Kaizen is a Japanese management concept that many companies have used to improve their processes greatly. Kaizen is a combination of two Chinese words – “Kai” meaning change, and “Zen” meaning good.The essence of Kaizen lies in the fact that it is a continuous improvement activity. Usually we learn things in fits and starts. Then, we try to implement the thing we have learnt, and keep repeating it, until another change happens.
This is true for writing too. Writing by its very nature is a continuous activity. If you are not doing it on a continual basis, you are not doing justice to your writing. But just being continuous is not enough. You have to ensure that what you have written today is, in some way, better than what you wrote yesterday.
If you are going to be writing on a regular basis (blogging or freelancing), you will have to develop a system for your writing.
The system can involve choosing the best time for your writing, the best environment for your writing, the subjects you have knowledge about etc. It is just important to start somewhere. I am not going to go into the details of a system, because every person will have to make the effort to find out this system for his/her self.
Once this system is in place, all you have to do is keep on improving it. Identify what things can be done in a better way. What you need to do to write better, and how you can implement these things in your system that they become a part of your writing process, and you do them without thinking about them.
Kaizen, or the principle of continuous improvement, involves a cycle of Planning, Doing, Checking and Acting. Though this cycle was designed for manufacturing processes, I strongly feel that it can be used to improve the writing process just as much.
I love the concept of Kaizen. In fact, on one of my business sites the line – Kaizen: definition ‘Continuous and incremental improvement’ – sits right at the top as something we continue to strive for.
Great interpretation of applying Kaizen to writing.