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How to Establish New Habits the No-Sweat Way

“The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.” - Samuel Johnson

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Mary Jaksch of Goodlife Zen.

Have you ever had problems establishing a new habit? Maybe I should ask, have you ever not had problems establishing a new habit? Whether it’s getting up early, going for a daily run, losing weight, writing a journal – let’s face it: most attempts to establish a new habit end in a dismal flop.

In her book “This year I will…”, Andy Ryan, an expert in collaborative thinking, spells out why change is difficult:

Whenever we initiate change, even a positive one, we activate fear in our emotional brain….If the fear is big enough, the fight-or-flight response will go off and we’ll run from what we’re trying to do.

That’s exactly how it is for me. One part of me is gung-ho about making changes, and the other part just turns tail and rushes off in the opposite direction!

Let’s take a look at how we can affect change without giving ourselves a fright. Or do we just have to accept that we are creatures of habit and nothing much will ever change?

In a New York Times article based upon the research by Andy Ryan it says:

Rather than dismissing ourselves as unchangeable creatures of habit, we can instead direct our own change by consciously developing new habits. In fact, the more new things we try — the more we step outside our comfort zone — the more inherently creative we become, both in the workplace and in our personal lives.

But don’t bother trying to kill off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the hippocampus, they’re there to stay. Instead, the new habits we deliberately ingrain into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads.

How do we create pathways of change so gently that we don’t take fright?

There is a very interesting Japanese philosophy called Kaizen which can help us do just that. Kaizen focuses on continuous but small change.

In order to find out how Kaizen can help us to establish new habits, let’s take a look at change in terms of momentum. Just imagine for a moment that you are the captain of an ocean liner. If you decided to change course 90 degrees, there would be two different ways to accomplish this. One way would be to stall the ship’s forward momentum and then take up a new course.

Big changes mean that momentum is lost.

The other way to change course would be to use the forward momentum and to incrementally change course until the full 90 degrees are accomplished.

If we change direction little by little, we can use momentum to affect change.

Andy Ryan says:

The small steps in Kaizen don’t set off fight or flight, but rather keep us in the thinking brain, where we have access to our creativity and playfulness.

With a strategy of continuous low-level change, we are able to sidestep the number one barrier to change: fear.

Let’s see how this would work in our daily life. Let’s imagine that you want to get up an hour earlier each morning in order to be more productive.

Strategy No. 1: You grit your teeth, set your clock an hour earlier, and struggle out of bed. This might work for a few days, or for longer if you’re disciplined. But chances are that you’ll be back in your old groove as soon as you begin to feel tired and stressed.

Strategy No. 2: You use the Kaizen method and get up one minute earlier each day. Two months later you would be getting out of bed one hour earlier – without even noticing the change!

You can see by this example what a powerful strategy for change Kaizen is.

The Kaizen method of continuous incremental improvements isn’t just a personal philosophy. It was embraced by industry giants such as Toyota and has enabled them to become world leaders in automotive innovation.

The word that leaps out at me when I read about the principles of Kaizen is ‘continuous’. I don’t know how it is for you, but in my life personal growth happens in bursts - with longish pauses in between.

This is rather like doing a massive run or a superhard yoga class one day—and then letting all exercise slip for the next days because your body feels sore. A few days later you feel the need for a hefty dose of exercise again – and that brings you back to the massive run or the superhard yoga class. And so it goes on and on…

What if we we kept our exercise routine going each day and very gradually increased the length or difficulty of training? What if we used this gentle but powerful way to effect all change in our life?

What’s your sense of how the Kaizen method would work for habits that you want to establish?

Mary Jaksch is a Zen master, psychotherapist, and author. She’s a Karate Black Belt, and loves dancing Argentine tango in skimpy dresses. Visit Mary’s blog, Goodlife Zen.

How to Establish New Habits the No-Sweat Way

“The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken.” - Samuel Johnson

Editor’s note: This is a guest post from Mary Jaksch of Goodlife Zen.

In her book “This year I will…”, Andy Ryan, an expert in collaborative thinking, spells out why change is difficult:

Whenever we initiate change, even a positive one, we activate fear in our emotional brain….If the fear is big enough, the fight-or-flight response will go off and we’ll run from what we’re trying to do.

That’s exactly how it is for me. One part of me is gung-ho about making changes, and the other part just turns tail and rushes off in the opposite direction!

