“Starting from Monday, I will begin a new life, go to the gym, practice yoga, do self-massage, work on my abs…” – each of us sets goals for ourselves from time to time and fails to achieve them, postponing them to the next month, several months, or even a year. Could it be happening because we want too much at once and the plans overwhelm us like a heavy load, ultimately preventing us from accomplishing even the smallest things?”
Sometimes we enthusiastically start to do something we planned, but after, for example, going to the gym three times a week for several hours, we quit for a long time. Why does this happen? Because the load is too high, it becomes boring, and the habit has not been developed yet.
The Kaizen Methodology or the One-Minute Principle.
There is a Japanese method called “kaizen” that incorporates the principle of “one minute.” The principle behind this method is that a person commits to doing a certain task for exactly one minute, but consistently every day at the same time. One minute may seem like a very short amount of time, but it is achievable for anyone. Laziness will not get in the way. The same actions that a person did not want to do for half an hour, making excuses or justifications, can easily be accomplished in one minute.
Jumping rope, doing crunches, eye gymnastics, practicing yoga, reading a book in a foreign language – when you have only one minute, these activities may not seem difficult to accomplish, but rather bring joy and satisfaction. And by taking small steps, you improve and achieve great results.
It is significant that you overcome your insecurity, free yourself from feelings of guilt and helplessness, and feel success and victory. By being inspired by the feeling of success, you gradually increase your five-minute sessions to ten minutes and so on. Then, before you realize it, you will progress to thirty-minute sessions. Progress is apparent!
Kaizen originated in Japan. The word itself is a compound consisting of two others – “kai” (change) and “zen” (wisdom). The author of this management concept is Masaaki Imai. He believes that kaizen is a true philosophy, which can be equally applied successfully in both business and personal life.
To the Western culture, the Japanese method may seem inefficient, as there is a belief that good results cannot be achieved without a lot of effort. However, large-scale programs that require a lot of effort can break a person and yield no results. The “kaizen” principle, on the other hand, is suitable for everyone and can be applied to many aspects of life. For example, the Japanese use a strategy of gradual and steady improvement in the field of management.
All that’s left is to determine your needs and start applying the “Kaizen” methodology in practice.
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