Skillful kamma relates to concentration and discernment. Learning how to look for the good results and using psychology to get yourself to act in a way that will yield those results.

"A sutta passage describes four kinds of actions: There are actions that are pleasant to do and give a profitable result, and actions that are unpleasant to do and give an unprofitable result. These two are no-brainers. It’s easy to motivate yourself to do the first sort of action and to avoid the second sort. However, there are also some kinds of actions that are unpleasant to do, but they are profitable. There are others that are pleasant to do, but are unprofitable. And it’s in reference to these last two types of actions that the Buddha says you can be known either as a fool or a wise person. I’ll read you the passage:

“As for the course of action that is unpleasant to do, but that, when done, leads to what is profitable, it’s in light of this course of action that one may be known as a fool or a wise person. For a fool doesn’t reflect, ‘Even though this course of action is unpleasant to do, still when it is done, it leads to what is profitable,’ so he doesn’t do it, and thus the non-doing of that course of action leads to what is unprofitable for him. But a wise person reflects, ‘Even though this course of action is unpleasant to do, still when it is done, it leads to what is profitable,’ so he does it, and thus the doing of that course of action leads to what is profitable for him. As to the course of action that is pleasant, but that, when done, leads to what is unprofitable, it’s in light of this course of action that one may be known as a fool or a wise person. For a fool doesn’t reflect, ‘Even though this course of action is pleasant to do, still when it is done, it leads to what is unprofitable,’ so he does it, and thus the doing of that course of action leads to what is unprofitable for him. But a wise person reflects, ‘Even though this course of action is pleasant to do, still when it is done, it leads to what is unprofitable,’ so he doesn’t do it, and thus the non-doing of that course of action leads to what is profitable for him.” [AN 4:115]

As this passage shows, one measure of your discernment is your ability to talk yourself out of doing things that you like to do but you know would lead to bad results. You have to learn how to use psychology with yourself and motivate yourself to avoid things that are unprofitable. At the same time, if something is unpleasant to do but you know that ultimately the results will be good, a sign of discernment is knowing how to talk yourself into doing it. In either case, discernment here is pragmatic, strategic. It doesn’t deal with abstractions. It grows by learning how to look for the good results and using psychology to get yourself to act in a way that will yield those results.

So, in looking at these various courses of action, you can see that skillful kamma is not just a matter of precepts or of external virtue. It also relates to concentration and discernment. All levels of skillful action are interrelated. This also means, though, that having good virtue and understanding the principles of kamma are an important foundation for the entirety of the path. The skills you develop when dealing with actions on the external level will help you on the internal level too. And don’t think that this training stops at the foundation. It can actually take you all the way to the end of the path."

~ Thanissaro Bhikkhu "The Karma of Mindfulness: The Buddha's Teachings on Sati and Kamma"

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