The Japanese Have a Word for Beating Laziness… Actually, They Have Seven

If you’ve spent the last three mornings staring at your coffee like it owes you money, this one’s for you.

The Japanese figured out how to crush laziness without caffeine, motivational speakers, or guilt, and if you borrow even one of their methods, you might finally fold that laundry on the chair.

There’s something one should know about Japan.

While we’re over here trying to “get motivated” by watching TikToks of other people’s morning routines, the Japanese have been perfecting the art of self-discipline for centuries.

1. They don’t hype themselves up.

2. They don’t shame themselves.

3. They use quiet, steady, almost sneaky systems that turn lazy dudes into productive legends.

And today, you and I are stealing all of them.

Kaizen Tiny Steps, Big Wins

Forget the “new year, new me” nonsense. Kaizen is “new minute, slightly better me.”

You don’t run three miles today. You walk to the mailbox. Then tomorrow, maybe the neighbor’s mailbox.

Keep it up long enough and you’re basically a mountain monk in sneakers.

Side note: If you are a reader of the Dude, you will remember an adage we mentioned, spending small amounts of time over time is almost always better than large deposits of time one time.

Shinrin-Yoku Forest Bathing Without Getting Naked

This is my favorite one.

It sounds like something illegal in a national park, but it just means walking in the woods and letting nature whack the stress off you.

You know this more than most, hunting season is literally the manly version of mindfulness.

If you’ve sat in a stand for four hours waiting on a deer that probably saw you first, congratulations. You’ve practiced Shinrin-Yoku.

Shoshin: The Beginner’s Mind

You remember that one time you thought you knew everything and life humbled you instantly?

That’s Shoshin. It means showing up like you don’t know a damn thing, so you actually learn something.

Try this next time you assemble IKEA furniture.

Ikigai: Your Reason to Get Out of Bed

Ikigai is your purpose…Your calling…Your reason to step out of the warm covers and face the world.

For you and me?

It’s deer season, bourbon season, or just the smell of bacon hitting a pan.

Ikigai doesn’t judge.

Wabi-Sabi Beauty in Imperfection

This might be the most Kentucky Dude-friendly concept ever created. It means appreciating flaws.

Your truck’s dent? Wabi-Sabi.

Your yard where only half the grass grows? Wabi-Sabi.

Your toenail that tried to secede last summer? Wabi-Sabi.

Hara Hachi Bu: Eat Until You’re 80 Percent Full

Imagine a life where you aren’t bloated, miserable, and googling “is this gas or death.”

That’s what the Okinawans do.

They stop before they’re stuffed.

I tried this once by accident when my dog knocked my plate off the table.

The Kentucky Dude Verdict

The Japanese aren’t magical. They’re just consistent.

Use one or two of these, and you won’t become a new man, you’ll just become a slightly better version of the one you already are, which is what this newsletter is all about. Becoming a better man in five minutes a week. This is all that shit in a nutshell!