Our lives are constantly run by systems, routines and processes.
Whether these are systems in the workplace, routines that we follow at home or processes
that we go through in order to get our work done. But how often do truly assess these approaches to
identify inefficiencies and areas of improvement? In my case, this didn’t happen all that often, but
that changed when I learned about the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen.
Kaizen is a Japanese concept formed out of two words - Kai meaning change and Zen meaning good.
This philosophy is based on the principle that continuous improvement or consistent change
will ultimately lead to greater results and output. In terms of productivity,
it views improvement as a slow and gradual process that yields results in the long-term.
Following the Second World War, Kaizen was introduced to American industries as an attempt
to reduce waste and increase efficiency. However, it was made famous by Toyota
who integrated this philosophy into their production pipeline as a means to catch
issues as soon as they occurred. Over time, Toyota kept finding and eliminating issues
with their production so much so that the Toyota production system has become one of the most
efficient and reliable in the world, with many other companies seeking to replicate this formula.
In the corporate world, the Kaizen approach is normally carried out through general
quality control, but many individuals and organizations have adopted Kaizen
by utilizing what is known as the Deming cycle for iterative improvements on products and processes.
The Deming cycle involves 4 key steps The first step is Plan, which involves
establishing the process through which your goals can be achieved.
The second step is Do, which is fairly self-explanatory and is the point
where you execute on your plan The third step: Check required
you to assess your process and results, identifying areas where you may have fallen
short or areas that could be made better. The fourth step is Act: This is the stage
where you implement those modifications that you made to your process and improve your process.
These 4 steps of Plan, Do, Check and Act form a continuous loop that never really stops.
It illustrates that there is never really an end and that there will always be something that can
be improved upon. Now, continuous improvement requires constant planning and checking.
As you go through each cycle of this loop, you gain knowledge that you take into the next cycle.
Ultimately this will lead to an overall surge in the quality of your output,
which is what happened in the case of Toyota and many others.
One of the best starting points for implementing Kaizen is to begin by identifying your goals.
With a clear goal or vision in mind, you can set the standard for what you’re trying to
achieve and accordingly begin to assess and iterate on your way to getting to the goal.
By incorporating the Kaizen philosophy into your life, you begin to recognize that small changes
can have huge impacts in the future and will compound into sometime substantial over
time. In fact, Kaizen shares the same principles as the Marginal Gains Theory, which promotes
constant improvement 1% at a time. In fact, it’s been said that if you can get 1% better
each day for 1 year, you’ll end up 37 times better than when you first started. You can
also check out more about the Marginal Gains Theory in the video that I made on my channel,
which I’ll leave a card up top for and a link below the like button.
There’s always pressure to improve your productivity and increase your output, whether
that pressure comes from ourselves or our peers. But much of the effectiveness of Kaizen comes from
being able to identify and eliminate waste in our work. This could range from auditing the time that
we spend on tasks or the way that we work through our to-do lists. This philosophy of improvement
simply evolves the way that you view your work and how you can steadily build on it every single day.
One way that I’m doing this is by assessing my filming process for these videos.
While my initial approach seemed to be working for me, I discovered that
I could be more efficient by batching my filming and shooting 2 videos in a sitting
instead of just one. This helped eliminate the time wasted setting up all of my equipment
for just one video when I could instead do twice as much. I’m certain that as I keep
checking my production process, I’ll discover more ways for me to tighten up my process.
Maybe that would result in hiring an editor, or improving my writing process. You never know.
Implementing Kaizen into my own life has been a good reminder that we can often
get caught up in our large goals and the big picture, when the only real thing to
do is to focus on continuous improvement and the process of getting to that goal.
Any approach that emphasizes long-term development and constant learning is a recipe for success.
So if you want to know more about specific methods to go about doing this, check out this
video right here or even this one right here. Drop me a like if you found this video helpful
and don’t forget to subscribe if you haven’t already. Thanks for watching. See you next time.