Do you sometimes feel as if you are running through the day on autopilot? You check your phone before leaving home, but ten minutes later you wonder, “Did I lock the front door?” You pack your work bag, then discover later that your laptop charger is missing. Or you send an important email, only to realise you attached the wrong file. These small mistakes cost time, patience, and sometimes other people’s trust.
I have spent years looking at how we can manage our attention better in a busy daily life. Research clearly shows that our brains often switch into energy-saving mode during routine tasks. That is useful, but it also makes us more likely to make careless mistakes. Whether at work, in a relationship, or while organising your day, we all have moments of inattention.
The good news is that there is a method that can help you reduce such mistakes considerably. It is called Shisa Kanko or Pointing and Calling. It may sound unusual, but it is remarkably simple. It is not a complicated technique, and you do not need special training. Japanese train drivers have used it for more than 100 years to prevent accidents, and it can work in your daily life too.
In this article, you will learn what Pointing and Calling is and why it can be effective. I will share everyday examples from work, relationships, and family life. You will also get five practical strategies to help you reduce your error rate by up to 85% and move through your day with greater ease.
What is Pointing and Calling?
Imagine a Japanese train driver standing on a platform. Before the train leaves, they point to the signal, say “Signal green” out loud, and nod. Then they point to the closed doors, say “Doors closed”, and give the departure signal. This gesture may look theatrical, but it has a clear purpose: it makes the driver look carefully and confirm what they see.
That is Pointing and Calling, known in Japanese as Shisa Kanko. Japanese railway workers developed the method in the early 20th century. The process is simple: look at an object, point to it, name it aloud, and then take action. These four steps activate several senses at once: seeing, touching, and hearing.
Why does it work? When you only look at something, your brain can stay on autopilot. But when you also point and speak, you engage your body. Pointing narrows your focus to about 5 degrees. You concentrate fully on the object. Saying the words out loud activates your jaw, tongue, and vocal cords. Several neural pathways are engaged at the same time. Your brain can no longer just let the moment pass unnoticed.
Why does it help prevent errors?
Our brains are highly efficient. During routine tasks, they like to switch to autopilot. This saves energy. You do not have to think carefully every time you tie your shoes or use the coffee machine. Your brain says, “I know this. It runs automatically.” The problem is that in this mode, we overlook details.
Pointing and Calling interrupts this automatic behaviour. When you point and speak, you make yourself pay attention consciously. You externalise the action by making it visible and audible, rather than keeping it only in your mind. This eases the load on working memory. Instead of wondering, “Did I do that?”, you have physical confirmation. Your body remembers more clearly than your mind alone.
Research calls this “embodied cognition”. When you make a movement and say the words, it creates a stronger memory trace. A study by the Japanese Railway Technical Research Institute found that the error rate fell from 2.38 to 0.38 errors per 100 actions. That is a reduction of 85%. Laboratory tests confirm that people who use Pointing and Calling react faster, make fewer mistakes, and feel more secure.
Everyday examples
What might this look like in your life? Here are some specific situations:
In the morning before work: You are standing in the kitchen, ready to leave. Instead of simply pulling the door closed behind you, you turn around. You point at the stove, say “Stove off, rings cool”, and briefly touch the controls. Then you point at your bag, say “Laptop packed, phone with me”, and pick up your keys. You leave home without that nagging feeling that you forgot something.
At the office before an important email: You have finished a report and want to send it to your manager. Before you click “Send”, you point at the recipient’s address and quietly say, “[email protected], correct”. Then you point at the attachment and say, “Q4 report, attached”. Only then do you click. No more embarrassing “Oops, wrong recipient” moments.
Fuelling up in the evening: You are at the pump. Your car takes diesel. You point at the green nozzle, say “Diesel for my car” out loud, and fill up. You do not have to worry later on the motorway that you might have put petrol in by mistake. You clearly remember making a deliberate choice.
Before going to bed: You do your evening round of the house. You point at the front door, say “Door locked”, and turn the key. You point at the living room windows, say “Windows closed”, and check them. You point at the oven, say “Oven off”, and feel the cold hob. You go to bed calmly, without those annoying doubts.
Without and with awareness
Without awareness of Pointing and Calling: You rush out of the house in the morning. Later at work, a doubt creeps in: “Did I really turn off the oven?” You cannot remember. The thought bothers you all day. You come home in the evening and everything is fine, but you have spent eight hours feeling stressed for no reason.
With awareness of Pointing and Calling: You stand in front of the oven in the morning, point at the controls, say “Oven off, all rings cool”, and briefly feel the surface. That physical confirmation sticks in your memory. All day, you have a clear picture in your mind: you see your hand on the control and hear your voice. No stress, no doubt. You work with focus and feel calm.
How to respond
How can you include Pointing and Calling in your daily life? Here are five practical strategies:
- Identify your risk points. Think about where you often make mistakes or feel unsure later. Locking the front door? Sending emails? Turning off the stove? Write down three situations that regularly cause you stress.
- Start discreetly. You do not have to shout like a Japanese train driver. A quiet murmur is enough. Say to yourself, “Door closed, key turned.” Nobody else needs to hear it. Your intention matters, not the volume.
- Make it a routine. Start with three checks a day: in the morning before leaving home, at midday before important emails, and in the evening before bed. After two weeks, it will become a habit. Your brain learns, “I pay attention in these moments.”
- Use the physical part. Really point with your finger. Touch the object briefly if you can. The physical movement matters. It makes the difference between “I think I did it” and “I know I did it.”
- Track your results. Keep a small notebook for a week. Write down how often you used Pointing and Calling and whether you felt less uncertain than usual. You may notice that your uncertainty drops considerably. That can motivate you to continue.
Key takeaways
- Pointing and Calling can reduce errors by up to 85% by activating several senses and interrupting autopilot.
- The process is simple: look at an object, point to it, name it aloud, and take action. This creates a strong memory trace.
- You can use it when leaving home, sending important emails, fuelling up, or before bed.
- The method can build confidence because you have physical confirmation and fewer nagging doubts during the day.
- Try three daily checks this week and track how your stress level changes. The results may convince you to keep going.