Quick and Easy Kaizen #6 - Starting the car

Happy Labor day! Let's find some kaizens to reduce our labors...

Quick and Easy Kaizen is an improvement that you can easily do for yourself that improves a process by improving quality, saving time, and so forth. The book, The Idea Generator, by Norm Bodek addresses quick and easy Kaizen and I have been practicing this technique at work for some time. Using the ideas from Norm's book, I have added improvements at home and here are some that have made my life better but didn't require that much time and effort to implement.

#6 Starting the car.

This one comes from my daughter, a 3rd generation Purdue Boilermaker I might add, about starting the car. I highly recommend that teens pay for their own gas because it makes them take ownership and motivates them to conserve and be more efficient.

Before: Started the car, adjusted the seat, check the mirror, look at the cell phone for messages, turn on the AC/Heater, fiddle around with the various items, then go.

After: Adjust the seat, check the mirror, look at the cell phone for messages, turn on the AC/Heater, fiddle around with the various items, then start the car and go.

Cost: nothing

Benefit: Reduce gas use and car idle time. Potential for a great deal of saving depending on how much she used the phone before leaving the driveway!

I am proud of her for this improvement and every little bit helps. My goal is to install this "empowered" thinking into my family's mindset instead of "entitlement" mindset that is so prevalent. We are determined to drive out waste and be more efficient rather than complain about the high cost of things. It's a much more positive and rewarding way to meet the challenge head on.

What have you improved today?

Dan Lafever
Kaizeneer