Some time ago, in a session, while talking about the Pomodoro technique with a client, the word poka-yoke invaded my thoughts, and I have been reflecting on it ever since. Poka-yoke, translated as “mistake-proofing,” is a quality tool created in the 1960s by a Japanese engineer named Shigeo Shingo within the Toyota system.

Solutions are designed and applied so that human error does not occur in the industrial process and, as a result, the cost of rework is reduced. The question that occupied my mind was: what is our poka-yoke in life? Can we have some inner device that lets us live error-proof?

I think I have arrived at an equation that cannot be solved, since error is one of the main paths to learning. That thought leads me to another search: what, after all, is error? According to the Aurélio dictionary, error is a masculine noun with several definitions, and one in particular caught my attention: “5. Absence of competence, skill or experience; lack” (our translation).

If I lack competence, skill or experience in a certain area of life, I will certainly need time and practice or attempts for my brain to absorb the “right” way of doing it. The question is: is there a right way of doing things when we are talking about life?

If we are unique beings, each with our own set of experiences and survival strategies that brought us here and helped us handle life’s many challenges, error will certainly be part of our day-to-day, of our relationships.

Considering all this, is there an inner poka-yoke? Unfortunately, no.

But I dare argue that self-knowledge can uncover our view of life and of our relationships and that, when we make mistakes, we have the chance to refine and improve our survival strategies. And also to make autonomous decisions, without being hostages to circumstances. With all this, we can build relationships (of any kind) that are true, with permission to make mistakes, in which we can, every day, express the best version of ourselves and handle the challenges life presents us.