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In pursuit of self-discipline: Japanese jiko kanri’s gentle guidance

The mindset I take for any self-improvement endeavor

Kaki Okumura
4 min readSep 22, 2023
Illustrations by Kaki Okumura

I have had some difficulty sleeping recently.

I’m not exactly sure what caused it, but it started off with sleeping really late one night, being forced to wake up early the next morning, feeling stress and anxiety throughout the day because of lack of sleep, which fed into even more difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep.

It was a tortuous feedback loop that I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.

Thankfully, I’m in a much better position now and I’m getting great sleep, and feeling refreshed. It wasn’t any kind of magic pill, hack, or potion that got me out of it, but really it was about me setting up some boundaries to do the following:

  1. Off the phone, laptop, and television at least 2 hours before I wanted to fall asleep.
  2. In bed at least 1 hour before I wanted to sleep.
  3. Reading a history book in low light or on my Kindle, until I became tired. (This would usually be about 20 minutes. Reading history is also reliably relaxing for me.)
  4. Close my eyes and practice deep breathing.
  5. Repeat 3 and 4 if necessary.

Kaki Okumura
Kaki Okumura

Written by Kaki Okumura

Born in Dallas, raised in New York and Tokyo. I care about helping others learn to live a better, healthier life. My site: www.kakikata.space 🌱

Responses (16)

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You fall in love with routines that make you feel good

Well said. Finally I built my system, my routines u know It makes me happy and proud to be.

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Exploring Japanese jiko kanri for Self-discipline is a journey into a practice that emphasizes gentle guidance and self-awareness. This approach can be a valuable tool in achieving personal growth and self-discipline, blending cultural wisdom with modern techniques for a balanced and harmonious life.

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Start small, and be mindful in the journey. You may be surprised by how easy self-discipline becomes.

For many years I was believing that I don't have enough self-discipline in myself.

But I was wrong bcz I was approaching myself in different way than what suits for me.

✨🌟Now I'm enjoying being disciplined by approaching the style that suits me.

Gud article ❤️✨...

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