Leverage the 5S Process
Do you want to improve productivity, organize your workspace, and simplify your life?
If so, leverage the power of 5S.
This is a process by which you can get rid of what you do not need and organize what remains so you spend the least amount of time retrieving the item.
This process can be applied to your workspace, your home, your business – just about any space can be improved with this process.
I have described the five steps below to help you further understand how to take action with it:
Sort
In this first step, we set aside all the items we do not need and get rid of them. This simplifies our work area so we can more easily organize it and later find what we need with the least amount of effort.
We become more focused and productive as we eliminate what is not needed.
Set
In this step, we set in order or organize what remains so the items can be easily found when we need them. Once our items are organized we waste less time trying to find them because everything has a place, and everything is in its place.
Shine
In this third step, we want to completely clean our workspace. Look around the workspace where we are applying 5S and inspect the area for cleaning as well as for needed repair.
Standardize
We want to standardize how we organize our work area so we can re-organize it over and over again since 5S is not a one-time action.
It is important to standardize, as an example, where all the tools are on a printing press in order that the next person that operates it can find the tools needed for the job.
Sustain
This may be the hardest step and means that we need to continue to execute the 5S process over and over again as we strive for perfection in organizing our workspace.
Over time, some items that we used to use are no longer necessary and need to be sorted and thrown out. Without sustainment, we will revert back to accumulating too much stuff all over again.
5S is a great process for throwing out what you do not need, organizing what you do need, and working through the cycle over and over again to keep it clean and organized.
Have you used the 5S process at work or at home? Do you have any suggestions for how others can leverage it in their lives?