Kaizen Summary

Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy centered around incremental growth, and it begins with evaluating your habits.

The best way to reach your big goals is to start with such a small step that the difference is barely noticeable.

Track your progress with your habits by reviewing them regularly.

In Japanese, the word Kaizen translates to many things, but the main idea is simply “change.” To take advantage of the power of change, you need to start with your habits. Which means you’ll have to look hard at the habits you already have.

Your brain is always making habits as a way to save power on repeated behaviours. This preserves your mental energy for bigger, tougher tasks. But because it’s so automatic, you might form unwanted habits. 

Start by interrogating your habits to make an inventory of your life. Get a piece of paper, divide it into the major sections of your life. Then, go through all areas of life and ask yourself if you’re doing all you can to be happy in that area. 

Dig deep to find out what you really seek. When you’re done with that, finish by writing down your biggest aspirations in each category.

Transform your habits one small change at a time repeating until you don’t get results. Whether you want to adopt a healthier lifestyle, get better at saving money, or rethink your career, kaizen can set you on the path to success. But first, you have to know where you stand.

Habits are the way our brain standardizes behaviors to save mental resources. Association strengthens with repetition until the behavior gets locked in.

As a first step make an inventory of your life.

1. List the areas that make up your life
2. For each area ask yourself if you are doing the most to achieve happiness
3. Areas where you have a sense of dissatisfaction should be subdivided in other parts to understand the source of dissatisfaction.
4. Write what you love and hate about them
5. Complete with a list of activities you feel drawn to
6. When you are finished you will have a list of goals to choose from

Your first actions should be so small you barely notice any difference. Adding them up will produce momentum (“contagious enthusiasm” and a compound effect. What is the smallest, most easily achievable step you can make toward your goal? 

Then set various incremental steps to achieve your goal. This step-by-step technique is recommended by experts and makes it a lot easier to sustain change in the early stage. It also makes lasting change more likely.

Once you’ve established your goals and first steps, write them down. Now, set a time frame for completing them.

Start with micro-changes: True change does not require grand gestures but thrives on subtlety. Begin with small, nearly invisible steps to ease into transitions, mirroring nature's slow yet inevitable progression. A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step; thus, approaching each change, however minor, is a decisive stride toward transformation.

Consistency over intensity: Regularity trumps intensity in the pursuit of lasting change. As the constant drip of water reshapes the hardest rock, so does consistent effort to sculpt enduring habits.

Break down your routines: Scrutinize your daily rituals as an emperor surveys his empire. Cataloging every aspect of life—health, work, relationships—lays bare the territories ripe for conquest and those well-fortified. Understanding begins with an honest assessment, the bedrock of all improvement.

Identify triggers and rewards: Every habit is a loop of cue, routine, and reward. Recognize the triggers that lead to routines and the rewards they yield, for in this recognition lies the power to forge new destinies. Control your triggers, and you command your habits.