The Kaizen Principle : One Step at a Time
Lately, I have been in a funk. Although the pandemic is a tragic phenomenon, it has provided me with more time to do other things. I had always wished for my weekends to be longer, my vacations to be extended and for my workload to be less. Now that my wish has been granted, I have had trouble deciding what to do with my time, a classic paradox of the choice situation. Even though there are many new skills I want to learn, my inability to choose from the ample choices causes my brain to freeze. Being in charge of my schedule has more challenges than I anticipated. It's easy to procrastinate without a routine.
One of my long-time goals is to start my own business so I have been reading some business-related books recently. It is in one of these books that I came across the term “Kaizen”.
What does Kaizen mean?
Kaizen is a Japanese word that means “good change” when directly translated. It can be more accurately translated as “continuous improvement”. It is a productivity regimen that is based on making minor improvements over time that result in a big change. This concept is commonly used by large companies whereby all employees are involved in the betterment of all processes. Adjustments are continuously implemented no matter how small they are.
The History of the Kaizen Principle
In the late 1940s, Japan was recovering from the second world war. Japanese industries were forced to create new approaches to management to improve productivity and profit. The Kaizen approach was adapted. Employees on the front line were encouraged to give suggestions about small changes that could boost efficacy. As these small changes were made, Japanese companies saw rewarding results and started to out-produce their international competitors. One company that still runs by this philosophy today is Toyota. Hence the Kaizen principle is also known as the “Toyota Way”.
How to apply the Kaizen principle to your life
Our human instinct is to fear change, radical changes cause us to go into fight-or-flight mode and usually cause a lot of anxiety. By making incremental and easy-going changes we can bypass that natural reaction. Here are 3 steps you can take to adapt the Kaizen approach to your life:
1. Set your goal.
2. Ask yourself, " What is the smallest and easiest action I can take today that would make me one step closer to reaching my goal?"
3. Keep asking yourself this question every day and build upon the actions you took the previous day.
For example, if your goal is to start eating healthy, you don’t have to worry about drastically changing your diet overnight, if you do that you will most likely quit in the next couple of days. You can simply decide to eat an apple on day one. The next day you can decide that you are also going to reduce the sugar you put in your coffee from two teaspoons to one, the next day you can decide that you will eat oatmeal for breakfast instead of coco pops...and so on. Your mind should be at ease, however, your changes should be consistent and progressive. Over time you will realize that a lot of progress has been made.
In conclusion, slow and steady wins the race. If you have a big goal you want to achieve and it seems scary and unattainable, break the goal down into a few practical microtasks you can do every day. This will ensure less uneasiness and more competency.
Lately, I have been in a funk. Although the pandemic is a tragic phenomenon, it has provided me with more time to do other things. I had always wished for my weekends to be longer, my vacations to be extended and for my workload to be less. Now that my wish has been granted, I have had trouble deciding what to do with my time, a classic paradox of the choice situation. Even though there are many new skills I want to learn, my inability to choose from the ample choices causes my brain to freeze. Being in charge of my schedule has more challenges than I anticipated. It's easy to procrastinate without a routine.
One of my long-time goals is to start my own business so I have been reading some business-related books recently. It is in one of these books that I came across the term “Kaizen”.
What does Kaizen mean?
Kaizen is a Japanese word that means “good change” when directly translated. It can be more accurately translated as “continuous improvement”. It is a productivity regimen that is based on making minor improvements over time that result in a big change. This concept is commonly used by large companies whereby all employees are involved in the betterment of all processes. Adjustments are continuously implemented no matter how small they are.
The History of the Kaizen Principle
In the late 1940s, Japan was recovering from the second world war. Japanese industries were forced to create new approaches to management to improve productivity and profit. The Kaizen approach was adapted. Employees on the front line were encouraged to give suggestions about small changes that could boost efficacy. As these small changes were made, Japanese companies saw rewarding results and started to out-produce their international competitors. One company that still runs by this philosophy today is Toyota. Hence the Kaizen principle is also known as the “Toyota Way”.
How to apply the Kaizen principle to your life
Our human instinct is to fear change, radical changes cause us to go into fight-or-flight mode and usually cause a lot of anxiety. By making incremental and easy-going changes we can bypass that natural reaction. Here are 3 steps you can take to adapt the Kaizen approach to your life:
1. Set your goal.
2. Ask yourself, " What is the smallest and easiest action I can take today that would make me one step closer to reaching my goal?"
3. Keep asking yourself this question every day and build upon the actions you took the previous day.
For example, if your goal is to start eating healthy, you don’t have to worry about drastically changing your diet overnight, if you do that you will most likely quit in the next couple of days. You can simply decide to eat an apple on day one. The next day you can decide that you are also going to reduce the sugar you put in your coffee from two teaspoons to one, the next day you can decide that you will eat oatmeal for breakfast instead of coco pops...and so on. Your mind should be at ease, however, your changes should be consistent and progressive. Over time you will realize that a lot of progress has been made.
In conclusion, slow and steady wins the race. If you have a big goal you want to achieve and it seems scary and unattainable, break the goal down into a few practical microtasks you can do every day. This will ensure less uneasiness and more competency.
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