Paul Akers has built a business and a life on making small improvements every single day. In this episode, we explore the concept of lean: lean thinking, lean relationships, and lean business. Using this lean methodology, Paul shows us how to eliminate waste and make continuous improvements in your life and business.

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Cheat Sheet

What lean thinking is and how the lean manufacturing model is used at successful companies

How to identify the different kinds of waste present in your systems and systematically eliminate them

How and why Paul got started with using the lean system in his own life

Why people can become paralyzed to not make change and how to overcome this feeling

What the work "kaizen" means and how the system actually works

How Toyota has used kaizen to revolutionize their business

How sweeping, sorting, and standardizing your workspace can make you more productive

What businesses can do to tap into unused employee genius to improve their organization

How Paul applies the lean thinking concept to relationships and love

Why you should make a document that clearly defines what makes you happy and how to do it effectively

The simple way to get up and running with the lean thinking method

Links

PaulAkers.net

FastCap video resources

TripIt.com

Work The System

Sam Carpenter's Work The System interview

Getting Things Done

David Allen Getting Things Done interview

Freedom's Forge

The Everything Store

Book, tool, ritual

Book: Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future

Tool: Lean PD app

Ritual: Reading a book per week, and listening to audio books every day.

Connect with Paul Akers

@PaulAkers

Sponsor

Freshbooks.com/productivity

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