Japanese businesses are known for some of their innovative ideas. Kaizen is one of those.
Kai means improvement and Zen means good. Over time as the philosophy has been applied to business and implemented in other fields, it has come to mean continuous improvement.
Kaizen seeks to find small ways to improve continuously so that over time big results can be seen.
You can use Kaizen to reach your personal development goals.
Look around you. What small adjustments could you make that would eliminate waste or make something easier for you in your daily life?
It could be something as simple as packing your things (or the kids') the night before so there is not such a scramble in the morning.
It could be setting your alarm 10 minutes earlier and practicing mindfulness before you start your day.
It could be organizing a space to increase your productivity.
Think about the flow of your day.
Where do things go crazy or get hectic in your day? Think about ways you can reduce the craziness. Consider changing a routine or even how you enter that time of day.
Choose to implement one or two things a day. Don’t try to change everything at once – even though everything could be bugging you. You want to incorporate the changes into your daily routine and will have more success implementing one or two things at a time.
Be gracious with those around you going through the changes. They may not have asked for the changes but may be affected by them.
Be gracious with yourself as you may “fail.” Remember, that “failing” is more about finding out what works and what doesn’t or developing habits. If at first you don’t succeed, try again.
Positivity will go a long way in helping you make the small changes that will result in big outcomes.
If you need some help figuring out the Kaizen approach in your life, reach out to Natasja or Jeff to help you find a coach that will be a fit for you.
DrPaul