As of this week, I've become a kaizen convert.

I'd never heard of kaizen, since I'm clueless about Japanese businesss management practices.

Then I read an article in the New York Times on improving our daily habits [1]. It touched on kaizen [2], a Japanese technique for creating healthier habits based on tiny, continuous improvements.

The American business world has used kaizen concepts for decades, because it encourages steady, consistent changes, rather than drastic, sweeping ones.

It's a concept that resonates with me -- and probably anyone else who's gone on a diet or made a New Year's resolution only to discover that lifestyle changes are tough [3].

One reason is when we step out of our comfort zone (AKA our tired old habits), it automatically triggers a stress response, making it that much easier to fall back on old routines. Change, even when it's for the better, is inherently stressful, and that sets off our internal fight/flight response.

Kaizen, on the other hand, offers a flexible middle ground. It encourages stretching gently out of the comfort zone (like regular yoga practice [3]), rather than leaping out of it without a net. As a result, it doesn't trigger emotional responses, such as fear or stress, and makes it easier to establish better habits.

This made sense to me, so I decided to put it to the test. I took a bad, but deeply-ingrained habit: I don't have a green thumb, so I put off garden chores, like weeding.

In the past couple months, weeds have popped up everywhere, and some are already two feet tall. Each day, I watch them invade more of my turf. What's worse is that a quick job has grown into a half-day of hard labor. And dreading it as I do means my work is likely to double before too long.

Using the kaizen technique, I decided to spend five minutes a day pulling up a few weeds. I stashed some gloves on the porch, and for five minutes each day, I tug out as many weeds as I can carry in two hands to the trash. That's it.

So, even though it's clear the weeds are winning this battle, making a small effort is better than none at all. Maybe this week, I'll even go at them with a pruner.