I’m a huge fan of continuous improvement, especially in terms of productivity and life hacking, which is why I was eager to read Josh Spector’s 60-second routine to increase productivity.
“Try it today and get more done tomorrow” is his tagline.
It’s a four-step process, which involves listing down everything you did in the day, then cutting out or changing up things that weren’t a good use of time.
“It’s simple, it works, and its compounding effect will make you dramatically more productive,” writes Spector.
And isn’t that the key to continuous improvement, or kaizen as the Japanese say it?
To improve on something, you first have to identify its flaws.
And if it involves self-improvement, it means that one needs to cultivate a certain level of self- or situational awareness. To learn to listen to criticism, and to be ruthless with ourselves.
Once we are aware of flaws, we can begin to seek solutions — finding new resources, improving processes, removing redundancies.
It can be a painful process, like putting money aside to invest. It takes some self-discipline.
But just like investing, and just as Spector says, these small steps have compounding effects. A little improvement a day goes a long way.
