Bushido translates to the “Way of the Warrior”. It’s a code that Japanese Samurai followed, and resulted in them being some of the greatest warriors. While you aren’t going to war, these principles can help you defeat procrastination and get the discipline you need to achieve your goals.
Here are the 9 principles* to keep in mind when you want to beat procrastination:
1. Gi – Integrity
Prioritizing your values over personal desires or societal pressures. When you make a choice, think of how it helps your goals. If it doesn’t align with what you want, throw it out. Instead of choosing the easy road, picking the task that pays off instead will give you better results. Focus on your end goals when doing a task you might find difficult.
2. Yu – Courage
Have the courage to step outside of your comfort zone. If you put something off because it is too challenging, slowly expand your comfort zone to complete these tasks. This principle will never end because when you get comfortable with one thing, you’ll have new things to be uncomfortable about. If you feel comfortable with everything that you do, you aren’t improving or challenging yourself enough.
3. Kaizen – Continuous Improvement
Strive to be better in every way. Make sure you are progressing in a manageable way every single day. Set aside some time to learn something new or tackle a tough challenge you couldn’t get to yet. Pick an area of your life that you know is lacking and try to tackle that first. It will be more rewarding when you see yourself become who you want over time.
4. Jin – Compassion
Show compassion towards yourself and don’t beat yourself up over perceived mistakes. Instead of sitting around and feeling bad for yourself, make sure you do things you like and reward yourself regardless of your progress. You’ll become more motivated to keep at it if you aren’t busy disappointing yourself.
5. Rei – Respect
Respect your time and goals. If you would feel bad showing up late to an appointment, then you should extend the same to yourself. This isn’t about punishing yourself for not meeting goals. This is to remind yourself you have a limited amount of time on this earth and you need to use your time in a way you can respect. When you get in a rut remind yourself that you deserve that respect and are doing a disservice to yourself when you procrastinate.
6. Makoto – Honesty/Sincerity
Be honest with yourself about where you’re at. Don’t make an excuse, everyone has the same amount of hours in a day. Everyone has responsibilities and problems. Look at your patterns, accept them, and work around them. You’ll only overcome your habits if you stop the excuses.
7. Meiyo – Honor
Show up for your commitments to increase your sense of self-worth. If you keep the promises you make to yourself, you’ll have nothing to be “ashamed” of. If you struggle with this, think of yourself as a person you look up to. When you’re tempted to slack off, think of the person who would be disappointed if you didn’t show up for them. This mindset shift can help push you through brain fog and feeling demotivated.
8. Chuugi – Loyalty
Sacrifice for yourself. If you are trying to achieve something, you might have to put other responsibilities on hold. If you are trying to get ahead in career, your relationships may suffer. Everything is give and take, and it is up to you to decide what your priorities are. Keep up with your own goals, whatever they are, since that will be the only way you can be the best version of yourself for others.
9. Juunzai – Adaptability
Conditions change all the time in real life and obstacles will always be in your way. Your ability to shove excuses and problems to the side will be crucial when your goals don’t go as planned. Keep your momentum going by embracing change and be your own problem solver. Be flexible and take the approach of being your own “advice giver”.
How will you use these principles to achieve your goals? As an exercise, write down each principle. Next to it, write how you can apply it in your own life. You might be surprised by how much you can accomplish.
*(Based on my research I have seen 7, 8 and 9 principles listed for the Bushido code. I included a bigger list along with the ones I found personally helpful for this article.)