The Japanese Railway Technique That Could Transform Your Daily Focus
If you have ever left your home only to question whether you turned off the stove or unplugged your curling iron, you are certainly not alone. This common uncertainty, however, does not have to be your inevitable fate. In Japan, railway operators employ a straightforward yet remarkably powerful technique to prevent mistakes, and this method might be precisely what you need to enhance concentration on routine activities. It is known as "shisa kanko."
What Is Shisa Kanko?
"Shisa kanko essentially means 'pointing and calling,' which is used to improve attentiveness and accuracy," explained Joy Gallon, a licensed therapist with Thriveworks. "It was developed as a method of ensuring safety on the Japanese railway system. Operators are trained to focus on and point at an object such as a signal or stopping point and verbally 'call out' the name of the object."
Research conducted by Japan's Railway Technical Research Institute in 1994 discovered that the practice of shisa kanko decreased incidents of human error by nearly 85%. "Because the practice uses eyes, hands, mouth and ears, it actively engages the senses," Gallon noted. "Studies have shown that it increases the blood flow to the frontal lobes, which is where our reasoning, logic and ability to see future consequences of current actions lie."
In essence, it functions as a multimodal system for attention and memory. "The brain has to see something, say something and do something, so we are using our visual system, our motor system and our auditory system," said therapist Rachael Bloom. "This reduces error because if one 'system' fails, there are two backup systems that have the same information."
Breaking Autopilot Mode
This approach is crucial for high-stakes daily tasks such as operating a train system—as well as smaller, mundane activities like using a curling iron. "Our brains are built for survival, so we spend a lot of time operating based on habit," stated time management coach Anna Dearmon Kornick. "When we take actions based in habit, we expend less cognitive energy, which allows us to preserve energy."
Daily routine tasks like curling your hair often occur in autopilot or default mode, meaning you do not tend to remember them as clearly. That is why so many people end up with uncertainty around questions like "Did I unplug my curling iron?" or "Did I turn off the stove?"
"Introducing something that is not part of the default mode helps you remember it," Dearmon Kornick said. "A non-default mode action could be making a weird sound, snapping your fingers, clapping your hands or singing a song, which helps you stay more conscious."
Thus, while it might feel silly to point and make a sound simultaneously, the shisa kanko method can be incredibly effective by bringing greater awareness to consequential tasks. "It requires you to make two or more physical 'checks' or confirmations of your actions," said Rashelle Isip, a productivity coach at The Order Expert. "These checks shift your thoughts into the realm of physical action, which requires more effort. This might mean pointing, picking up an item or speaking aloud."
Particular Benefits for ADHD
This method serves as a way to disrupt autopilot mode and introduce more mindfulness to everyday tasks. Beyond improving safety in various industries, shisa kanko can assist with personal focus or error prevention. "I've used aspects of this method to help me improve my focus or anchor myself during the day while performing everyday tasks like making phone calls, exercising or getting ready for the day," Isip shared. It represents another avenue to engage in mindfulness overall. "When we are present, or mindful, we notice our surroundings better, are able to see the potential for error and course correct," Gallon added. "Shisa kanko involves literally pointing at the object and naming it, which essentially grounds us in that moment."
A method like shisa kanko could be especially helpful for individuals with ADHD or other forms of neurodivergence that impact focus and memory. "When the ADHD brain finds stimulation, it also finds regulation," said Billy Roberts, a therapist at Focused Mind ADHD Counseling. "By engaging multiple senses, the ADHD brain can become more engaged in that behavior. Think of it as a form of active listening. If a person with ADHD repeats what was just said, the words will be encoded better due to repetition."
Terry Matlen, a psychotherapist and ADHD consultant, observed that some of her clients with ADHD sing a short verse of a song to help them remember certain things. For instance, they might take the tune of "London Bridge Is Falling Down" and sing "Need to turn the oven off, oven off, oven off ...."
"Executive function is impaired to some degree in everyone with ADHD—planning, organizing, initiating, memory," Matlen noted. "So simply thinking to yourself, 'I need to remember to turn off the stove after I finish cooking,' just might not be enough."
"I often talk out loud when needing to remember something—i.e., 'call back Susan, call back Susan,'" she continued. "You can add another modality to saying things out loud, like tapping your wrist while saying it. Or in the case of traditional shisa kanko, pointing and verbalizing."
