Kaizen for Creativity
As this year kicks off, I’m experimenting with methods to weave new habits and creative behaviours into my daily routine.
I'm inspired by the calm energy of kaizen, an approach that requires making small, continuous changes over time.
Kaizen is a Japanese word meaning ‘improvement’ or ‘change for the better’.
The concept of process kaizen, developed in production environments, suggests continuous improvement over time.
In his book. One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way, Robert Maurer tells stories of how individuals and businesses have tapped into the power of kaizen to reach their objectives and improve outcomes.
Specific to creativity and the anxiety that can be experienced when trying to accomplish something great, he writes,
‘If you’ve always wanted to be a songwriter, for example, you will not achieve your goal if you get up from the piano keyboard out of fear or creative blockage and spend the night watching television instead. Small actions (say, writing just three notes) satisfy your brain’s need to do something and soothe its distress. As the alarms die down, you’ll renew access to the cortex and get some of your creative juices flowing again.’
— One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way, by Robert Maurer, page 28
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