Introduction
Welcome back to the weekly newsletter.
So very often big change fails because it’s heavy. Small change sticks because it’s light. This week, we make progress easy: one tiny upgrade, layered onto a routine you already do. Not a total overhaul. Just steady improvement, week after week.
Kaizen Habit Stack means adding a 1% improvement to an existing habit every week. You keep the anchor (coffee, commute, workout, shutdown), then attach a micro-upgrade that fits your day. If done right, it compounds into serious gains.
Weekly highlight: Layer a 1% upgrade onto an existing routine each week.
Massive goals trigger resistance. A 1% change slides under your brain’s alarms. It’s too small to fear, yet big enough to move the needle when repeated. Stack a tiny upgrade each week and you get momentum without the crash.
Pick one anchor
Choose a stable daily routine you rarely skip: morning coffee, first sit at your desk, post-lunch walk, workout warm-up, nightly shutdown. That’s your anchor. Upgrades attach only to this moment so you never hunt for willpower.
Design the +1% (make it concrete)
The “upgrade” must be specific and tiny. Examples:
- Coffee anchor → add one strength drill (20-second plank).
- Desk anchor → write one sentence for the day’s top task.
- Walk anchor → add one hill or one extra minute of pace.
- Workout anchor → add one set at light weight.
- Shutdown anchor → queue one key task for tomorrow.
If it feels laughably small, you’re doing it right.
Keep the weekly cadence
Week 1: attach the first +1%.
Week 2: keep +1% #1 and add +1% #2.
Week 3: keep both and add +1% #3.
Cap the stack at 4–6 layers, then hold. You’re building a compact power-routine, not a second job.
Measure it
Use a single visual cue: a small dot in a calendar, a tick on a sticky note, a ring on a whiteboard. One mark per day you run the stack. No dashboards. Your proof is the string of dots.
Sample stacks you can copy
- Focus stack (desk anchor): 1 sentence on top task → 2 minutes outline → 3 links closed → 4 lines of draft → 5 deep breaths, begin.
- Health stack (coffee anchor): 1 glass of water → 2 minutes mobility → 3 push-ups → 4 fruit/veg servings target card → 5k extra steps plan.
- Learning stack (commute anchor): 1 key idea from a book → 2-line summary → 3-minute recall at lunch → 4-question quiz Friday → 5-minute apply test.
Guardrails
- Never add two layers in one week.
- Never add a layer that needs special gear you don’t already have.
- Stop the stack at the first sign of dread; shrink the newest layer by half.
- Celebrate the run, not the result. The result arrives on a delay.
What changes fast
You stop negotiating with yourself. The anchor fires, the stack runs, the day moves. In 8-12 weeks you’ll notice higher baseline strength, cleaner focus, smoother evenings. Everyone else sees “discipline.” You’ll know it’s design.
Application
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Choose your anchor (the most reliable daily moment).
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Write one micro-upgrade you can do in under 30 seconds.
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Place the cue where the anchor happens (object in sight, doc pinned).
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Add one layer each week until you reach 4–6 total, then hold for a month.
Summary
Small upgrades win because they happen. Attach them to what you already do, add one each week, and keep them tiny. The stack compacts power into a few minutes that never slip. That’s Kaizen you can live with.
Till Next Time,
Maciej
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