Happy Cinco de Mayo! You know what that means? That means summer is around the corner! As I approach my first summer in "The South" I am planning all types of fun activities to do! In order to stay on the move, I must keep my apartment organized. The last thing that I want to be doing is cleaning up my apartment for hours! It is waaaaay too nice outside for that!
Here are 5 steps to help stay organized so we can spend more time hanging out with friends and getting our summer glow on.
Quick Lesson: 5S Methodology
In engineering, 5S it is a method to reduce MUDA, a Japanese term for waste. We all have some sort of waste in our life and need help getting rid of it. Here is a method that you could try in your everyday life. The 5 S's are Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain.
Step 1: Sort (When in doubt, move it out)
This is the red tag technique. You can use any sort of tag like stickers, post-it notes, masking tape, or whatever you choose. You should stick the “tag” on everything that does not belong in that area. Once you have identified what does not belong, go on to step #2.
Step 2: Set in Order (A place for everything and everything in a place)
Make sure that you go through your items section by section and give them a home. 9 times out of 10, if you can’t find a home for the item, you don’t need it. By the end of this step, nothing should have a “tag” on it. To make things even better, ADD LABELS! Everything should have a designated place.
Step 3: Shine (Clean and inspect or inspect through cleaning)
Make sure that you sweep, mop, dust, scrub, or whatever you need to do to make that area clean again. Your area should look brand new again.
Step 4: Standardize (Make up the rules, follow and enforce them)
What you have to do here is make a list of rules, WRITE THEM DOWN, and enforce them on yourself and your household. Tell them, don’t sit the mail on the kitchen table, put in the labeled mail container. Here is my name, here is your name. FOLLOW THE RULES! HAVE DISCIPLINE!
Step 5: Sustain (Part of Daily work)
Make these steps into habits and the clutter will go away forever. When you take something out put it back where it belongs. If you keep finding that one item out of place, reconsider its home. The more you practice this, the easier it gets.
Now let's go to the beach!