The hubby works in an industry that has explored something called LEAN MANUFACTURING. Most often you'll hear it referred to as just "LEAN". He suggested to me one day that it would be perfect for the organization and cleaning of a house and I thought it was a brilliant idea!
Now, bear with me while I do some explaining. I promise you'll like this. "Lean" principles were derived from the Japanese manufacturing industry and made popular by Ford and Toyota (yes, the car companies). In short, it's the process of continually eliminating waste, improving efficiency, and reducing costs. Wikipedia puts it perfectly: "Lean implementation is therefore focused on getting the right things to the right place at the right time in the right quantity to achieve perfect work flow, while minimizing waste and being flexible and able to change."
So what does this have to do with keeping your house organized? EVERYTHING! This system is a perfect way to put your house in order and I'm going to teach you how. Here we go.
To begin with, there are three steps we have to take before we start the whole LEAN CLEANING process.
- Design a simple manufacturing system: WE'RE GOING TO COME UP WITH A PLAN TO ORGANIZE THE HOUSE.
- Recognize that there is always room for improvement: THROUGH TRIAL AND ERROR WE'RE GOING TO REFINE OUR PLAN.
- Continuously improve the lean manufacturing system design: WE'RE GOING TO CONSTANTLY ADD IMPROVEMENTS TO KEEP THE PLAN WORKING AT OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE.
Here are the basic steps to LEAN. This applies to anything that you use LEAN for. LEAN can be used for all sorts of things!
We use a 5-step process and they're simple! We'll refer to it as 5S. The system begins at the top and work in a continual cycle. Our handy "Queen of Tidy" shows us below how to be LEAN AND CLEAN!
Step 1: Sort
Step 2: Set in order
Step 3: Shine
Step 4: Standardize
Step 5: Sustain
Step 1: Sort, Step 2: Set in Order and Step 3: Shine
The reason we put steps 1 -3 together is because really they happen almost simultaneously. You'll see what I mean. Pick the area that you're going to organize or clean. And begin the sorting process. Let's use a kitchen drawer for example. The best way to do any sorting (and the way "lean" suggests) is to take everything out and only put back what we need and use. EMPTY IT OUT! Now, you're going to choose a way to set them in order that makes things simple to find and put back each time! It's also supposed to be set in order in a way that would make it easy for even a perfect stranger to know where things went. Every item has a place and only that item goes in that place. And you would recognize when that item was missing. A silverware tray is a good example.
Now, of course, you would want to clean the drawer, and the tray, and the silverware if needed while putting it back. That's why these steps all happen at about the same time.
Step 4: Standardize and Step 5: Sustain
Standardizing means that we set an expectation for how it always should be, with room for change or improvement. And sustaining means that we work to keep the system running. Then we begin again with the cycle!
So, there it is in a nutshell. I could go into a lot of detail but wouldn't want to bore you!
This system applies to anything that you want to put in order, not just a kitchen drawer.
A quick word on organization...I love, love, love large Tupperware bins. So when you begin I always have three bins: one labeled KEEP, one labeled STORAGE, and one labeled DONATE. This keeps everything in order. And the STORAGE bin needs to be carefully checked and then reevaluated every so often. Sometimes storage is just an easy way of keeping things we don't need but are emotionally attached to. Take time to dig deep and explore why you're keeping it and figure out if you could be happy without it. You'd be surprised at what you can let go of. And you'd also be surprised at how "stuff" inhibits our ability to live life to its fullest. MATERIAL THINGS DON'T MAKE US HAPPY. Just a helpful hint!
Also, labeling is awesome! I've never purchased a labeler for fear that I'd have labels on things like the "light switch". I'm joking...sort of. But I do love adhesive, printable labels and use them for labeling. It helps me find things quickly.
What are your best organization tips and tricks? Lots more to come on organization in the months to come! This is just a good place to start!
Happy Organizing!
The Queen
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