Key #1: Break down huge goals into simpler goals

You have heard of the term “the bigger picture”, where you need to take a step out from all tasks and take a 50,000 feet view on your end destination.

Fantastic.

Now break down that “big picture” of an end goal into smaller goals!

Then go one step further by breaking them into *even* simpler goals that you can achieve within a day or 2!

This key will allow you to understand the powerful word called “specific” in an even deeper detail, which you will learn the elaborate meaning in the next point.

Key #2: Be specific

Being specific is the key to allow you to know what you should get done immediately, hence allowing you to zero in and focus on getting things done without being easily distracted.

You know about “to-do” lists?

Specify goals into a point on your “to-do” list, and that you can confidently strike it off by day’s end or the next!

This will enable you to increase morale, gain a greater sense of achievement, and you will find yourself more productive as you get the hang of striking things off your “to-do” lists.

Key #3: Measuring results

You need to have a habit of measuring results. Know what works, and what can be discarded.

In the previous post on getting back up after a massive failure, one paragraph stated that out of 10 things we were committed to do, 9 would probably fail, and that there’s no additional value just by hoarding onto the 9 other projects — even if it’s a pet project that you had great dreams for (just as the rest of the projects).

However in reality, not everyone knows when to discard a project. That is contributed to the very fact that perhaps they don’t know how to measure the success of one, or when they should stop loss and quit. Maybe they don’t have a specific result to achieve and hence no measurements equals inevitable failure due to mismanagement, no-proper risk / energy allocation, or simply work for work (W4W) sake and then burning themselves out.

You can measure results based on: sales figures, readership, conversions, responses, subscribers… there’s tons of specific things that you can choose to measure.

“What gets measured, gets done.” – unknown (ref: Empowered Quotes)

Key #4: Eliminating waste

The concept of the 80/20 rule is familiar to you by now. In the past, you might be spending 80% of your work hours to accomplish one task.

However, in Kaizen, your immediate goal now is to use 20% of your work hours to accomplish that very same task — and then increase output with the same amount of time (20% w/hr = n tasks — and not to burn yourself out) as you are definitely going to create systems (next point) that help you achieve that.

Before going into the point of creating systems, you are to review the last failure and the present moment to identify the “wastes”. They can be in the form of “toxic friends, colleagues, people… ” to items or activities such as “reading every page of the daily newspaper, spending too much time in the state of information-overload…”.

Eliminate them one step at a time by either creating a new and productive habit that replaces the old, or by just shutting them out totally — find what works best for you.

Key #5: Creating systems

If the first thought from the word “system” starts showing huge and complex mesh of uncertainty to you… change the thought. In Kaizen, remember that you are to have continuous improvements that can be interpreted as accomplishing goals one step at a time.

To actually achieve daily tasks quickly, you need to have a system… make that various systems… that can allow you to get things done, and move on to the next task in hand!

Systems can be simple.

Some examples would be to have “scheduled times for batching” or even “3 tasks on your daily to-do list”.

Such systems are solutions that should simplify your life — not the other way around.

Key #6: Improve morale

Does the things you accomplish improve your morale? If it doesn’t, maybe you might have found yourself in a dud again, by getting out from W4W, to getting into another dead-end of W4W (except that you are more productive now).

After recovering from a massive failure, what you need is to do productive things that improves morale, so that you can accomplish goals — one step at a time — and getting closer to your desired lifestyle!

Visualize yourself at the end of every goal (referring to the daily goals that can be accomplished with little effort). Do you see yourself happier and motivated to out-do yourself with an increased challenge?

If yes, then you are on the right track.

Key #7: Innovate and improve

Lastly… While Kaizen philosophy is best made to standardize processes (especially by creating systems), there are time you have to innovate to get things done in a better and more efficient way!

Your goal is continuous improvement.

Hence, to get to gradually improve over time, you are encouraged to innovate to allow you to be productive and happier every day.

Like the last point, visualize yourself doing the task, are you able to come up with a creative solution through innovation that will enable you to get things done; with a greater output with less cost and time, or even simplify “the bigger picture” as you have found a way to automate it, or a solution that can let you eliminate the entire task altogether?