Kaizen is a technique that is often referred to when people are embarking on a business improvement / continuous improvement project. Whilst widely recognised, the term 'Kaizen' is often not fully understood for its ability to reduce procrastination.

When a challenge looks too big and procrastination kicks in, usually only a tiny step will get things moving again. When things stall look for (or invent) the tiniest steps possible and try nibbling at the challenge. Motivation usually increases in line with confidence and momentum follows.

Breaking large challenges down into small chunks can also be great for recognising progress and directing focus. If you have many challenges facing your business then why not break them down into small packets of work?

Constantly looking at how you are working and asking yourself 'what tiny improvement can I make today?' is at the heart of Kaizen. Continuous improvement is after all just a series of tiny improvements strung together.

Kaizen is an approach that sometimes gets used inappropriately. Application is key and as long as a business is continuously improving and becoming the best it can be then we can worry slightly less about the mechanics and more about the results.

See if you can find ways to take tiny steps and see just how far you can improve your business by doing this.