The Art of Taking Action: Lessons from Japanese Psychology

Most procrastination is caused by a tendency to make a decision, in the present moment, based on what we feel like doing at that moment. And if we don’t feel like doing something NOW, then we’re not likely to feel like doing it later, because (are you following this?) later will just be another NOW. If you don’t feel like doing your taxes NOW, just

Clarity of purpose is a critical factor when dealing with boredom.

Self-reflection is an important tool in knowing what needs to be done. So far, we’ve looked at three key ingredients for knowing what action you need to take (or not take). 1. Paying Attention 2. Knowing Your Purpose 3. Self-Reflection Let’s look at one more factor – the question of urgency vs. importance.

One of the puzzling lessons I have learned is that, more often than not, I do not feel like doing most of the things that need doing.

And—this is critical—the difference in reality before and after the decision is… NO DIFFERENCE.

Dr. Hans Selye, a leading authority on stress, provides reassurance

simply start paying attention to your environment.

But for the most part your mind lives in a lazy world where it can think anything it wants to because it doesn’t have to act. Your body, on the other hand, has to be very discriminating about what it does because just about everything requires energy and that’s a precious commodity for your body.

So Maurer made a commitment to write for one minute a day. One minute! He found that often, after one minute was up, he kept on writing – for five more minutes. Or ten. Or forty. That’s how he wrote a book. He used Newton’s First Law of Physics. He created momentum – and he finished his book.