Have you heard of New Year’s resolution? I am sure we all do set a goal or a challenge for ourselves every year. What happens with most of us is that we are too charged and geared up in the beginning. We do put efforts to achieve it for some time, then other priorities kick in, and we then get distracted and put the set goal or challenge on hold. We convince ourselves that there is time; we can take this slowly and complete it later. We assure ourselves by saying that we are not ready to do it right now and push it to the coming days, months, or even next year. When you do this, it implies that you are being lazy!
Why do we end up doing this to ourselves? Have you ever thought about this? There are many subconscious reasons for this…
- We get bored too easily.
- We wish to achieve the goal quickly, which does not happen in reality.
- We are not ready to carry on the new change or responsibility that the goal has brought into our lives.
- It could involve a change in routine or habit, which is difficult to sustain for most of us.
So, how can we overcome this laziness? Well, there is a Japanese technique called Kaizen, or the one-minute principle, that indeed works!
Kaizen is a ‘one-minute principle’ technique in Japanese culture that leads to self-improvement. The idea is based on a simple practice in which a person is required to do something daily for a minute at the same time. The Kaizen method originated in Japan. It means ‘kai’ (change) and ‘zen’ (wisdom). This philosophy was developed by Masaaki Imai, who believes that this philosophy can be successfully applied not only to one’s personal life but also to the world of business.
It does not involve much effort from a person’s side. You need to dedicate only 60 minutes of your day daily with consistency. I am sure even the laziest person can achieve doing this with minimal effort. This one-minute activity is something you enjoy doing and derive satisfaction from, like doing push-ups, learning a new language, or even dancing. This practice involves taking one step at a time, but it goes a long way to develop self-perfection and achieve good results.
While practicing Kaizen, you need to free yourself from feelings of low self-confidence, inability to perform, helplessness, and feelings of guilt. It would help if you had a positive mindset with a sense of victory and confidence to achieve success. Once you can instill these thoughts and feelings inside you, slowly and steadily, you will spend more quality time on the task that you have set for yourself daily.
Initially, you may be able to increase the time you spend on your task daily by a few minutes, which will keep growing. There will be a day when you will start spending hours on that task daily. Ultimately, you will see how the one-minute principle has helped you progress in the goal that you have set for yourself.
Initially, you may be able to increase the time you spend on your task daily by a few minutes, which will keep growing. There will be a day when you will be spending hours on that task daily. Ultimately, you will see how the one-minute principle has helped you progress in the goal that you have set for yourself.
The younger generation and people under western influence generally do not believe in this philosophy quickly. They think that one has to put immense effort to achieve their set goals and challenges. There are various programs available that are elaborate, challenging, and targeted towards self-improvement. But what is not understood is that these programs deprive them of vast amounts of energy. They end up exhausted with no concrete results at hand achieved.
On the other hand, Kaizen philosophy from Japan is straightforward to perform in anything that you set yourself to achieve with minimal efforts and tangible results over a period of time. You can apply this technique virtually in any sphere of your life.
Just focus on what you dream of achieving in your life, and you are ready to go with the unique Kaizen technique to support by your side. Tell us your experiences after practicing Kaizen; we would love to hear your story.