The Japanese method of creating lasting changes.
What is Kaizen?
Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning “continuous improvement”. Find more about Kaizen here.
Kaizen was introduced by Toyota when it implemented quality in its production process. The term was coined by Masaki Imam who was a Japanese organizational theorist and a management consultant.
The main goal of Kaizen is to improve the production process. It is currently being used by many manufacturers and corporations.
How you can implement Kaizen in your life?
5. Bringing Massive Changes by Making Small Changes in Life
Kaizen helps form discipline by tricking the brain into slowly forming a habit. Doing something new is challenging but consistently doing something is extremely tough.
It requires forming habits and sticking to them. When you implement kaizen, you view life as an opportunity for continuous improvement. Kaizen helps a person overcome the fear of change.
It is difficult to do a 20-minute workout daily but it is not difficult to work out for 1 minute.
To apply the principle of Kaizen in your life, you can start by taking the first step towards your goal. If you want to build a habit of meditating for an hour, start by meditating for one minute, then gradually increase the time as you go on until you achieve what you are aiming for.
When you consistently push yourself to perform small actions, you will find momentum as you go along. The idea here is to build a system, a process that will make your habits stick.
4. Asking Small Positive Questions
“A statement closes the mind, a question opens the mind” — Robert Kiyosaki in his book Rich dad poor dad
There is something our mind loves more than anything else, challenges. To be happy, we need to set achievable challenges. Humans are problem solvers by nature. (Researchgate link)
When we don’t have problems to solve, our mind finds its ways to create problems.
Asking yourself small positive questions on a regular basis keeps the brain stimulated. Your mind starts to find answers to the questions.
So the next time you have to create a new habit, instead of saying, “I am not able to create a habit”, ask yourself “how can I create these new habits?”
3. Thinking Small Thoughts
Reprogramming the brain takes time. To create a new habit, we need to develop new mental pathways.
Thinking small thoughts towards your goal gives your brain the little spark of motivation you need to achieve it. Visual imagery can help the mind create new mental pathways before actually doing something.
Visual imagery has been a powerful technique used by many people during training. Here’s research on how visual imagery helps in training.
We may have heard how Michael Phelps used visual imagery to stay calm under pressure.
When you imagine something before doing it, you become comfortable with it. You can apply Kaizen by thinking small positive thoughts towards your goal every day to create a mental frame.
2. Solve Small Problems
“Confront the difficult while it’s still easy. Accomplish the greater task by a series of small tasks” — Tao de Ching
Small problems often find their way to acquiring mass. Once they become big, we find it difficult to get it done.
When you pay attention to small problems, you reduce the frequency.
Breaking large problems into subproblems and focusing on each small part has been time tested and is applied across all disciplines we know of. Breaking larger units and subunits and taking on a part rather than the whole. Research on breaking down a problem into subproblems.
It is also called the “Divide and conquer” strategy.
1. Identify and Appreciate Small Moments
Identifying and appreciating small moments leads to creative breakthroughs by providing a daily boost towards excellence. Small moments can help you see through a mental block.
During my writing process, I have observed myself thinking random thoughts about my topic. It is in those moments that I find bits to include in my articles.
Take the time to identify those little sparks of genius.
When you appreciate small moments, you are bestowing reward upon yourself. Rewards serve as the positive reinforcement that your mind needs to create lasting changes.
The best example of this would be the Nomikai, an after-work drinking party in Japanese offices. Japanese are known to appreciate small moments. Having the mindset boosts happiness, leading to productive outcomes.
Conclusion
If you are struggling to build lasting habits, these tips are for you. Kaizen is something that has been applied across a multitude of disciplines. When you apply kaizen in your life, you will not only be creating habits but a process upon which many habits can be built upon.
I have been applying this in my daily life and have found results. Know that building a habit takes time and patience. It is a lifelong journey.
Large habits are a result of little actions. Read about how some small actions can be done to become mindful right away.
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