For the Love of Lists

Engineering life one step at a time

How to Organize Your Home With the 5S Method

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How to Organize Your Home with the 5S Method

Feeling overwhelmed by clutter?  Wishing your home was a bit more organized?  I’d like to share a process I learned in my time as an engineer that will help you tackle any space.  It’s called the “5S Method”.

The 5S Method originated in Japan and became popular in the west in the 1980’s.  It is now used in a variety of industries including health care and aerospace.  The 5 “S’s” stand for:

  • Sort
  • Set in Order
  • Shine
  • Standardize
  • Sustain

What started out as a manufacturing organizational method can be easily applied at home.  I love this process because it is focused on giving every item a place.  It also helps you to group items by function in “kits” that help your day run more smoothly.  Here is how you can organize your home using the 5S method.

Organized Bedroom

The 5S Process

5S will help you go from a cluttered work space to a streamlined one in just a few simple steps.

Before You Begin

  1. Focus on a single work space at a time.  Choose one to start with and identify its main function.
  2. Create a “red tag” area.  This is a place to temporarily put items that do not belong in your work space.  Create zones for the following categories:
    1. Relocate
    2. Donate
    3. Sell
    4. Return

Step 1: Sort

  1. Empty the work space completely.  Be sure to clear items out of drawers, off surfaces, and out of shelves.
  2. Remove obstacles, unnecessary items, and those not currently in use.
    1. Dispose of any trash immediately.
    2. Move other items that don’t belong to the “red tag” area.
  4. Categorize each remaining item by function.

Step 2: Set in Order

  1. Arrange items in work space by category.
    1. Create zones for each function and group all related items together.  Use baskets, bins, or dividers to keep groups contained.
    2. Put more frequently used items closer to the front.
    3. Create and label (if desired) a “home” for each item and/or group.
  2. Ensure that your “work flow” is smooth.
    1. Make sure everything is easy to retrieve and replace in its location.
    2. Make sure items you use frequently are within easy reach.

Step 3: Shine

  1. Determine a routine to keep your work space clean.
  2. “Clean as you go” throughout the day to minimize workload later on.

Step 4: Standardize

  1. Review your system periodically to see what works and what doesn’t.
    1. Make adjustments as necessary.
    2. Identify “best practices” and apply them in other areas of your home.
  2. Verify that every item has a dedicated “home” to return to.

Step 5: Sustain

  1. Perform regular inspections of your work space to make sure it remains organized.
  2. Determine a routine for clearing out your “red tag” area.

 

Tips:

  • Make a shopping list of any organizers (boxes, bins, dividers, trays) you need as you categorize items.
  • Clear out your “red tag” area as soon as possible (trust me, it will become a new problem area if you don’t).
  • If you’re stuck on where to store an item, put it aside for a moment and continue organizing.  Return to it when you’re finished and see if you can find a place for it.
  • Nightstands or under-sink cabinets are great places to start.

 

Organized Office

The goal is to follow this method for every area of your home, one work space at a time.  When everything has a clear, easy place to return to you’ll find that there is less clutter overall.

Which space are you going to organize first?

 

How to Set Up Your Family Mail Center

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Even though email has taken over our lives, we still get a ton of mail.  Between catalogs, magazines, mailers, bills, personal letters, and newsletters our kitchen table used to be full of piles of papers we never felt we had time to sort.  We even had a cooler bin full of papers to burn in the garage.  It was a mess.  So a few months ago we put together our own mail station right next to our front door, and it has made such a difference.  Everything we need to process the mail is essentially in one location (like a kit).  Now the mail has a place to go, to be sorted, and to be taken care of.

Here’s what you’ll need to set up your very own family mail station:

  • Dedicated Space: a side table, specific counter section, shelf, wall zone
  • Disposal Equipment: trash bin, recycling bin, shredder
  • File Organizers: file folders, baskets, standing organizers, wall unit
  • Mail Supplies: stamps, address labels, envelopes, letter opener, pens, stationery
How to Setup Your Family Mail Center
Our mail station with our home management binder, receipt holder, and dry erase pens.

Here’s how to use it to manage your mail:

  • Inbox/Outbox: Baskets or trays are great for handling small piles of mail (just don’t let them get too full!)
  • Disposal: To avoid clutter, get rid of obvious junk mail before it even hits your inbox.  Shred files with any personal info and recycle or trash the rest.
  • Organization: Sort your inbox and dispose of any remaining junk mail.  Then temporarily file the rest for use.  There are a few ways to do this (see my post on organizing emails for an alternative), but here’s what works for us using a 3-section file bin:
    • Important – bills, membership renewals, letters to respond to
    • Hold – appointment reminders, tax forms, schedules
    • Magazines
  • Filing: Periodically review your mail bins to dispose of old papers and put items to save in your home filing system (ex. filing cabinet or similar).  Cycle magazines when your bin is full.  Mark any mailers or catalogs that you don’t need and unsubscribe.
  • Optional Supplies: Depending on your needs, here are a few other suggestions for items to keep close by:
    • Checkbook
    • Blank Greeting Cards
    • Packing Tape
    • Post Office Hours
    • Home Management Binder

I hope this helps you to get control of your mail situation (remember, it’s the first step to your home filing process).  For us it’s been one simple task made so much easier!