiety, rumination, and negative affect, and preservation of positive affect) as well as cognitive benefits (increased working memory performance).
Lower stress means better executive function—the mental skills we need to plan, focus, remember instructions, and juggle multiple tasks.
Before tackling a challenging project, I’ll take a 15-minute walk among trees. The shift in mental state often dissolves the resistance that fuels procrastination.
If you can’t access nature, even looking at images of natural scenes or listening to calming nature sounds can provide a partial benefit.
7. Mottainai: Respecting the Value of Time
Mottainai (もったいない) is a Japanese term expressing a sense of regret concerning waste. While traditionally applied to physical resources, this concept extends beautifully to how we view our time and energy.
The philosophy centers on recognising the inherent value in all things—including the minutes and hours of our days. When we truly internalise this perspective, procrastination becomes less appealing as we recognise what we’re actually giving up!
Instead of thinking “I don’t feel like working on this now,” the mottainai mindset prompts us to consider “Is scrolling social media truly the best use of this irreplaceable time?”
I started applying mottainai by simply pausing before switching tasks or reaching for my phone. This brief moment of awareness—asking “Is this the most valuable use of my time right now?”—often redirected me toward more meaningful activities.
This isn’t about creating pressure to be productive every second—rest and play are valuable too.
Rather, mottainai encourages mindfulness about our choices, helping us align our time allocation with what truly matters to us.
8. Ma: Embracing the Power of Pauses
In Japanese aesthetics, Ma (間) represents the powerful negative space between objects—the pause that gives meaning to what surrounds it. In productivity terms, this translates to intentional breaks.
Instead of viewing breaks as procrastination, the Ma philosophy sees them as essential components of productivity.
The key distinction: these pauses are mindful rather than escapist.
A structured 10-minute break (a brief walk, a cup of tea without your phone) recharges your mental batteries.
9. Wabi-Sabi: Embracing Imperfection
Perhaps the most liberating Japanese concept for procrastinators is wabi-sabi (侘寂)—finding beauty in imperfection and transience. Many of us delay tasks because we’re afraid of doing them imperfectly.
Wabi-sabi encourages us to value the process over the outcome, to appreciate the beauty in attempts rather than just flawless results.
This mindset shift helps overcome perfectionism—a significant cause of procrastination according to a theoretical paper published in the Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy.
The paper argues that perfectionism becomes problematic when the striving for perfection transforms into an inability to accept being less than perfect.
When I embraced wabi-sabi, I found myself willing to start projects without knowing exactly how they’d turn out. Writing the imperfect first draft. Sending the email that wasn’t polished to perfection. Actually starting the workout even if I couldn’t complete the ideal routine.
The freedom came from seeing the beauty in the attempt itself—recognising that the imperfect action taken today holds more value than the perfect action eternally postponed until tomorrow!
Final Thoughts
What strikes me most about these Japanese approaches is their gentleness. They don’t demand perfection or overnight transformation. They acknowledge our very human tendency to avoid discomfort while providing practical paths forward.
The turning point in my procrastination battle wasn’t finding the perfect productivity hack—it was learning to approach myself with the same patience and understanding these techniques embody.
So the next time you catch yourself putting something off, try one small step. Set a timer for just five minutes. Connect the task to something meaningful. Notice your patterns with kindness.
Small shifts create ripples that can transform how you approach your days.
And unlike those productivity systems that demand complete overhauls of your habits, these Japanese techniques meet you exactly where you are—even if that’s scrolling through TikTok while ignoring your to-do list… again.