Let’s take a look at how we can affect change without giving ourselves a fright. Or do we just have to accept that we are creatures of habit and nothing much will ever change?

In a New York Times article based upon the research by Andy Ryan it says:

Rather than dismissing ourselves as unchangeable creatures of habit, we can instead direct our own change by consciously developing new habits. In fact, the more new things we try — the more we step outside our comfort zone — the more inherently creative we become, both in the workplace and in our personal lives.

But don’t bother trying to kill off old habits; once those ruts of procedure are worn into the hippocampus, they’re there to stay. Instead, the new habits we deliberately ingrain into ourselves create parallel pathways that can bypass those old roads.

How do we create pathways of change so gently that we don’t take fright?

There is a very interesting Japanese philosophy called Kaizen which can help us do just that. Kaizen focuses on continuous but small change.

Big changes mean that momentum is lost.

The other way to change course would be to use the forward momentum and to incrementally change course until the full 90 degrees are accomplished.

If we change direction little by little, we can use momentum to affect change.

Andy Ryan says:

The small steps in Kaizen don’t set off fight or flight, but rather keep us in the thinking brain, where we have access to our creativity and playfulness.

With a strategy of continuous low-level change, we are able to sidestep the number one barrier to change: fear.

Let’s see how this would work in our daily life. Let’s imagine that you want to get up an hour earlier each morning in order to be more productive.

Strategy No. 2: You use the Kaizen method and get up one minute earlier each day. Two months later you would be getting out of bed one hour earlier – without even noticing the change!

You can see by this example what a powerful strategy for change Kaizen is.

What’s your sense of how the Kaizen method would work for habits that you want to establish?

Mary Jaksch is a Zen master, psychotherapist, and author. She’s a Karate Black Belt, and loves dancing Argentine tango in skimpy dresses. Visit Mary’s blog, Goodlife Zen.

Posted on 15 July 2008 in Habits |
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Comments (49)

SpaceAgeSage Says:

July 15th, 2008, 19:28 pm

Gentle strength: the slow wearing of water on rock, the tree growing from seed to towering giant, the heart moving from energetic young love to life-long sharing between souls — yes, the power of the small is very great. Thanks for the reminder!

Corey - Simple Marriage Project Says:

July 15th, 2008, 19:32 pm

As much as we work to make life the same, it is still continuous change. Great idea to implement small subtle changes in order to achieve goals, dreams, whatever.

eclecticaliah Says:

July 15th, 2008, 19:33 pm

Here are three areas that came to my mind right away:
1) Healthy eating - making small changes, like substituting a healthy food for a junk food, one food at a time. (I believe this has been discussed on ZenHabits before.)
2) Creating a more organized desk (or closet, or filing cabinet, or life…) - If you are used to having piles everywhere, that is a hard habit to change. Suddenly cleaning everything up and having a clear desk can be inspiring, but it’s extremely difficult to keep it that way. If you focus on one small habit at a time, you can gradually build a habit of *keeping* your desk clean. Right now my small step is remembering to put my pens and pencils back in the cup when I’m done writing. Otherwise I end up with pens and pencils everywhere! Later I will move on to putting papers in the right spot, etc.
3) As teachers, if we have children with multiple behavior problems (calling out, getting out of their seat, talking while the teacher is talking, etc.) we cannot expect them to change everything all at once and become “good” overnight. It may be more effective to work on one behavior at a time, and even do that a little bit at a time, e.g. every day increase the percentage of times they remember to raise their hand. Get them involved in keeping track so they are more invested in the change. (I’m not a parent, but I imagine it could work for parents, too!)

Vered - MomGrind Says:

July 15th, 2008, 19:34 pm

When I decided to stop eating fast food, I just cut it out completely. So that wasn’t in the spirit of the Kaizen method. However, when I built my workout routine, I definitely did it very gradually. I think it depends on the changes you want to make - sometimes quitting cold turkey, or making a big change, is the best. But often, starting small and working your way up is the best way to go.

Jarrod - Warrior Development Says:

July 15th, 2008, 19:35 pm

Continuous improvement seems to be very important in so many areas. I do japanese martial arts to and all we ever do is chip away at the little things. Like changing habits, I believe (as I wrote on my blog) that continuous change is the only way to make progress in self development.

Adam Sicinski @ Study Matrix Art Says:

July 15th, 2008, 19:55 pm

This post brings to light a very interesting philosophy. Change is always very difficult to make. We struggle with it because we seek instant gratification while trying desperately to minimize the pain of the new habit we are attempting to incorporate into our life.

