One Percent Better

As part of my end of day ritual, I scrolled on my phone and saw ad after ad promising quick fixes, overnight weight loss, and rapid financial success. I’ve been around long enough to know that most of these ads overpromise and underdeliver; things don’t actually improve unless you’re putting in some effort. Then I watched my daughter sitting next to me doing her own scrolling and I realized my kids don’t have enough experience to recognize when an ad is overpromising or misleading. In their world, there is a strong emphasis on getting rewards quickly, contributing to their over-reliance on instant gratification. This can be problematic because instant gratification typically comes at the expense of long-term goals and well-being. I want my children to be healthy, happy, kind, and successful; whatever that means to them in the long run. For that to happen, they need to know that it takes effort to get what you want and need out of life. Effort, however, doesn’t have to be overwhelming.

Fortunately, I can use some of my professional training to help jump start making positive change. I work in process optimization and I’m a big believer in the concept of continuous improvement. One of the philosophies I follow is called Kaizen. Kaizen is a Japanese practice that was introduced by American businessman W. Edwards Deming after World War II. It emphasizes the idea that small, incremental changes can lead to significant improvements over time; even if it’s just one percent every day.

Break it Down

How does Kaizen work? In the 1940’s, the US needed new armament factories to fight World War II, but they didn’t have the budget to build those new factories. They came up with the idea to make small, continuous improvements to existing factories and retrofit the plants to make what they needed. There wasn’t enough time for big changes so supervisors were asked to look for hundreds of small improvements that aligned with what the government wanted. After the war, the US helped Japan rebuild their economy and introduced this idea of small improvements. Japanese businesses translated and adopted this concept with the help of Professor Kaoru Ishikawa and called it Kaizen. They improved upon the idea so well that soon companies, like Toyota, overtook American businesses in performance.

Kaizen is a major component of my job and while it is generally talked about in business concepts, it can be applied to how we approach our personal life as well. Kaizen refers to continuous changes in three major forms called muda (waste), muri (overburdening work), and mura (inconsistency of work). Looking at these three forms is a step-by-step guide to starting your own journey to self-improvement.

1.      Muda — Waste

Muda is the concept of waste. It’s finding time or energy that spend on non-value add things, like overproduction or waiting, and either eliminating them or replacing them with something value-add.

For example, I would like to take my daughter to Italy for her 16th birthday, so we’ve decided to learn Italian. I certainly don’t have the time to enroll in a class, but what I do have is the 15 to 20 minutes of time I sit in the pickup line after school waiting for my kids. Normally I scroll on my phone or listen to music while I wait, however; I was able to identify this as unnecessary time spent and replace it with something productive, like learning a new language. I enrolled in Duolingo, a language learning app, and now I spend anywhere from 10-20 minutes a day playing games and answering questions in Italian. At first, the changes seemed inconsequential. After the first week I only knew how to introduce myself.

Gradually, however, I started to notice improvements. At the time of writing this article I have logged into Duolingo for more than fifty days in a row, I know over 270 words, and how to use them in sentences. Learning a new language doesn’t seem as daunting as it did in the beginning. My gradual improvements are all moving me toward my goal, and I didn’t have to sacrifice time I should be spending on other things. I found an area of waste and replaced it with a productive activity.

2.      Muri  — Overburdening Work

Muri is a term that translates to unreasonable or overburdening work. Imagine putting too many clothes in the washing machine. You can hear how it shakes and strains to accomplish it’s intended task, and you risk breaking the machine altogether. The same can happen in your personal life. Ask yourself where you are pushing yourself too hard, beyond your capacity. When you give yourself an unsustainable workload it leads to mistakes, burnout, and reduced efficiency.

I applied this Kaizen form several years ago and I’ve found it super beneficial. I want to be part of everything and do all the things, so I used to join organizations, volunteer for extra work, and enroll in learning and development courses—all while raising my kids, having a full-time job, and trying to maintain my personal relationships. At the end of the day, I was pushing myself too far and completing these tasks while experiencing burnout. Once I took the time to evaluate what was critical and what was just extra, I was able to create a manageable schedule.  Was I sad to stop doing some of those things? Yes, of course! I wanted to do them for a reason. Conversely, I also recognized that I wasn’t giving 100% in any of those situations because I was overburdening myself. You can’t do everything all at once, so what you do end up doing should be the important things.

3.      Mura  — Inconsistency of Work

The third Kaizen form is mura and it refers to lack of evenness and uniformity; an inconsistency in how things are done. As a mom I know that providing my kids with a schedule builds habits and helps them do the things they need to do. It doesn’t feel as overwhelming to complete their tasks because they are prepared to do them. The same goes for me as an adult. When I don’t have a plan, or a schedule, or an idea of what needs to get done, I end up spending more time and energy on getting whatever it is done. All that mental power is a form of muda (waste) that I could be replacing with something more productive if I had a plan for consistency.

I apply this to my life every Friday evening when I grocery shop. I have a varied weekend schedule, but I know that I can find one hour every Friday to look at my calendar and put together a menu for the following week. I then order my groceries online for delivery at a time when I’m available. It’s not just about meal planning either; looking at my schedule and grocery shopping is dedicated time that reminds me of what I need to be prepared for the following week. If I don’t consider my schedule, I run the risk of overburdening myself and trying to get everything done when I have a free moment or am unprepared for a change in routine. Normalizing finding consistency has allowed me to take a breath and know that I can be prepared.

Slow and Steady

Each of us has had a moment where we look at our life and wish things were different or better. We have an end state in mind, but it seems overwhelming once we think about the changes we need to make to get there. So, instead of trying to make radical life changes overnight, start small. Think about daily, manageable improvements and focus on getting one percent better each and every day. You won’t find instant gratification, but, in the end, continuous improvement is better than the impossibility of perfection.

Written by: Holly Gough

“I am forever learning and changing.” -W. Edwards Deming