The Japanese Technique Of Kaizen: Overcoming Procrastination and Laziness to Achieve Great Outcomes

From time to time we all set ourselves new goals and challenges and unfortunately from time to time we fail to achieve our new new goals. Don’t be discouraged. We end up telling ourselves that we are not ready yet and we will complete our goals tomorrow, next week, next month and sometimes even next year.

Why do we give up so easily? The answer is fairly obvious and contains a multitude of reasons. Quite often we try to change too much too soon without adequate preparation and or consideration of factors that may hamper our best intentions. Trying to achieve too much too fast without a logical plan of support can derail the most noble of intentions.

The new responsibilities may overwhelm us as we seek to obtain something new that we never attempted before. It can be tough to change old habits and try something new. Which results in our getting tired, bored, and maybe even disillusioned very quickly.

So...How can you stop procrastinating?

This method is a great solution to achieve anything you wish and can be started in less than one minute and the results are quite impressive. This technique is known as Kaizen. This technique is also known as the one minute principle. This principle originated in Japan. This technique is often used to improve management but can actually be used to improve any area of your life.

The roots of this word are - Kai which means to change and Zen which means using wisdom. Can you recall the fable about the race between the hare and the tortoise? In this fable the tortoise wins by applying small constant effort to achieve his goal.

In a similar manner Kaizen does not attempt to win by a dash to the goal. Instead a person should not change their life spontaneously but proceed slowly and wisely. New better habits should result as you reflect upon your life experiences of failure and success.

Masaaki Imai (see footnote ) who is credited with inventing this method believes this method can be applied across a spectrum of business and your personal life. So how does this method actually work and how should it be applied?

In Japanese culture the practice of Kaizen includes using the “one minute principle” for self - improvement. The idea that you should practice something for one minute each day at the same time is at the heart of the principle. You also limit this change daily to only one minute. Since the change is so minute, even the laziest person can greatly benefit from this technique.

Quite often we will find excuses to not carry out a specific task because the task will take 30 minutes or more of our time. The 30 minutes or more is seen as an interruption of our lives and we may find reasons to justify why the task is an interruption. However we should be able to carry out a new task for sixty seconds or less without attaching any misgivings or negative emotions to the task.

So Why Does This Method Work

Initially this practice might seem: Ineffective, doubtful, or fanciful for people who have grown up in a Western culture that claims the idea that you can only achieve your goals by undertaking enormous effort. However this isn’t true at all. Challenging programs of self improvement that deprive you of enormous amounts of energy can end up exhausting you and leave no tangible results thus adding to your discouragement.

Whether doing a physical activity such as push-ups or a mental activity such as studying a foreign language the one minute task won’t seem as something unpleasant that you have to get through. Instead it will seem as an activity that brings you joy, esteem, a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction. Taking one little step at a time moves you to the path of self perfection.

The one-minute principle lets you see the progress you are making and is a critical part of forming new habits. It’s important to overcome your lack of confidence in your abilities and also to free yourself from feelings of guilt and helplessness.

Successful application of this technique will help increase your feelings of victory and success as you move forward. The moment those feelings inspire you, you will begin to increase the amount of time you spend on the goal you have set for yourself. Maybe first for five minutes more, but this will soon turn into half an hour and then even longer.

Understand What You Want to Achieve

Understanding what you want to achieve is important because you need to imprint your end goal in your mind. All you have to do is understand what you want to achieve and start doing it for a single minute every single day.

Try this technique to see how it works for you. Or maybe you don’t like trying something new by yourself - in that case choose a friend to set goals with using this technique. Sometimes we all need a partner!

Keep in mind that great journeys start with a single step

Image Credit
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Azaly Addam
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Academic Credit
http://unisoultheory.com/index.php/2016/12/05/japanese-technique-kaizen-overcome-laziness/
https://www.unstuck.com/how-we-procrastinate/
https://thehealthorange.com/stay-happy/holistic-living/overcome-laziness-simple-japanese-technique/

Footnote
Masaaki Imai is a Japanese organizational theorist and management consultant, known for his work on quality management, specifically on Kaizen. Wikipedia