The experts who spoke agreed that shisa kanko aids people with ADHD by increasing conscious attention. Some mentioned that dopamine may play a supporting role as well, though further research is necessary to fully explore that connection. "Vocal stimming—like humming or singing—can increase dopamine and enhance focus for some people with ADHD," Roberts explained. "Humming and singing can be grounding when a person feels overwhelmed or anxious."
Experts stressed that it is not merely about making noise but what that action represents or accomplishes—for example, self-soothing. "Self-stimulatory behaviors, including vocal stims, can release dopamine because they work with the part of the brain that deals with reward—but not simply because someone is 'making a sound,'" Bloom pointed out.
In this context, making a particular vocal expression is more about calming down your nervous system, self-regulating, self-motivating or breaking out of boredom. However, a dopamine release related to shisa kanko might also simply be associated with accomplishing a task. "Every time we knock even something small off our to-do list, we get a hit of dopamine and feel really good," Dearmon Kornick said. "So if you decide to make a weird noise as you unplug your straightener, you might get the dopamine release of 'Woo! I did what I said I was going to do.'"
Incorporating Shisa Kanko Into Daily Life
There are numerous ways to incorporate the method or even the spirit of shisa kanko into your everyday life. "Try using this technique to reinforce the importance of information or actions in your daily routine," Isip suggested. "Maybe you don't want to forget your glasses before you leave for work or you don't want to ignore an important letter on your desk. That might mean speaking aloud, picking up an object, handwriting a note, snapping your fingers or adding a reminder to a notetaking app."
You can experiment with different approaches and determine which ones work for you. "Someone with ADHD could apply this to virtually everything they frequently forget to do—taking medication, packing what they need for the day, remembering daily tasks," Bloom indicated. "People with ADHD are most likely to forget or make mistakes on tasks that are repetitive, mundane and non-urgent, so using strategies that disrupt autopilot to ensure accuracy with this type of task makes a lot of sense."
It can be as simple as pointing at your door handle and stating, "I've locked the door," or at the light switch and declaring, "I've turned off the lights," as you exit the house. Alternatively, you might point at your keys and wallet and say "keys" and "wallet" to remember to bring them with you. "Another option is to use it whenever you're feeling overwhelmed, frustrated or stressed," Isip proposed. "You probably already use some form of this technique in your daily life to help you refocus your attention and balance your thoughts. That might look like saying aloud, 'Take a deep breath and relax,' 'You've got this!,' 'Time to get back on track,' 'OK, where were we?' or 'Let's take it from the top.'"
Bringing mindfulness to these moments helps you regain a sense of calm, focus and agency. "Use a meditation involving noticing and naming objects in the environment around you, combined with a reinforcing phrase and/or gesture to help manage negative thoughts and improve concentration," Gallon recommended. She highlighted that many therapists advocate a grounding strategy that guides you to name five things you can see, four things you can touch, three things you can hear, two things you can smell and one thing you can hear. "Shisa kanko has been touted as a 'habit hack' for fighting bad habits such as doomscrolling, which we know can be very detrimental to a person's mental health," Gallon added.
Naturally, it requires practice and time to successfully implement any strategy to the fullest. Therefore, be patient as you explore this method. "You can make use of elements of shisa kanko in everyday life by using it to confirm, reinforce or anchor either a habit, information or skill," Isip remarked. "Try using it when starting or ending your workday, transitioning between tasks, confirming appointment details, paying for goods and services or even motivating yourself to act."
She recommended saying phrases aloud such as "Time to get to work," "The appointment is April 16th at 10 AM" or "Let's have a good workout session!"
Shisa kanko can be useful for avoidance-ridden behaviors, Matlen noted. People with ADHD in particular tend to struggle to start a task, stay on task and/or finish the task. "An adult with ADHD who is facing an unpleasant task causing them angst and anxiety—say, de-cluttering their desk at work—might point to one piece of paper falling off a pile of reports and say aloud, 'I'm going to put that page into that folder in that file cabinet.' Then continue from there, perhaps setting a timer for 15 minutes," she elaborated.
Thus, the system can help alleviate procrastination, avoidance and stress. Ensure to change things up periodically, however. "If you start singing the same song or doing the same snaps or making the same weird sound every time, eventually that sound is going to become a part of the default experience, and you're not going to remember if you made the sound because you always do," Dearmon Kornick cautioned.
Ultimately, shisa kanko is a dynamic approach. The method might not be suitable for you, but it does not hurt to try it out. "Every ADHD brain is different," Roberts observed. "What works for some might not work for others. It is critical to understand that if a skill works, keep it. But if a skill doesn't work, then maybe you and that skill aren't a good fit. It's fine to leave it be and find another!"