By making giant leaps in a very short period of time will tend to shock our body back into its comfort zone. As a result we will struggle with uncontrollable fears and emotional reactions that tend to overwhelm and dishearted our spirit. As Mary pointed out, by following the Kaizen way and doing things a little at a time, you will in a way trick your body into thinking that there is in fact no change taking place. As a result you can move forward towards your new goals and objectives with very little resistance.

If anyone is interested, I discuss this process somewhat in my Mind Map about Overcoming Fear.

Thanks for bringing to light this important philosphy that I believe we should all keep in mind at all times as we move through our days.

Justin Says:

July 15th, 2008, 20:09 pm

Amazon has been using Kaizen as a workplace principle for quite some time now. Good article!

Tom Stine | Living from Consciousness Says:

July 15th, 2008, 20:15 pm

Good Lord, Mary, you are everywhere today! No wonder you are so popular, you are writing slamming good stuff. I like this approach, by the way.

I guess the western term for this would be “compound interest.” You earn a little bit each day, but in the end it pays off.

Although, I hope you will forgive me if I simply refuse to use this approach to get up earlier each day! I know that all productivity blogs insist that I’m wasting my life for not rising early, but I prefer 9:00 am to 5:00 am. Life is so much sweeter spending the morning under the covers.

Andrew is getting fit Says:

July 15th, 2008, 20:35 pm

I think this philosophy can be applied to any part of your life. I’ve used it to help myself to get fit.

Can’t remember who said it but: The most powerful force in the universe: the force of habit.

Ursula Says:

July 15th, 2008, 21:22 pm

How does one find happiness when the soul is sad all the time.

Alice Says:

July 15th, 2008, 22:34 pm

I’m fairly recent to this blog, but I think this post will help me alot, because soon I will be going off to college which is a very big, sudden change, and I am not fond of change. but using kaizen might help me adjust quicker, and slowly for good habits so that I dont gain the “Freshmen Fifteen”. I think this will also help me with exercise because I have a mental block of going over 30 minutes of exercise, but this is the perfect method for slowly building up my endurance.

Thanks!

Sara at On Simplicity Says:

July 15th, 2008, 22:40 pm

To use this method, I’d have to give up the masochistic pleasure and drama of making sweeping change and paying the physical consequences for days. That’s not a bad thing.

DR Says:

July 15th, 2008, 22:57 pm

Kaizen is a philosophy that has helped me break many plateaus in my athletic training.

Tiny minute changes made again and again over time leads to huge changes.

I have had some serious arguments with some of my athlete clients over this. Especially in the weight room.

The young guys (it’s always the young guys) always want to take big jumps in weight when they are trying to break through plateaus in their strength.

When you are at a plateau, big jumps lead to missed lifts and strained muscles.

Increase your current best by 1 pound and you will never notice the difference.

A 1 pound gain every week on any lift equals 52 pounds in a year - or 260 lbs in 5 years or 520 pounds in 10 years …

Marc and Angel Hack Life Says:

July 15th, 2008, 23:23 pm

Well stated Mary. Success in life is a game of inches. Every inch is vital… because at some point you will be able to add up all those inches into one lump sum.

Jonathan Mead Says:

July 15th, 2008, 23:55 pm

Mary, this was a wonderful article. It’s nice to see you on Zen Habits too. =)

I love the concept of Kaizen. It’s nice to see a familiar concept approached from a fresh angle.

Ryan McLean Says:

July 16th, 2008, 2:49 am

Often I have tried to make big changes in my life, and they haven’t worked out. I like how you have said that when you make big changes you lose momentum
Great post

James @ Organize IT Says:

July 16th, 2008, 4:23 am

This is spot on, and pretty much what I’ve been promoting for a while now (you can read my blog post covering my thoughts here). Take away the pressure of long targets and big deadlines and take small steps. It’s much better to regularly/daily do little steps for several months rather than occasionally taking one big step that might not always succeed.

Some people don’t get it. If you increase your physical training by one minute everyday for instance, they think you’ll never get anywhere. However it’s amazing how far that takes you after several weeks and months.

CG Walters Says:

July 16th, 2008, 5:22 am

An excellent offering, Mary.
Thank you.
Blessings to you and all you hold dear,
CG

sdenterprise Says:

July 16th, 2008, 6:42 am

its funny cos this post made me realise that I try so hard to change my life sometimes that I need to chill out and learn to change some things at a much slower rate and less aggressively.

