3 ways Lean Six Sigma will improve your life

Lean Six Sigma may have been developed to help improve process in the manufacturing industry, but it has applications far beyond the workplace. Project managing your personal life may seem a little cold, but taking elements from this methodology can help you make the most of your free time.

1. Achieve your goals

Lean Six Sigma is designed to help companies maximize their efficiency, and it can help you do the same thing!

The principles of Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve and Control are perfect for helping yourself to achieve a goal, such as getting fit, quitting smoking or saving for a house.

Define a goal, assess the factors that could have an impact on it, determine which are the most significant and work out possible solutions. Then, put your plans into action and regularly review them to see if they can be improved.

2. Declutter your space

Home in need of a spring clean? Knee-deep in junk mail and dirty socks? Look no further than 5S - the Lean practice used to keep production workspace orderly.

The process is pretty much self-explanatory:

Sort - get rid of anything that isn't needed
Straighten - find a place for everything that's left
Shine - keep the space clean
Standardise - put procedures in place to maintain cleanliness (e.g. make sure you put things back where you found them!)
Sustain - review regularly to make sure the process is working

3. Save some cash

Using Lean Six Sigma principles to cut back on waste can help to save money on bills and food. Just treat it as a project for reducing wastage in a business.

For example, by analysing usage and identifying areas of overuse, such as lights left on in empty rooms our outdated technology, you could find ways of cutting back on electricity.