Be Better Than Yesterday: Smart Productivity For Busy Professionals
Written by Michelle Ong | December 20, 2024
If life already feels like a back-to-back meeting, here’s the simplest way to grow without burning out.
“The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” – Lao Tzu
Change can feel overwhelming—like being asked to run a marathon when you barely have time for lunch.
Whether it’s starting a fitness routine, finishing a big project, or just sleeping earlier, the idea of change often feels heavier than the change itself.
That’s why I keep coming back to the Japanese concept of Kaizen—continuous improvement through tiny, doable steps.
No overnight transformations. No “new me on Monday.” Just small wins that stack up.
Why Kaizen Works for Busy Professionals
Think of Kaizen as productivity that actually fits into real life—not into a perfect schedule that doesn’t exist.
Here’s why it’s a game-changer:
It breaks bad habits gently. Skip one doom-scroll today, skip two tomorrow… suddenly you’re not spiraling till 1 a.m.
It builds good habits quietly. Write one sentence today, two tomorrow—your report gets done without the late-night panic.
It works with your energy. Use your peak hours for hard tasks and save the 3 p.m. slump for lighter work.
My Kaizen Story: Fixing My Late-Night Sleep Habit
“Personal growth is not a matter of learning new information but of unlearning old limits.” – Alan Cohen
I used to regularly sleep past 1 a.m.—not a great combo with early meetings.
Here’s what helped:
1. Set a micro-goal: Move bedtime 10 minutes earlier each week until I hit 12 a.m.
2. Find the root causes: Caffeine after 4 p.m., late runs, and random “creative bursts” at 11 p.m.
3. Plan tiny adjustments: Earlier runs, a wind-down alarm, and no caffeine past the afternoon.
4. Track simply: I used my smartwatch + a quick sleep journal.
5. Reflect & tweak: If I slept late, I checked why and adjusted.
6. Repeat: After 3 months, I’m finally waking up not feeling like a zombie.
💡If sleep is an area you want to improve, read more here. I have also put together a list of bad habits and strategies of how to break them.
Your Kaizen Action Plan
“To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.” – Winston Churchill
Start small. Stay consistent. Adjust as you go.
Pick ONE tiny improvement today. (Not five. Just one.)
Track it with a simple checklist.
Review weekly and make tiny tweaks.
Final Thoughts
Tiny steps don’t feel exciting at first… but they work. Kaizen reminds us that consistent, small improvements lead to big, long-term wins.
Don’t wait for the “perfect” moment—just take the easiest first step today. Your future self will be so glad you did.
💡Find out how to stop procrastinating and build effective work habits.
🌱 Reader Reflection
What is one tiny improvement you can start today that your future self will thank you for?
