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en is not a apanese in ention it originated in ndia ith the practice of en uddhism hich came to apan ia China. he term en as actually deri ed from the Chinese Chan. Ho e er, the apanese ere uick to put the re ecti e and meditati e philosophy to practical and ef cient use. hey fashioned the concept of aizen translated as good change -incorporating the basic principles of en uddhism on a practical le el. aizen is used to impro e and inno ate your daily tasks and routines. Postapan became a manufacturing po er horse, building a strong economy based on ery ef cient production methods coupled ith a humanising philosophy applied to their ork force. oyota as one of the spear headers of this mo ement hich recognised moti ation, appreciation of orker s efforts, team ork and team participation in the manufacturing process and management decision making as critical underpinnings of their competiti e success strategy. hat philosophy as directly responsible for impro ing ef ciency on the factory oor, reducing aste signi cantly and gaining orkers cooperation and pride in their obs. nstead of meting out old-fashioned reprimands or punishment for orker errors, company management empo ered their employees to stop production to x errors and pro ide management ith suggestions and insights to impro e ef ciency and reduce aste. aizen encourages a team approach to sol e problems and meet challenges by the simple application of implementing small impro ements o er time resulting in substantial ad ances in the long run. t s the most astute encapsulation of the ork smart, not hard principle.
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steps to apply the aizen method and impro e your producti ity etermine here your time and energy is asted by keeping track of your daily acti ities, interruptions and do ntime for about one eek and ferret out the unnecessary time asters. f you ha e routine tasks to accomplish, e aluate hether they can be made more ef cient by applying standardised processes like templates, optimised ling systems, set times for emails and phone calls. f you ha e many meetings to attend, decide hether your presence is essential if not delegate or minimise the amount of participation. Start ith small steps to make your ork more producti e and ef cient. f you are o er helmed by a task at hand it s far easier on your stress le el to break it do n in manageable parts. o 5 minutes instead of an hour and repeat e ery day until the task is nished. or instance, a long report can be ritten in stages instead of all at once. imit your asted time on distractions like social media. Make time to e aluate hat orks for you and hat doesn t. ocus on things you can impro e. f you re stymied or hit a snag, become frustrated and distracted, slo do n, pause a moment and ask yourself hat can be impro ed or changed to make it smoother or better. eekly re ie s to e aluate your progress and accomplishments help you prioritise and re-shift your focus. ake stock of your high and lo points and ask yourself hat you can impro e or inno ate. Another apanese en practice is the esoteric abi-Sabi, a concept that is dif cult to translate. abi refers to rustic simplicity, humility, li ing in tune ith nature and appreciation of the uirks and anomalies hich add uni ueness and elegance to an ob ect or experience. Sabi is more about accepting the passage of time and the beauty, e en imperfect, of aging. ogether, the ords con ey a feeling of harmony and serenity, e en melancholy, in hat is uncomplicated, unassuming, mysterious and ephemeral. abi-Sabi is a concept you ill encounter most often in design and home decorating. t is intrinsically linked to minimalism, a trend that celebrates clean, uncluttered spaces here decor is reduced to its essentials. A trend that is de nitely rooted in en uddhism.
ollo ing oyota s lead, other companies follo ed suit and kaizen became a popular and accepted practice not only in apan it migrated to other countries like the USA and urope. n essence, it re olutionised all types of industries and organisations, blue collar and hite collar alike. aizen is not a rigid system or one that is only applicable to business or industry. his concept translates ell to personal ork and producti ity it can effecti ely streamline the ay you ork and impro e your chances at success. t is exible, adaptable to your o n personal style, preferences and personality. ou can take the bits and pieces that ork for you and discard, adapt or impro e the ones that don t. t can be clothed in a mantra like ust 5 minutes at a time or ork 1 better today that keeps you moti ated it can be applied to your e eryday life acti ities. f you ha e days here your time seems to be pilfered a ay by distractions, interruptions, bad moods or too many meetings, there is help. Use some of the follo ing
Characteristics of the abi-sabi aesthetic include asymmetry, authenticity, roughness, simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty, intimacy, and appreciation of the ingenuous integrity of natural ob ects and processes. t includes the acceptance of transience and imperfection. A great example of that is intsugi, translated as golden oinery, the centuries-old art of repairing broken pottery ith a special lac uer dusted ith po dered gold, sil er or platinum.
n essence abi-sabi can be applied to your lifestyle and not ust your decor by celebrating humble and authentic materials and experiences, a oiding clutter and feeling unencumbered, seeking simplicity ithout sacri cing beauty. mbrace emptiness and solitude to inspire and re u enate yourself. Anchor yourself in nature and its authentic colours, moods and openness. Open your indo s, door and mind to the outdoors and let the natural light and natural agrances seep in. Closely aligned ith the concept of abi-sabi and minimalism is the onMari method, the art of de-cluttering and organising de eloped by Marie ondo, a apanese organising consultant ho insists you should only o n and keep the things that spark oy . ondo s method, again, is based on the traditional apanese en approach to spare aesthetics. t takes the typical tidying-up to a hole ne le el and, in doing so, it aims to culti ate a lifestyle that encourages one to cherish the things that bring true oy. es, it is minimalism, albeit ith a heart. Marie has ritten a best-selling book, he ife-Changing Magic of idying Up and Spark oy, to explain her method. She also appears on Net ix and is becoming a celebrity orld ide ith a big fan base. Her motto is idy your space, transform your mind. his translates into a philosophy of discarding the things in your home and your life that do not bring oy to you. Marie ad ises to start ith an exercise in imagining hat kind of home you ould like to li e in and the lifestyle you ant. his ill set you on the path to start a radical decluttering of your possessions and only keep those that t into your imaginary life. t s uite simple actually ith each item ask yourself if it sparks oy. f yes, you get to keep it if no, you discard it mercilessly. hat means getting rid of piles of stuff and Marie says you need to do it in one fell s oop, not room by room but by category like clothes, books papers, photos mementoes. ou e en ha e to pare do n your storage only keep hat you lo e to see and use. A pared-do n home e uals a tidy, clean mind, according to Marie, and she promises it ill transform your life. ou can learn all about it on .konmari.com or on acebook at .facebook.com/konmarimethod and nstagram at mariekondo. Ho e er, if onMari does not appeal to you and your closets are bulging and in need of a bit of decluttering, you can apply the aizen babysteps method and do a bit of frock curating in 5 to 15 minute inter als on a daily basis. o encourage yourself to repurpose those satin harem pants ith price tag still attached you bought 20 years ago. t s an illusion to think they ill be back in style one of these days. f you are a skilled hoarder, the onMari philosophy of drastic paring do n ill be a challenge. Minimalism is an ac uired taste and to some people it feels cold and impersonal, almost too testosterone- lled. ike a lot of people, like the li ed-in look ith plenty of o ers and chotskes , piles of books and magazines and soft cushions to in ite relaxation and re u enation. After all, if they bring oy, ould Marie ondo not appro e .
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