Your Kaizen

Kaizen means continuous improvement. There is no upper limit to how well a process can run. 

Everything can always be improved. 

This may sound daunting, but Kaizen philosophy centers on having small changes compound to create huge improvements over time. If you get 1% better every day, you’re 37x better after a year. 

There are many notable examples of firms which have leveraged Kaizen to improve:

• Toyota 

  • Has developed a manufacturing feature called the Andon Cord:

    • This is a cord that any line worker can pull if they notice a defect throughout the assembly process.

    • The defect is then analyzed and a solution is put in place to improve the entire process to ensure no similar defect happens again. 

• Amazon + Rivian

  • Rivian has built endearingly cute delivery trucks for Amazon, with an emphasis on Kaizen:

    • The trucks are modular, so Amazon can decide how big or small to make them depending on delivery routes and load.

    • They all have heated and ventilated seats, to ensure driver comfort which leads to productivity. 

    • But the most time-saving, process improving feature is that the door between the driver and the storage area opens automatically as soon as the driver puts the truck in park. This feature saves drivers just tenths of a second, but compounded at Amazon’s volume, can save hours and significantly improve delivery times.

• Spotify 

  • The company is always iterating on its current design to make a more pleasant listening experience. The firm has managed to stay competitive against one the largest tech companies in the world, Apple:

    • They use a combination of data and collaboration between right brain designers and left brain engineers

    • And rapid iteration to prioritize user-centric design.

You too can leverage Kaizen in your personal and professional lives. 

• Your Morning Routine

  • “Win the morning, win the day.” Think about the process of your morning: 

    • A sub-optimal morning: 

      • Wake Up: 8AM 

      • Scroll: 8:45AM 

      • Shower: 9:00AM

      • Quick breakfast: 9:10AM

      • Get to Work: 9:45AM

    • An optimal morning: 

      • Wake Up: 7AM

      • Coffee + Journal: 7:15AM

      • Gym: 8:30AM

      • Shower: 8:40 AM

      • Meditate: 8:50 AM

      • Mindful breakfast: 9AM

      • Get to Work: 9:35AM

    • The following process improvements happened: 

      • Additive: Introduction of early wake up,  journaling, exercise, and meditation (good habits)

      • Removal: Late wake up, scrolling, quick breakfast (bad habits)

The process does not have to be changed overnight. Try changing one element at a time until you reach your sustainable morning routine. Get 1% better every day.

A few more concepts to help improve your professional productivity: 

• 80/20 Rule: 80% of effects come from 20% of causes. 

  • Practically, this means that 80% of your outputs are influenced by 20% of your inputs. Focus on refining the 20%. 

    • If you’re in Sales, 80% of your revenue is produced by 20% of your clients. Focus on them. 

    • If you’re in Product, 80% of your product’s engagement is coming from 20% of its features. Focus on these. 

    • If you’re in Consulting, 80% of client challenges stem from 20% of issues. Focus on solving these. 

• Batching: Inspired by the world of manufacturing, producing outputs should follow one stage of processing before moving to the next stage. 

  • For example, instead of starting a task, then checking and replying to email, then going back to the task, then having a meeting, then completing the task while having an email drafted, follow this process: 

    • Block time off for tasks

    • Block time off for email (and don’t check throughout the day)

    • Block time off for meetings

  • Because you’ll already be in the “producing mindset” you won’t lose time to “brain shifting” between tasks and will be more productive in less time. 

• Shorter Deadlines: Work with your manager to set short deadlines for your projects, even if you have more time to complete a task. A short deadline has an incredible ability to focus your attention, which increases efficiency and productivity. A longer deadline will turn a molehill into a mountain. 

These three productivity improvements are just parts of Kaizen. See the world as processes, cause and effect relationships, and work to improve the inputs. 

You’ll see great outputs.  

PK