May - 5S Bathroom

Bathroom cabinets are a place I tend to build up clutter. I start stockpiling soap, random bath gifts and those mini shampoo and lotions from the hotel. When it comes down to it, how much of it do you use?  Plus the bathroom counters can get cluttered quickly. 

1.Sort - take everything out of cabinets and drawers. 

Throw away old toothpaste missing caps, expired medicines, old nail files and dried out makeup.  

Organize like items together. 

- Are you really going to use all those mini soaps and samples?

I put all my samples and mini toiletries together to create a visitor stash for the spare bathroom. Anything extra and unopened can be donated. 

- evaluate your makeup and hair accessories.  Do you use all of the colors and styles, or is some of it outdated. Makeup has a shelf life. It is suggested you only use eye pencils and mascara for 3 months. Everything else is about a year. If you are not using it up in that time, you probably don't need it. 

Stick to the motto of "use it or lose it."

- do you use all the appliances (razors, hair prep, etc)?

2. Scrub - wipe down the drawers and cabinets with a little baking soda and water. That will cut down odors and should not react with chemicals you have stored there. 

3.  Set - put together bins of items you use daily. 

Like items (haircare, travel. Etc) should be with like items. 

I have one bin for my morning routine (moisturizer, deodorant, brush) and one for night (face wash, moisturizers, toothpaste, toothbrush, floss).  I have a separate bin/organizer for makeup.

In the medicine cabinet, put together kits for specific needs (first aid, cold, pain, stomach). 

Other kits can be created for specific purposes, like nail care, shaving, feminine hygiene, cleaning. 

I also pack travel kits with duplicates and/or smaller versions of my daily use items so I am ready to pack quickly. 

These do not need to be as accessible as daily items, but organized in a way that you can find them.  

Your bathroom counter can remain uncluttered, if you use your storage wisely. If you do not have room in the bathroom cabinets for some of the extra kits that I do not use daily (nailcare, travel bags), consider using hallway or closet storage.  Extra consumables (soap, shampoo, toothpaste) can also be stored in the hallway or even garage.  I try to put my daily bins under the sink, still accessible, but tucked out of sight. 

4.  Standardize - visual cues for your consumables

You should always have a minimum amount of toilet paper within reach of every toilet. My mother still likes to tell the story about the time my guest bathroom ran out of toilet paper. 

Now, when I pull the second to last roll out, I refill the cabinet with another four rolls. Not everyone in my family is that diligent, so I could mark those last two rolls, to remind them. I could also make a weekly toilet paper check part of my bathroom cleaning process (Sustainment). 

Similar minimums should be identified for soap, shampoo and other things you do not want to runout of. 

5.  Sustain - re-evaluate what you are actually using every 3months. Replace your mascara and eyeliner at the same time. 

Make sure counter clutter is reduced when you clean your bathroom.  This is my regularly reminder to get back on track. 

April - 5S dining room

Looks like I missed a couple months of posts, so I will play a little catch up. 

April I focused on 5S in the dining room. Part of that process was evaluating how to reduce waste, particularly with paper napkins and towels. 

There are two areas I am working on:
1. Napkins
Eating with a toddler can be messy business, but I am trying out cloth bibs for baby and cloth napkins for the rest of the family. I went shopping after the holidays and found some cheap placemat/napkin sets to use for everyday meals. Since it is just my husband and I, we do not go through them very quickly. 
I have a stack of washcloths that I use for wiping up baby and messes after meals and throw them in a wash pile each day. I have enough to last me a week. You can use baby washcloths, cloth diapers or rags. 


2. Paper towels
I used to lean on paper towels because they are easy. You can wipe up spills and throw them away without another thought. 
The trick to create an easy to use system with cloth, is to make rags and/or towels accessible and plentiful. I realized I had a lot of kitchen towels around that I never used. Once you clean up a spill, hang the towel in the laundry room to dry. I rarely have more than half a load at the end of the week. 

Next step for cutting waste in the kitchen/dining areas is reducing packaging. I buy a lot of high use dry goods in bulk at Club stores, but that usually comes with a lot of extra boxes. Granted, most of it is recyclable, but another option would be to bring my own containers and fill them at the bulk bins of the grocery store. I have not made any changes yet, just thinking about it. 

What waste reduction ideas do you use at home?

Waste in the Household

In honor of Earth Day, I have been thinking recently about the waste in my house and how to reduce it.

Lean principles are about reducing waste, in all forms. In a household, as in a plant, reducing waste means saving money.

So what types of waste can we look to reduce?

