Chapter 4. Optimization is the process of bringing the system into the best state to achieve maximum efficiency
Be careful not to try to optimize something that may not be there at all.
Dmitry Moroz
When the goal is clear, projects are organized, tasks are planned, and management is configured, then time is definitely not wasted. From a breathless squirrel in a wheel, we have become an organized squirrel that does not spin the wheel headlong, and sometimes can lie on its back. It is impossible to stop there. We need to keep improving. Not for the sake of the best version of yourself or the cult of self-development, but to accelerate your movement towards the goal.
After all, the use of suboptimal tools and approaches takes more valuable resources, which negatively affects the speed of achieving results. No one can develop into an efficient robot with an efficiency of 100%, but it is possible to speed up or shorten the path to the goal. The optimization process will help in this. Optimization is the process of bringing the system into the best, optimal state in order to achieve maximum efficiency. The word “optimization” is most often used in business. The goal of any business is to earn income. The higher the profit and the lower the costs, the greater the efficiency of the business. In this sense, optimization for life can be considered. Costs include spending all of our resources, and instead of profit, we have a process of choosing the best option possible.
The more good goals, tasks and projects we choose, the more profit we get. We have already talked about how to choose the right goals, tasks, projects and set priorities in the first chapters. Therefore, in optimization, I want to focus on reducing costs. Constant optimization of any production leads to the development of technical systems, which ensures progress. Our squirrel in the wheel also needs progress. She could put less effort into turning the wheel, or make the rotation automatic.
There are special approaches for creating innovations in technical systems and business. For example, TRIZ, Troubleshooting, Design thinking and others. They help to come up with innovations and solutions that provide a leap in efficiency growth. One of these types of innovations is innovation innovation, which increases the efficiency of the organization by optimizing and improving operational processes. Your life is all the same. We can optimize approaches, processes and tools in order not to make unnecessary movements and spend less resources.
For this, a person has a basic property — laziness. We are used to using laziness in a negative context, but think about how many household and industrial improvements it has given us. Look at the household appliances in the apartment and say “thank you” to laziness. In an interview with Chris Bailey, Getting Thing Done author David Allen said:
«People often ask if I’ve always been so organized. My answer is, “No, I’ve always been lazy.” And that’s what makes me so interested in performance: “I wake up thinking, how would I simplify what I’m doing?”
David Allen
David Allen came up with a productivity system out of laziness, and people study productivity to overcome laziness. Sounds fun, doesn’t it? It turns out that laziness is in some sense the engine of progress. For example, in childhood we also optimized a lot because of laziness. They used cheat sheets for our homework to avoid unpleasant things, and took a sandwich with butter outside so as not to waste time for lunch. Laziness leads people to creative solutions that the whole world is surprised by. But don’t fall in love with laziness too much. It is an excuse, not a driver.
Improvement is not just about optimizing processes. We will not be able to constantly do more, increasing productivity. We are not machines and cannot accelerate a hundred times. Therefore, improvement should be perceived as an integrated approach. Better even as a philosophy of optimizing processes, resources, thinking and development.
This approach has already been invented by the Japanese, it is called Kaizen. It is a Japanese philosophy that focuses on the continuous improvement of production processes, development, business processes and management, as well as all aspects of life. In business, the most illustrative example of a company using Kaizen is Toyota. After the Second World War, thanks to the application of this philosophy, Toyota managed to recover and develop the lost capacity. Many books have been written about Kaizen, and much has already been adapted in the IT industry.
Jeff Sutherland, one of the creators of the Scrum methodology, writes in his book “Scrum: A Revolutionary Method of Project Management” that Kaizen allows you to significantly increase the number of ideas that application developers generate. In general, Agile and all flexible approaches embody the Kaizen philosophy to varying degrees. We already know how to use flexible approaches in life.
The philosophy of “Kaizen” is based on 5 “S”:
1. Seiri (neatness) — allocation of time for reflection on what helps to develop, and what prevents it from happening;
2. Seiton (order) — systematic and gradual doing of useful things and the formation of new habits;
3. Seiso (purity) — purity of thoughts and space. Getting rid of clutter to focus on the main thing;
4. Seiketsu (standardization) — assembling all plans and actions into a system. Algorithmization and automation of processes;
5. Shitsuke (discipline) — the will not to slip back into the previous version of life since it will be very difficult at first.
In the life of the Japanese, Kaizen is of great importance. They use it for life changes through conscious life experience and continuous improvement of knowledge, skills and abilities. There is a movie about it “Jiro dreams of sushi”. It tells the story of 85-year-old sushi chef Jiro Ono, who works in a tiny Tokyo restaurant. It has three Michelin stars, only ten seats, and it’s very difficult to get there. Jiro Ono himself was named the best sushi artist of Japan alive. In the film, he says that they consider it an honor to bring any business to perfection. It doesn’t matter what your profession is, you don’t whine, but you have to bring your skills to the ideal.
We are not going to do this, but the principles of Kaizen are very helpful in understanding and implementing optimization. As you can see, Kaizen sounds very useful and fits perfectly into the approach of system life. Since system life ensures the optimization of life and continuous improvement. After reading a large number of non-fiction books about development, you will come to the last (probably) level. Understanding that all management and development are based on philosophy, psychology and other humanities.
Most likely, it will already be a new you, much better than me and you are now. The main thing is not to stop. In any way, try every day to be better than yesterday’s self, and not better than others. In the meantime, in this chapter I will share my thoughts and approaches to optimization, which have been selected by time and experience. I hope this will help you become a “Jiro Ono” in your life and your favorite business.
