Kaizen Method: Achieve Continuous Improvement Through Small Steps
Do you always leave your goals or objectives halfway? With the Kaizen method we can carry it out almost without realizing it. Discover what this method consists of and its steps to achieve success.
When we set a goal or objective, many of us start with a lot of energy to reach our purpose. But in most cases, as time goes by, people tend to lose the motivation to remain constant in our efforts. On many occasions, to reach the goal we need to combat this laziness that grips us when carrying out a project. He Kaizen method He proposes a way to solve it.
Masaaki Imai created the kaizan method, also known as the minute rule. More than a rule to follow, this 88-year-old Japanese consultant affirms that it is a habit that must be implemented in our routine, a way of life that influences how we approach new projects.
The word Kaizen is the Japanese art of making continuous improvement through small acts. In this way, the Kaizen system It is a way of life that involves trying to move little by little towards our goal but in a constant way.
The Kaizen methodology It is mainly used in Japanese management. But the Kaizen philosophy can also be applied to many aspects of our lives. Kaizen in the company focuses on making incremental but continuous improvements. Therefore, in a factory this translates into seeking to do a task in a more efficient and less expensive way.
On the other hand, if we apply the Kaizen system in our lives, this means being more conscious and organized in how we spend our time. Through the continuous improvement of Kaizen We try to participate in more activities, all without increasing our stress.
Why is Kaizen powerful?
When we plan to join the gym or go to guitar lessons, for example, we go through an initial phase of excitement that evaporates and eventually disappears. The reason seems to be related to the excess energy that we show at the beginning and how this deflates as we realize what this project entails, the obligation it entails. To escape from this obligation, we invent impediments, we put obstacles in place that only delay our objective until it fades in time.
He Kaizen method Going little by little and seeking continuous improvement with small actions is established through the one-minute rule. The purpose of this small step is to be able to develop that obligation that we have imposed on ourselves for a period of one minute, every day. Since the time is extremely short, it will not be a problem for us not to do them. It is a method that we can apply to our personal life but also to our work life.
And what is the most obvious consequence of the minute rule recommended to us by the Kaizen system? Well, since the time during which we carry out that obligation, that task that we don’t like, is negligible, we will motivate ourselves to do it. Professionals point out that the motivation we achieve is such that we even allow ourselves the luxury of prolonging the time, co-investing this act in a new challenge.
Perhaps the moral behind the Kaizen method It doesn’t matter if we don’t start a project with strength and energy, quite the opposite: it is better to go little by little, step by step, until we achieve our goal.
It’s like we’re doing a long-distance race. No athlete begins by expending all of his energy during the first few kilometers only to end up exhausted and exhausted after one lap. What they usually do is take their time, go slowly to resist and reach the goal. The minute rule can be interpreted in a similar way. Imagine that we want to get rid of that little belly that we don’t like so much. Just thinking about doing sit-ups for an hour makes us lazy. On the other hand, if we spend just a minute we will not even notice, we will not notice its effects nor we will become demotivated. Quite the opposite, after a few days we will want to last two, and then five. Before we realize it, we will be doing sit-ups for half an hour thanks to the idea behind the Kaizen philosophy
Therefore, with this method, which, as we have already mentioned, works for any area of ​​our life, we will be able to achieve what we set out to do.
Benefits of the Kaizen method
There are many reasons to apply the Kaizen philosophy and its method in our lives. According to psychologists through Kaizen methodology We can get the following benefits.
1. Avoid procrastination
Through the one-minute-a-day rule established by the Kaizen method Although the beginning may seem like a very short period of time, the reality is that this will help us avoid procrastination when faced with a task that we may not be able to take on due to our lack of motivation. Even though at first we only avoid it for a minute, the reality is that this helps us deal with the lack of motivation we have when facing a task.
2. Helps create habits
According to studies, if we perform a task for 21 days in a row, people establish this activity as a habit. Through the Kaizen method and its steps we manage to create this habit in a much simpler way.
3. Create continuous satisfaction
Even if we only do one minute a day with our homework, this will already create some satisfaction in our lives. Having a goal and doing part of it will give us a small reward on an emotional level that will push us to have more motivation to continue with it.
4. Increases security and self-esteem
Creating a new habit and achieving it, even if it is only for a minute a day, will help increase our self-esteem. Through the Masaaki Imai’s Kaizen method and from continuous improvement we have a great weapon to increase it in a simple way.
Through the Kaizen methodology and its steps, individuals can combat the stress caused by excessive tasks. In this way, through good time management that this continuous improvement imposes on us, we can avoid stress due to doing a lot of work.
Steps of the Kaizen method
In order to carry out the Kaizen methodology of the best continuous there is the system called Five S. In it we can find keys to more effectively carry out any purpose or task we set ourselves.
Seiri
Seiri means what is necessary. People must order and organize their tasks well to be able to extract maximum productivity. He Kaizen method states that we should label elements as necessary, critical, most important, not needed now, useless, among others. Therefore we must organize our tasks in order of priority.
Seiton
It means organizing. Research says that most of us waste a lot of time on secondary tasks that are not important. In this way, we can simplify the process by trying to establish a single objective and focusing on it completely.
Seiso
The word Seiso means to shine in our work. For the Kaizen philosophy It is vital that our workspace is clean and organized. Therefore, you must have a clean place to be able to do your work without distractions.
Seiketusu
It means standardizing. Set rules for how we should perform our continuous improvement through tasks and follow them.
Shitsuke
Its translation is self-discipline. Having motivation and discipline is essential. To achieve this, the minute rule is one of the keys to this Kaizen method
Being able to reach our goals is one of the keys to being happy in our lives. Despite this, sometimes our inner problems do not allow us to reach them. In these cases the Kaizen method or the help of a psychologist can be the keys to achieving our goals.