Utilities- utilities are some of the easiest areas to see the impact of waste reduction. Reducing your usage has a direct correlation to your bill.
electricity/gas
- think about devices that are left on when not in use. Lights, computers, etc. Turn them off when you leave the room.
- set your heat/cool temperatures and time appropriately. The house can be cooler at night and when no one is home.
- efficient appliances are an investment, but should help save money in the long run. Same goes for good double paned windows.
Water
- do not leave the water running while brushing your teeth or prepping for the shower.
- there are a lot of good low usage toilets out on the market now

Trash - as I hear of companies driving to zero waste, I have become more conscious of my own household waste. A majority of the waste in our house is packaging. Plastic bags and baggies as well as individual portioned containers. I have been trying to buy in bulk and split snacks and yogurt into reusable containers.
Recycling - obviously a better option than trash, but it is still waste and requires sorting and processing.
Extra stuff - only buy what you really need and use. Extra stuff is not only a waste of time, but clutters up your living space. Think about simplifying your living spaces (like 5S).

Time - this is the area that is sometimes hard to identify what the waste is and how to reduce it.
First step is identifying your priorities for your time (family, work, personal growth).
Then identify what to say "no" to.

When you realize you have been sucked into a time wasting activity (Facebook, net surfing, etc), try to replace it with something more important (to do list or interacting with real people/family).

Here's to new earth friendly habits!

5S- Living Room

I recently conducted a root cause analysis, using the 5 Whys, to identify some 5S opportunities in my living room.

1. Sort
Toys - we use our living room as a play area in the evening. My son just had a birthday, so we have a lot of new toys added to the collection as well. Sometimes the number of toys and puzzles is overwhelming and he can not focus on one game. What can we do to limit the toys?
A. Designate one weekend a month for donations. Pick a toy or game to donate, especially as they grow out of them.
B. pack toys away for specific occasions. Example: paint set that you get out on rainy days; ball and bat set that you take to the park;
C. Rotate toys in and out on a weekly or monthly basis (example: this week is trains, next week is shapes)
D. Create seasonal boxes that you open every 2-3 months. They can include seasonal books, toys and decorations. Before you open the new box, pack away last "seasons" items. This month I opened a Spring box, with Easter and St. Patrick's day decorations. It also had books about baby animals and duck toys, as well as plastic eggs. Now we can start practicing Easter egg hunts (which rarely gets old).

Furniture - it is a good idea to re-evaluate your room layout at least once a year. Change sometimes gives a fresh look and perspective.
Pillows are good for accessorizing, but think about how many blankets and pillows you really need in the room.

Decorations- this is obviously about personal style, but I have been trying a new seasonal approach to decorating and displaying items in the house. I have a lot of keepsake type decorations that I am not ready to get rid of, but can not be displayed at once. It is common to have several boxes of Christmas decorations, so why not seasonal boxes for the rest of the year?

Books- this is a hard one for me. We have a lot of books. Actually, I do not read as much anymore and my husband has an ereader, but we still have amassed a collection of favorite books over the years. Some of them are leadership books that I like to revisit every couple years. Some of them are technical books, that we may have used for reference early in our careers. Some of them are favorite fiction, that I want to share with our kids someday.
If you do not think you will reference or read a book again, get rid of it. There are many used bookstores that give you credit for used books. Remember, the library and the Internet are always available for reference in the future.
If you want to save books for the future, be realistic about quantity. Keep only your absolute favorites. The library will be available if you want to share the Narnia series someday.
As I sorted through our books, I also made the pledge to read more. There are several inspirational and fiction books that I keep meaning to read.

2. Scrub
Once you have mantels and bookshelves cleared, it is easier to clean and dust. Start at the top with dusting and wiping, then vacuum. Make sure to get under cushions and furniture as well. Who knows what else you will find under there.
Start the next steps when everything smells fresh and clean.

3. Set
I have been working on a vision for what I want my living room to look. It is the main room where we spend family time, so it needs to be functional, but I would also like it to be a calming sanctuary. Part of the calming effect should come from eliminating clutter, so I need to ensure that everything has a place and that it gets back in place regularly.

You can use shelves and entertainment centers for common items. Baskets or decorative boxes also work well. Try to limit what you keep in the room to items used daily. Non frequent items should be put into the closet or play room. See my idea above about rotating toys into the living room. Only one box at a time.

I found some good ideas for arranging a bookcase (to stylishly display books, photos and keepsakes) here: http://www.sasinteriors.net/2012/02/how-to-achieve-a-well-styled-bookcase/

4. Standardize
What visuals can you put in place to help family members remember where to put things back. Labels, either with words or pictures, work well. Remotes are a good option to have color coded or in a specific basket.

The living room is also an ideal place for aesthetic visuals. If it is truly to be a family sanctuary and/or a place to entertain, it should have a color scheme and visuals that make you happy and relaxed. Display pillows and throws that support your color scheme. Otherwise put them in a basket or closet. Arrange the shelves by color or only display complimentary colors to your theme (see some of the ideas in the bookcase style link above).
I am still working on this, since I have a hard time focusing on details outside the functional.

5. Sustain
Since the living room is used daily, it should be picked up daily. Make it a habit of putting things away before going to be bed. It should be part of everyone's bedtime routine.

Weekly - dust shelves and vacuum/swiffer floors. (Remember, the less clutter you have, the easier this will be).

Monthly - vacuum couches, dust/wash blankets & pillows.

Quarterly - consider rotation of decorations/toys. Could be more frequent.

