Applying Kaizen approach to Personal Life

Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning “change for the better” or “continuous improvement.” It is a philosophy that sees improvement in productivity as a gradual and methodical process.

The concept of Kaizen encompasses a wide range of ideas. The Kaizen concept posits that there is no perfect end and that everything can be improved upon. It is widely applied by Japanese in business to improve productivity and make working environment more efficient.

The concept applied to business processes can also be applied to improve our lives. One can always improve oneself. Whether it is learning something new or perfecting a skill one already has, there is room for improvement in everyone’s life.

Here are 10 Principles of Kaizen that can be applied to one’s personal life:

1. Never Stop – There is an area of improvement in everyone’s life, no matter how successful they are.
2. Eliminate Old Practices – Let go of former habits, even if they seemed to have some benefit to you at the time.
3. Be Proactive – Stop hesitating because of possible hurdles that you foresee, and move forward towards your goal.
4. Don’t assume new methods will work – Just because something worked for someone else does not mean that it will necessarily work for you.
5. Make Corrections – Recognize the areas in your life that can use improvement, and make relevant corrections to help your progress.
6. Empower others to speak up – Encourage your friends and family to make suggestions if they see things that you could work on.
7. Crowd Source – Learn from other people and get some new ideas on things you can add to your routine to create continuous improvement.
8. Practice the “five why” method – By continuing to ask yourself “why?” you are likely to find the real reason behind the problem
9. Be Economical – Consider specific things you can save mmoney on each week, and stop buying them.
10. Don’t Stop – Never consider yourself to be finished. Improvement has no limits, and can be continued on an infinite level.

Try to do something just a little bit better each day in order to make a large impact in the long run. Spirit of Kaizen is more about finding the flow of change rather than looking for measurable steps. Aim for micro improvements in your day to day life and as the time passes, these continual subtle improvements will empower you to set the next set of goals.