Al at 7P Says:

July 16th, 2008, 6:59 am

Hi Mary,

The point you made in the article is so true. It makes me think of the old saying, “The journey of a thousand miles is taken one step at a time.”

If there’s a new habit we want ingrained in our daily life, by all means go into it fully engaged 100%. However, if that is too daunting, then maybe gradually doing it 10%, 1%, or even 0.1% is more feasible.

Mary@GoodlifeZen Says:

July 16th, 2008, 7:19 am

@eclecticaliah
Thanks for the many examples! Theories make so much more sense when we hold them up against examples of everyday life.

@Tom Stine
Still under the covers at 9?? I agree that it’s very seductive to stay curled up and purring. However, my experience is that if we want to jam something into life that we don’t really have time for - be it writing a book or exercising daily - getting up early in the morning is the only solution.

Mary@GoodlifeZen Says:

July 16th, 2008, 7:28 am

@Al
I’d never thought of this saying in the context of incremental change before. Mainly because I know it as, “The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step”.

I’ve always thought of it as a reminder to act. Now.
But I like your reframing of it!

@Everyone
Today I was musing about the philosophy of Kaizen and wondering about which situations it would be difficult to apply to.

I found something. What about when we take on a new job that forces us out of our comfort zone and demands that we change our work habits fast?

My question to you all is: How could we apply the principle of Kaizen in such a situation?

Al at 7P Says:

July 16th, 2008, 7:44 am

@ Mary - oops, I think you’re right; I think I added the “… at a time” at the end. You’re too kind saying that I reframed it, rather than simply telling me I got it wrong :) .

Regarding your question about the new job, I think kaizen still applies. Rather than trying to immediately conquer all the new objectives of the job, best way is to focus on succeeding with a few key ones at first, then gradually building upon the initial successes.

Complete Kaizen Says:

July 16th, 2008, 7:54 am

Kaizen is a tried and tested technique for change. Unfortunately many think of it only as a management tool to improve business processes. However, Kaizen is a Japanese life philosophy which, as you say, is based on small, incremental improvements.

The word is made up from two words: “Kai” mean’s change, whilst “zen,” in this context and noting the kanji used in the Japanese spelling, means “better”. Hence change for the better.

Often making big changes that happen all at once are too much for us to cope with. Think of New Year resolutions. Many fail within the first few weeks/months. Why? Because the change is too much all at once. It’s better on January 1st to say, “By this time next year…” or “By June….” and then use small steps to get you there.

It’s also important to celebrate each small incremental “win” to generate motivation and keep us seeking our ultimate goal whatever that may be.

Mary Says:

July 16th, 2008, 8:36 am

I remember reading a lot about Kaizen a few years ago, since I love eastern philosophy. But I never did find anything that so clearly explained how to apply it to my daily life.

Thank you for boiling it down to its essence for me.

With changing jobs, I agree with Al. The way to use Kaizen is to start by mastering the most important task (since your job hinges on it), then work on the next most important task and so on until you have a handle on all of the job responsibilities.

If your new workplace is large, you can also learn one person’s name a day until you know each person you encounter regularly. My husband did this when he went to work where he is now. He’s not great with names, but allowing himself to learn them one at a time helped him feel more confident.

Avi Marcus Says:

July 16th, 2008, 8:48 am

I find myself resisting this idea, but then again I am very odd. Many of my largest changes - actually eating healthy, implementing GTD came during times of when I was nearly obsessed with learning more information and trying all ways to apply it.
However, I notice that this kinda happens automatically for most of my other areas of life - I read a little bit and notice a little bit new each time.
I suppose I have to see how this could help on some of my goals. I tend to prefer the jump in and spend lots of time on something - like working on photoreading now - than trying to very slowly build up small proficieny in each step.

Pete Says:

July 16th, 2008, 10:14 am

I think the message is loud and clear. We would all love to take one giant leap and scale the mountainous climb to our goals. However, it is definitely better to proceed like the tortoise in the famous childrens tale. It is not speed that is key to attaining a goal, it is persistence.

Great post. I recently wrote about something similar, the power of learning from our bad habits to form our good habits.

http://yinvsyang.com/bad-habits-help-make-good-habits/24/

Giyen Says:

July 16th, 2008, 11:50 am

I believe small incremental steps work, especially when trying to battle negative thoughts.