One last reminder, there is not enough space for things in the house you do not use, so Use it or Lose it.

Root Cause - 5 Whys of cluttered room

The idea of Root Cause Analysis is to drive to the root causes of your problems, so you can address and eliminate the sources, rather than bandaid symptoms of your problem. It's like getting rid of weeds...you have to get the roots out or the weed will grow back.

There are different methods/tools of root cause analysis, but my favorite is the 5 Whys.
The process always starts with a problem statement. The more specific the problem statement, the better.

Problem Statement example: The Living room is cluttered.

Then you ask "Why?" And list out potential reasons.

Why is the living room cluttered?
1. There is too much stuff in the room.
2. There is not enough space in the room.
3. There are items that do not belong in the room.
4. No one picks up anything in the room.

After creating a sufficient list, you break each of those reasons down even further by asking "Why?"
This process is repeated for at least 5 levels of "Why?" Or until you have listed your answers to a root cause.
You then review the potential root causes and test or validate if they are true or not. Once you confirm your main root causes, you put an action plan in place to eliminate or address those root causes.
Ideally, this process is done in a group so you get a variety of ideas and inputs. Doesn't it sound like a fun family activity?

Here is my attempt to flesh out my clutter problem:
Problem Statement example: The Living room is cluttered.

Why is the living room cluttered?
1. There is too much stuff in the room.
2. There is not enough space in the room.
3. There are items that do not belong in the room.
4. No one picks up anything in the room.

1. Why is there too much stuff in the room?
1a. We have too many toys.
1b. We have too many pictures.
1c. We have too many knick knacks
1d. We have too many books.
1aa. The root cause of most of these is that we are emotionally attached and we are afraid we need them someday.

2. Why is there not enough room?
2a. The house is too small.
2b. There is too much furniture in the room.
Neither of these is a viable root cause, at this time.

3. Why are there items that do not belong?
3a. Family members do not put things away.
3b. It is not clear what belongs in the room.
3c. There is extra storage space in the bookshelf.

3a. Why are Family Members not putting things away?
3aa. They do not know where they go?
3ab. They do not care about the clutter.
3ac. They do not understand the consequence of leaving things out.

3aa. Why do they not know where things go?
3aaa. There is not a designated location.
3aab. The items are not needed (extraneous).
3aac. The designated location is not marked.
3aad. The designated location is not logical to everyone.

In this example, I only got through 4 whys and have highlighted some key root causes for clutter in the living room. Based on this exercise, I can develop an action plan to work with my family to 5S the room.

Sustain - bedroom closet

It has been almost 20 days since I started simplifying my closet, how has it worked?

Even though I only have 33 items in my closet, I still have plenty of outfits to wear for over a week, without feeling like I am duplicating anything. I moved all my summer clothes to another closet and will most likely be rotating some short sleeves in soon, as it warms up.

Sustain: there are several key processes that are part of my daily/weekly routines in the bedroom.
Daily -
1. Make the bed
2. Clear all counters (we have bins in the bathroom cabinets for daily toiletries).
3. Put all dirty clothes in the hampers
4. Pick out clothes for next day

Weekly -
1. Laundry, including linens

So, the next step is to revisit the process quarterly and revise if needed.

Next area is the living room.

Use it or Lose it (Accessories)

When I am 5S-ing an area and trying to decide whether to keep something, I use the "use it or lose it" philosophy. If I own something, it should be useful and be used. It should be something I am proud to wear or display.

Sure, there are items you save for emergencies, but those should be planned and deliberate and have a specific location.
I am talking about items that tend to turn into clutter...product samples, free stuff, extras in colors you do not wear.

Now that I have minimized my closet to 33 items, I can see what colors I wear most. I used this pallet to sort my jewelry and scarves and identify items that do not match any of my favorite outfits.

1. Sort - first I cleared out my jewelry boxes (yes, multiple; I love jewelry, even though I do not wear it all).
2. Scrub - I dusted them and got rid of any trash or lost beads.
3. Set- I started by putting back my favorite pieces that match the newly organized outfits in the closet. In the bracelet section, I included the matching earrings.
Jewelry is also a great decoration. You may want to keep the pieces you love displayed prominently in your room. There are a ton of DIY ideas for hanging jewelry storage on Pinterest.
One of my favorites has strings across a picture frame to hang earrings and necklaces.
I also liked the idea of re-using pretty teacups to hold sets of jewelry.

4. Standardize - I tried to put each color in a unique drawer or location. I reviewed the outfits in the closet and made sure each color was represented in the jewelry.
Seasonal jewelry (holidays) I am keeping in a separate section, to rotate in 3 months.

The remainder of the jewelry I reviewed again. I chose a couple pieces to try wearing this week, to see if I want to keep them. If I am not proud to wear them, there is no use keeping them in rotation.

5. Sustain - I may not be willing to part with all the remnants right now, so I will put them away and revisit in 3 months. Maybe a trend will spark a renewed love of abalone. Or maybe I will be ready to let them go.