Kaizen is a Japanese term meaning “change for the better” or “continuous improvement.” Kaizen sees improvement as a gradual and methodical process.
It can be difficult to encourage yourself to take on a huge new project when you’re already struggling to juggle everything, so making small incremental changes will likely be more successful than trying to make one huge shift.
No matter what we want to achieve in life or business, there are 3 main things we need: time, energy and money, these are the currency of success.
These are also the three main things we waste. We waste time scrolling through social media or gossiping. We waste energy getting upset about things that really don’t matter in the big picture. We waste money on ‘things’ that leave us feeling empty.
A great exercise for you to do is write down your own list of all the things you waste time, energy and money on. Alongside it, what would you do, create, have or be if you didn’t waste these things?
Start With Subtraction, Not Addition.
What do I mean by this? It’s easier to do one thing less than to do one thing more. So stop doing the things that are eating away at your precious time, energy and money. When you remove the small negative behaviours that are holding you back, space opens up for new creative ideas and actions to take place.
Here are a few ideas of little changes you can make today:
- Remove sugar from your tea
- Swap your coffee for vegetable juice
- Save $5 per day – you will be amazed at how quickly this mounts up
- Set the clock alarm forward 10 minutes – it may be hard to convince yourself to go to bed earlier, but giving yourself an extra ten minutes in the morning can make all the difference.
- Sit at the table when eating dinner and be aware of every mouthful – sitting on the sofa when eating can leave you feeling lethargic.
- Swap your socks – it sounds funny, but swap your socks for fresh ones halfway through the day and you’ll feel more energized!
- Take calls outside – if you’re on your mobile why not use this opportunity to pace around a little and get some fresh air.
- Wear brighter colours – bright colors make others see you as more energetic, which means they treat you as more energetic, which makes you more energetic.
The great thing with kaizen is that change is exponential. When you start to experience positive change in one aspect of your life, it flows to every other area of your life. Your newfound energy and way of achieving will follow into your work, family, finances, and social life.
So, your main objective at this point should simply be to make one small change, even if it’s minuscule.
Comment below on what you will start with.
Here are some of my previous blogs that might help you.
