We'll tell you what is behind the Kaizen philosophy and how you can use it for new habits.
Kaizen: That's behind it
The term Kaizen is a combination of the Japanese Kai for "change" or "change" and Zen for "for the better". The Japanese Masaaki Imai published a book on the Kaizen principle as early as 1986. What's behind it? Roughly summarized, Kaizen helps with production, service or quality management in companies (the continuous improvement process (CIP for short) is, by the way, a German variant of Kaizen!).
Kaizen is above all Management philosophy, d. H. it's not just a method, it's a Way of thinkingthat should be internalized by employees: processes, activities or products permanently improved – with the involvement of all employees. Waste should also be avoided as far as possible, not only in terms of resources, but also in terms of time!
In the Kaizen philosophy, the optimization process has a beginning but no end! Imai is reported to have said: "The message of the Kaizen strategy is that not a day should go by without some improvement anywhere in the company." The keys to success here are those small steps and that day after day! Step by step towards visible improvement. How can we use this for ourselves?
Kaizen: This is how we can use the principle
Yes, we can overdo it with self-optimization! And yet there are habits that we've wanted to get rid of for a long time – and just don't make it. You have to know that getting rid of a bad habit is harder than establishing a new one. There is a trick to do this, however: the 1 minute method. That means, you take a minute a day for your new habit! Whether you want to do a few situps, eat more veggies, or update your schedule, within a minute you have no excuse not to do it. And how quickly is a minute up? Just! Instead of getting angry about bad habits, you can get used to better ones and get closer and closer to your goal in small steps …
Admittedly, the 1-minute method is not suitable for quitting smoking. But instead of lighting a cigarette, you could get used to an alternative … In the video below you will find more tips on how to quit smoking.
Kaizen: establishing new habits
With the 1-minute method, you are more motivated right from the start and you have little successes very quickly – how great is that, please? And you can make use of another principle: a small study by University College London has found that the majority of the test subjects follow new habits in everyday life an average of 66 days automatically exercised (here you can find an interview with the scientist Phillippa Lally). If you repeat your new habit for about 66 days at a time, it is as good as part of your life ??. It's that easy to optimize your life step by step!
Kaizen for the home
The constant optimization process is therefore not only suitable for processes in the company, but can also be transferred to different areas of life. And what works in companies and offices also works for your home. You can use the 5S method for continuous optimization:
- sort by (Japanese: Seiri): Dispose of everything that is unnecessary! For things that you are unsure about, put them in a box, label them and put them away, e.g. B. in the basement. If you don't use them for a long time, you can dispose of them too.
- Systematize (Seiton): Everything not only has a fixed place, but also a meaningful one! Keep things that belong together together. What is not used often is stowed away so that it is out of the way.
- Clean up (Seiso): After a thorough cleaning, you can set up your organization system. Cleanliness also includes repairing broken things.
- Standardize (Seiketsu): Standardization is only necessary to a limited extent for domestic use, but you can use this principle to think through routine processes and optimize them step by step.
- Self-discipline (Shitsuke): Bringing order into your home and planning processes more sensibly are great ways to save time and resources. But without discipline to maintain this standard, unfortunately little success. So: stay tuned!
Here you will find even more helpful tips for making decisions, tidying up your life and (finally) realizing your dreams.