For instance, I used to have road rage when commuting but little by little, I started to just accept the traffic the way it was. Instead of getting angry at a person who was trying to cut me off, I let them in and think that they must be in a bigger hurry than I am. It doesn’t change the fact that they cut me off but I don’t feel my blood pressure rise as much.

I still honk occasionally though.

Emme Says:

July 16th, 2008, 12:29 pm

Ursula, dear, I have been there. It helps me to make a commitment to find one beautiful thing in the world every day.. A determined weed growing in a sidewalk crack, the fact that grass is mowed every week but never gets discouraged and stops growing. When even that is too hard my rule is to just touch the earth everyday. It has helped me.

Katie Says:

July 16th, 2008, 13:23 pm

Great ideas! I’ve never accomplished anything in one big leap but for some reason I keep trying. Instead I will think about this method.

Toblerone @ Simple Mom Says:

July 16th, 2008, 13:32 pm

This is an excellent reminder, especially in the midst of beating myself up about not seeing a lot of improvement in my habit changing goals.

I’ve been trying to completely tackle one new habit goal each month, thinking the definition of its success is doing this new habit every day for 30 days.

Maybe instead, I should say that in 30 days, I’ll be at whatever my goal is. So in your example, instead of waking up an hour earlier every day for 30 days, I’d want to be at the beginning of waking up an hour earlier.

Good stuff to think over. Thanks for sharing.

nj progressive Says:

July 16th, 2008, 13:39 pm

When I started a new nonprofit job, I found it very helpful to go through a full year before making any large changes in procedures and policies. I was taking notes all along, and had my ideas about what needed to change. And I made sure to speak with the people I supervised, to get their ideas about what worked and what didn’t in delivering services to our clients and audiences. But going through a full year gave me plenty of time to lay the necessary foundations for change, building staff and administration support.

This Year I Will… is a terrific book, one that I consult again and again as I make my own small changes.

Bamboo Forest Says:

July 16th, 2008, 15:03 pm

This is a nice way of looking at how small incremental changes can ultimately be very effective.

Julie Says:

July 16th, 2008, 15:17 pm

This is such a neat topic… and so simple and yet something I have never considered before. I will be racking my brain thinking of all the ways the Kaizen can be applied. From the perspective of an at-home mom, I can see lots of ways I can use the principle with my daughter when it comes to introducing new changes to her. Thanks!

Stephen Smith Says:

July 16th, 2008, 15:20 pm

Habits are hard to break, or change. Persistence is the key.

Marelisa Says:

July 16th, 2008, 15:37 pm

I think this is a great article, but I agree with Vered that there are certain things in life that are best approached through micromovements, like the ones you suggest here, while there are other things that are best tackled head-on. I tend to think about some things for a long time and when I’m ready I just do it in one fell swoop, while there are other things that I do slowly, one step at a time.

Chris Says:

July 16th, 2008, 17:01 pm

Mary great post, thanks for sharing the tips with us. Your tips is applicable in almost everything we do. Especially in the marketing world, we try to postpone things only to see competitors swipe in. Regarding waking up, I employ a simple yoga technique mentioned in this book, One Minute Yoga. It is chapter V, To feel energized immediately after waking up (or after an hangover)

http://1minyoga.com/

I wake up very early in the morning around 4:30 every day to answer International e-mails. I adopt this simple exercise immediately after waking up and I feel good to go in just a few minutes without drinking coffee. You feel fresh right away.

Empress Juju Says:

July 16th, 2008, 22:52 pm

This one really hit home for me, thank you.

I’ve recently lost 20 pounds by eating more healthfully, but for the last few weeks I’ve been consuming nearly double what I ought to in order to lose the last twenty. It hasn’t shown on the scale yet, but it will if I keep going!

I carefully logged everything I ate yesterday without judgment, and then made it my goal to eat a little less today. By reducing my intake incrementally, I’ll be back on track in about 2 weeks, rather than blasting full speed ahead into “diet mode,” which would be a set-up for failure.

Thank you again, it was just what I needed.

becoming minimalist Says:

July 17th, 2008, 7:01 am

the extra minute of awake time today allowed me to post this comment.

Mary@GoodlifeZen Says:

July 17th, 2008, 13:45 pm

@Everyone
I”m delighted to see how you’re all finding creative ways of putting my article into practice!

