What is Kaizen And Why Do I Care About It

I was first introduced to the concept of Kaizen through kendama. I would like to believe it was a personal philosophy that I already applied in my daily life but there was a liberating Aha moment to label it - to express it verbally and to know others have likewise acknowledged it.

Rooted in the Japanese industrial revolution post-WWII, Kaizen emerged in a business context for lean manufacturing or streamlined supply chain.

Kaizen is a daily process, the purpose of which goes beyond simple productivity improvement. It is also a process that, when done correctly, humanizes the workplace, eliminates overly hard work (muri), and teaches people how to perform experiments on their work using the scientific method and how to learn to spot and eliminate waste in business processes – Wikipedia

Having had the privilege to travel to Japan on multiple occasions, whether it is consciously or intentionally targeted or not, the culture there exudes pride in skilled craftsmanship and artisanship. Whether it is manifested in the best served coffee, the best ramen chef, a yakitori grill master, or anything in between, there is a quiet and calm passion and pride. And it was magical to watch these people perform. Might I add that in Japanese culture, tipping isn’t the norm either, it was just part of their job (although I did tip well based on the care and attention they provided).

Shiro Dreams of Sushi captures this concept nicely as well. In the documentary, the audience learns that it takes approximately 10 years of practice to master tomagoyaki - a Japanese rolled omelette dish. 10 years. 3650 days.

10 years.

The level of perfection, criticism, persistence and the roller coaster of emotions involved must've been palpable.

Really.

Take some time to consider that.

10 years of making a dish day in and day out. 10 years of work to only feel like you've mastered it after 10 years. It flips the notion of Western culture mastery on its head. You are not aspiring to get to the next thing, attain some new height or unlock new skills. It is the basic skill refined to perfection. It is the samurai blade swing over and over and over until it is an extension of your arm.

It would be akin to cooking scrambled eggs. But aspiring to make the perfect scrambled eggs. Can you imagine being critical of your scrambled eggs for 10 years straight if you cooked scrambled eggs every day? The egg yolk was too runny. The temperature of the pan was slightly too low. The yolk was not perfectly centered in the egg white when cooked. The amount of salt added was inadequate. The consistency of the egg white was too rubbery.

Can you imagine the muscle memory and skill in those fingers?

Life Approach

Personally, the concept of Kaizen inserts intentionality in my life.

Intentionality provides an internal locus of control.
An internal locus of control provides structure.
Structure provides calmness.

What am I doing with my life?

What do I want to achieve during my time on Earth?

Am I happy?

The concept of Kaizen allows me to frame my existence in terms of progress. It assumes and embraces my existence as imperfect and focuses on the journey to mastery while still maintaining a relevant target objective. Furthermore, it proposes a fundamental need to strive for daily progress and improvement. This forces regular discussions on tangible or concrete gains because for me, abstract or theoretical gains are difficult to appreciate.

I wholeheartedly accept the idea that I will never be the best.
I wholeheartedly understand and accept that I am a flawed human being.
I understand that on a day-by-day basis, I can do one thing better.

And it is in these simple truths, that I attribute meaning to my life. I can imagine some people would look at this perspective and think it’s weird or it’s stressful or not enjoyable but to me, it sounds much more interesting to pursue my own potential than solely consume the content driven by other people’s potentials. It is through leaving my mark on the world (via my mind, my craft, my interests, my relationships, and my interactions with the world around me), that I communicate my existence to others.

Approach For Specific Skills

Kaizen gets me pumped way more because I appreciate other's skills more. I feel that invigorating feeling when I see older people working in coffee shops, when I see bakers at ungodly hours doing their grind, and people pursuing their passions in the most unique or niche markets.

I think the idea of Kaizen also allows one to combat analysis paralysis. It is the means that argues or resists stagnancy because you realize you have an internal locus of control that pushes you one step forward. That you must take that one step forward to continue to embody that way of thinking.

Let's take blogging for example. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm desperately trying to keep up my schedule. But as long as I continue to blog regularly, I will improve. And so I write. It may not always be good but hopefully I’m getting better every time I write. I certainly am thinking about writing much more regularly.

Sure, one step forward may not seem like much but after a year, that's 365 steps forward past a point you thought was your furthest.

And that's WAAAAYYY better than thinking and rethinking over and over for that perfect first step.

As I have gotten older, it has time and time again surprised me how long I've committed to something as well as how long I have deferred something that I said I wanted to do or learn.

I have wanted to post Youtube videos for the longest time. I've thought about it, I've written scripts for myself, I've invested money into getting the best lighting, the best microphone, the best camera I could afford to get all my ducks in a row.

And yet...no consistent video production.

By no means am I perfect or anywhere close to it...I’ve failed countless times but I absolutely cannot stop. Because if I stop, it means I stop improving.

Writing about productivity and performance optimization already gives me feelings of fraud.

But again, day by day, if I continue to grow, put myself out there, and work on one aspect for improvement, I am guaranteed to progress.

Maybe 10 years from now, I'll be closer to that goal and no longer feel like a fraud.

My point being that I'd rather try than not.

And so, I seek out those experiences.

I don't want to lie on a couch and binge watch some TV show.

I don't want to feel my mind settle.

I want to push myself.

To surprise myself.

To see what I am capable of.

I want to be...

To be a better husband

To be a better son

To be a better coworker

To be a better friend

To be a better photographer

To be a better blogger

I have a thousand things I want to do better. But it isn't overwhelming because I only need to do one thing better today. I have a lifetime to improve and I have a lifetime to grow. I know I will never be perfect but it is in the journey that I find meaning and it is in the desire to improve that I wake up excited for the next day.

So what about you?

Is there something you want to do better that you can do one thing better?

What's that one long term goal that you've always told yourself you wish you could do.

What is one thing you can do today to get closer?

Kaizen - Continuous Improvement