Want to make big changes in 2026? Try this fast and easy Japanese approach

I’ve tried them all. A fancy planner, “perfect” workout routines, ambitious ways to read more, and writing rituals to get more done. I did the research. But what ultimately worked is something called the kaizen incremental method. 

An idea is from Japanese manufacturing, of all places. It means “continuous improvement.” The practice of tiny actions. A step so small your brain’s resistance (a built-in fight-or-flight response to big, scary changes) doesn’t even bother to fight it. I use the kaizen approach as a backdoor to building new neural pathways. I’m not forcing change; I’m gently guiding my brain into new habits, one step at a time.

That’s how I started writing almost every day. I opened my laptop and started putting thoughts down at the same time daily. I didn’t aim to write a whole page. Just ideas down. After a few weeks of the same practice, writing things down became easy. Not effortless. But the resistance was not the same. That’s the kaizen advantage.

You work with your psychology, not against it.

Big goals

You’ve probably tried the “new year, new me” approach to life. You start the year with big goals. And big motivation. But most people don’t even make it through to March. What’s helped me is tiny but consistent routines, rituals, and behaviours. It doesn’t matter what time of year. I focus on stacking “good actions.” The kaizen approach feels like nothing. Until suddenly it feels like everything. “The easier a behavior is to do, the more likely the behavior will become habit,” writes B.J. Fogg in his book, Tiny Habits.

Kaizen matches how you live. Say you want to read more. The old way: “I’ll read 50 books this year!” You buy a stack, stare at it, and feel behind by February. The Kaizen way: “I’ll read one page before bed.” One page. You’ll often read more. But on the worst day of your life, one page is still a victory. You’ve kept the habit alive. One tiny bit of progress at a time.

You read one or two pages of your favorite book daily. A year later, you’ve finished more books than ever. You save $50 a month. One day, you’ve built an emergency fund. You start by tidying one drawer. Eventually, your whole space feels clean. There’s no one massive win. Just small wins stacking up. When you want big results, small steps feel insulting. You want to sprint. You want the outcome that means everything. You want proof that you’re serious. 

Direction is everything

But being serious means not stopping. The secret is in the consistency, not the intensity. A 1% improvement, repeated, is compound interest for your life. Do the math: 1% better every day for a year, and you’re nearly 38 times better by the end. Life isn’t that linear, but the direction is everything. You’re moving forward, not stalling out in a cycle of ambition and guilt. You’ll doubt it at first. I did. It feels too small, too insignificant. “One page of reading is nothing!” But “nothing” is sustainable.

You’re playing the long game.

You can’t overhaul your entire life every January. You will burn out and feel frustrated. You’ll feel like you “failed” when really, it’s your system that failed. Small steps are not a compromise. They’re a sustainable life strategy. Make your system too easy to fail. Pick the smallest version of the thing you want. If the goal is to write, maybe you start with one sentence a day. Yes, one. What’s the point? The goal is not to overwhelm your brain. Convince yourself it’s too easy not to try. The more you practice, the greater the chance of it becoming a habit.

Make it repeatable

If you need willpower, it’s too big.

Keep score. Tiny wins feel bigger when you can see them. Can you quantify your results? Show your wins to yourself. And let yourself feel proud. Seriously. Celebrate the “tiny” stuff. Your brain loves reward signals. Over time, your small steps evolve. You don’t have to force it. Momentum does the heavy lifting.

Kaizen doesn’t just help you change. It changes how you see yourself. When you repeat every day, even in tiny ways, you stop seeing yourself as someone who “tries.” You start seeing yourself as someone who does. And that transformation is everything. Big change looks impressive, but small, consistent action builds identity. They build trust in yourself. They build a life that doesn’t fall apart the minute motivation fades.

If you want a change that can last in the next few months, something that sticks, try smaller. Way smaller. The path to significant change isn’t broken resolutions. It’s tiny, steady progress. Just pick an area of change. A tiny habit you can sustain. And start small. Pick one thing you are likely to do. Something that won’t tell your brain it’s a big deal. Kaizen is the discipline of consistency.

You don’t need a new version of yourself to pursue things too overwhelming for your brain to sustain. What you need is just today’s version, willing to take one small, almost silly step. Significant change is not an event you schedule. It’s a practice. You’re not breaking yourself down to build something new. You’re just guiding yourself, kindly, in a better direction. Take that goal you are pursuing. Now, make it smaller. Smaller still. Until you think, “Oh, I could do that right now.” Then do it. And trust that tiny start with all your heart. It’s the smartest, most human way forward you’ve got.

source https://www.fastcompany.com/91457559/kaizen-new-years-resolutions