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Stay to the end and learn about the Kaizen Japanese improvement method, which can help
you take the steps you need to improve your grades and your life.
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Hi, this is Beau Baez, and today I want to discuss Kaizen, which is a Japanese word meaning
“good change.”
This concept developed after WWII, when manufacturers in Japan realized that they needed to improve and that
the old ways were not the best ways for improvement.
Today, Kaizen is understood as a means for incremental continuous improvement.
To use Kaizen you must believe two things: one that it is possible to change and improve.
And two, that you can begin making changes today.
Forget about yesterday and tomorrow, and instead make small incremental steps today.
If you focus on the past or future, you're going to lose out on what you can do today.
Let me provide you with five steps in your improvement journey.
One: standardization.
Identify something you want to improve and then develop an organized process that you
can repeat each day.
For example, suppose that you want to improve your essay writing skills, so you decide
that you're going to use the IRAC method for improvement.
The first step is to deal with issue spotting, so you decide to spend 30 minutes each day working through
multiple choice questions, using the Multiple-Choice question improvement method.
Second: measurement.
You must be able to measure what you're doing, otherwise you won't know if what you're
doing is working.
Track the amount of time you spend on each question, mark down how many right
answers you're getting, and write down how long it is taking you to get to the right
answers.
Also, eliminate variability when possible.
For example, if you decide to spend 30 minutes a day on this activity, then don’t deviate
from that.
Otherwise, you won’t have a good way to measure how much you are improving.
Remember, you want to do this as scientifically as possible.
Third: comparison.
Compare your measurements to your goal.
Are you getting more right answers?
Are you answering questions faster?
Can you spot issues that you couldn’t a month ago?
Don’t forget to record your results, that way you have a way of determining whether
what you are doing is working.
Fourth: innovation.
As you work through these steps, look for faster and better ways to improve.
Thomas Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, said “When you have exhausted all possibilities,
remember this - you haven't.”
Because you are doing the same thing over and over again, you will eventually notice
ways of getting to the same place faster.
Also, share what you are doing with others, and listen for any feedback they provide.
You will find others have gone down some of these same paths, and that their advice can save
you lots of time.
Fifth: repetition.
Go back to step one.
The key is continuous improvement, so never stop looking for better ways of doing things.
By the way, don’t worry about making mistakes.
Mistakes are normal and part of the process.
This is because we learn from our mistakes as well as our successes.
Thomas Edison was once asked by a reporter about all the failures he had in trying to
invent a working light bulb.
Edison responded: “I have not failed.
I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.”
Be like Edison and don’t give up.
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