Home management techniques using 5S and Six Sigma

When I underwent the ISO lead auditor course, the tutor talked about 5S,six Sigma and other similar

techniques which one should earn to be a successful auditor. Their organizations were also
canvassing for Six Sigma blackbelt courses.I did not have money to invest in all these courses and so I thought it would be a good idea to browse the internet and check how it would be useful to me, without spending anything.

5S : Sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain

5S denotes 5 disciplines for maintaining a workplace.
These forms the basis for continuous improvement (called Kaizen in Japanese) of a company. It is also one of the strategy in “Lean manufacturing” (waste removing) concept. I feel we should apply this 5S for our home management first.

1. Sort: Throw away unwanted and unused items from the house. Remove the clutter. This is also called ‘Feng-Shui’. All the stagnant energies will removed from one's house if we follow the above.

2. Set in order: Arrange every item and keep it in their proper place so that they are not scattered around in the house.

3. Shine: Clean the area after the work is over, especially in the kitchen so that it shines and give a good feeling.

4. Standardize:

Arrange and group the things in shelves so that it is easy to locate when required (especially books, tools, etc.) and label them as required.

5. Sustain: This is not a one-day job as we do on the Ayudha pooja day. Remove everything, dust, clean and put in place. It should become a habit and done on a daily basis to achieve a harmonious lifestyle. We should try it everyday to improve upon the above on a continuous basis and adapt ourself to the modified environment. Hence, continual improvement should become a part and parcel of our daily life management system. Only then would we sense good energy flow in our house, which would then lead to a happier and more successful family life.

Good, bad and ugly:

The more we use 5S at home, the more simpler, life becomes and the more things get better and better, day after day. With 5S, we can create a cleaner and safer home environment and hence there would be less tension, confusion and mental stress, thus leading to happiness everywhere. The bad and ugly would be removed and only the good would remain. Share your output with your family members; help others too to follow your example.