Marilesa commented, “There are certain things in life that are best approached through micromovements, like the ones you suggest here, while there are other things that are best tackled head-on.”

It occurred to me that there was one particular instance in my life where Kaizen absolutely didn’t work - and a head-on approach did. That’s when I gave up smoking.

I tried, oh how I tried to smoke one cigarette less each day. But I ended up being completely obsessed with smoking. I couldn’t think of anything else. All that was in my head was, “Should I smoke one now? Or should I wait longer?”

In the end I just stopped dead. That was it. Basta!

I wonder if any of you have something to share about addiction and whether Kaizen works in this context, or not?

None Of These People Says:

July 17th, 2008, 13:59 pm

Have any of you people noticed your “blogs” all look pretty much identical and with varying levels of skill repeat the same stuff over and over again while claiming to have some fresh angle on “zen” (zen “mom”, zen “dad”, zen “teacher”, zen “cook”, zen “couple”, zen “nerd”, zen “hipster”, zen “minority”, etc. etc.). Not trying to be catty here, it’s just a matter-of-fact observation. I’d be interested in knowing who’s the zen alpha, who’s actually leading the zen pack. Who did this first, who are you all imitating. It’s fair question, and sometimes deconstruction can lead to a better understanding of self. (Wallowing in a sea of blindly stated warm fuzzies leads to stagnation and soul death.)

Miss Gisele B | myBeautyMatch.com Says:

July 18th, 2008, 3:50 am

Whenever I have tried to make changes in my life may it big or small, I faced a lot of problem. Thanks for this excellent post. I’m sure that your tips are going to help me a lot.

Steph Says:

July 18th, 2008, 8:02 am

The Kaizen way was what helped me lose over 50 pounds and 50 inches. I call it “the sweet spot”, that level where you’re pushing yourself but just enough that you’re still taking pleasure in the good habit.

For anyone who’s interested, I’ve written about it on Live Lighter, http://www.livelighter.org/the-secret-to-making-healthy-living-easy/.

Thanks for the great post, Mary!

Shilpan | successsoul.com Says:

July 18th, 2008, 22:01 pm

Mary -

Well said. Small changes make ways for the big one to ensue. Also, small changes allow us to witness these changes and adapt if needed.

- Shilpan

someonesomeone Says:

July 21st, 2008, 7:54 am

Woah… now _this_ article is useful for me! Thanks!

改善はすきだよ！

Luciano Passuello Says:

July 23rd, 2008, 17:20 pm

Hi Mary, great post!

Kaizen is the single best personal development tool to use. It has never failed on me.

There’s one interesting book called “One Small Step Can Change Your Life”, that is devoted to Kaizen in the personal development area. It’s a nice little book I highly recommend.

Here’s a summary of it: One Small Step Can Change Your Life.

Moonrose Says:

July 26th, 2008, 5:01 am

Mary,
you wrote:
“Today I was musing about the philosophy of Kaizen and wondering about which situations it would be difficult to apply to”

I can think of the one I live with all the time. For a person who has been blessed with a body that has taken on multiple diagnoses, it is challenging to do either Kaizen or charging ahead to to change a habit or just get things done while you can.

Even keeping a good habit while dealing with the uncertainty of having a dependable body functioning for you can be challenging. One just doesn’t always have the opportunity to get stuck in a habitual rut and change is what happens to you instead. Sometimes subtle, sometimes sudden and irreversible.

I can apply the principle of Kaizen to my life in knowing that each incremental improvement has double value, because I may have to go back and start all over again after I recuperate. Sometimes I learn that it integrated so well that I can pick up where I left off. And sometimes I just have to let it go and find another way to adapt.

So, for me, the Journey may begin with one step forward and two steps back, or sideways, or maybe just being.

Sara Says:

August 1st, 2008, 14:53 pm

I’ve been using this theory of Kaizen to wake up earlier - I had been rushing around trying to get everything together in time to get out the door and catch the bus. I started getting up two minutes earlier everyday, which is helping enormously. Now I have time to eat breakfast, and I look forward to the day when I’m getting up at 6 a.m. instead of 7!

speedy Says:

August 12th, 2008, 9:15 am

I like the concept of kaizen.

But I cringed when I saw the idea of getting up one minute earlier each morning. That would require adding 11 hrs and 59 minutes to the alarm time each day, which on my digital clock would require about three to five minutes each time I reset the alarm.

No thanks. I think setting the alarm an hour earlier and leaving it there would be FAR less trouble.