Improve by 1% Percent at a Time

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For people who would like to improve on a personal level, there is a widely used Japanese method: Kaizen. Kaizen revolves around the small steps that must be taken to realize the biggest plans. In my daily activities I am using the KAIZEN spirit and techniques to become better: Getting one percent better every day is a simple, practical way to achieve big goals.

Kaizen spread to the rest of the world thanks to American experts such as Frank Bunker Gilbreth and Frederick Winslow Taylor. They were already at the forefront of research into effective work in the 1920s and their knowledge was the basis for Kaizen. In post-war Japan, a way was sought to increase the effectiveness of employees. This way was found in the idea of ​​Kaizen, freely translated: good change or continuous improvement.

More than just improvement

Kaizen has a goal that goes beyond just improvement. It is a daily activity and a process that can make people more human. It eliminates unnecessary work and teaches people to see wastes and remove them. A commonly used definition is ‘disassembly and reassembly in a better way’. What is taken apart is usually a process, system, or service in a company. In personal development, an action or habit will be reassembled.

Accessible

Continuous improvement works by sticking to three conditions. Set a goal for one percent improvement. Decide how often you will work on the goal and stick to that plan, focus on the one percent improvement. Stay with this process until you reach the end goal. By not focusing on the end goal but on the one percent goal, improvement can be achieved in an easily accessible manner. By working in small steps you build a solid foundation for a great future.

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