Friday 30 November 2018

Beginner's Guide to Kaizen

If only being productive is as easy as downloading apps. Unfortunately, it's not that simple to be productive. Achieving any kind of mastery in productivity does take practice and time. Here is a simple guide to Kaizen a Japanese philosophy that helps us improve and manage all the things we do.

The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Kaizen is a way of thinking based on philosophical belief that everything can be improved. Rooted in the wisdom of two thousand years of Tao Te Ching, Kaizen is the art of making great and lasting changes through small and steady improvements.

Kaizen philosophy is one of the elements that led to the success of Japanese manufacturing. The art of this philosophy is that you can not only benefit from this approach in work and business, but also in every aspect of your personal life.

Kaizen is based on making minor changes regularly: always improving productivity, safety and effectiveness while reducing waste. If it does not work, fix it through small and secure steps while reducing unnecessary items.

In his book One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way, Robert Maurer writes about how the prehistoric parts of the human brain, called the amygdala, are programmed to trigger a "fight or flight" response. When this happens, our high-level cognitive thinking is turned off. When we are in physical danger usually instinct to survive is very strong.

Take an hour every week or every month to reevaluate the work process, so that we can do even better to find the best productivity this month.

Here are some ideas on how to apply Kaizen philosophy in your work and daily life:




    • Start small: Small


      changes are easier to practice and will gradually impact on something big. Start by asking "What is the smallest step I can take to be more efficient / productive / able to change behavior?"


    • Appreciate every process


      Come with a process for repeating and organized specific activities. Check if the process is efficient by asking yourself. Whether the process saves your time and if it achieves the desired result.


    • Keep innovating


      Find new and better ways to do the same job or achieve the same results. Things change all the time (our environment, our priorities, our work). So that it never ceases to improve and is always looking for a smarter and efficient idea.


    • Get rid of the unnecessary


      Some things we do inefficiently should not be done. Reassessing weekly or monthly productivity of tasks that have become unnecessary habit and exclusion

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