Did you ever notice how you get a sudden burst of energy at the start of a new year? That’s no coincidence, nor is it a unique event. It’s a collective energy surge, which experts suggest is driven by hope. Maybe some people are hoping they’ll turn over a new leaf in the coming year. Others are hoping the new year will bring them better fortune than the previous one.
But can you translate this hope into a plan for success? You can, but that hope needs to be bolstered by a solid plan, otherwise you’ll end up like a farmer hoping that his crops grow even though he didn’t plant anything.
Turning aspiration into action
What is it, specifically, that you want to change about your level of success (or lack thereof)? That’s where you should start your plan. Identify the problem first, then look for the solution.
Next you’ll want to draw up a plan of action. This is where you say, “I will do X, Y, and Z in order to accomplish this.” Your various X, Y, and Z items are the ones that will, almost certainly, require some level of self-discipline in order to achieve the desired result.
The important thing about your “hope becomes action” plan is that it is measurable. Measurability is what will tell you that you are either succeeding or failing in your efforts to reach your goal. For example, if your goal is to lose 10 pounds over a month, you could weigh yourself after 15 days. Obviously, you should have lost 5 pounds by that point to meet your goal of 10 pounds in one month.
The Lean Six Sigma Methodology can produce great results for several reasons. One is that it reduces the time required to accomplish a goal or fulfill an objective. This, of course, is beneficial to one’s personal life because time saved is more time to live as you would like to live, rather than having to fulfill a professional goal.
Here are several other principles from Lean Six Sigma to help improve your personal life.
1. Sort
Have a look around your house. Is there clutter lying about? Toss it. Are you seeing broken or otherwise unusable items that serve no purpose? Get rid of them.
2. Set in order
Now that you’ve removed the waste, it’s time to analyze what’s left and find a place for everything. Each item should have a place that’s labeled and properly arranged according to how it’s used. The idea is promote an efficient flow of resources. Things that you need should be easily locatable and accessible.
3. Shine
Shining in Lean Six is a process of systematic cleaning. You’re accomplishing two things here: making sure the space is kept clean and free from the type of clutter that was eliminated in the first step and periodically taking inventory so you can resupply anything that is running low. This involves a periodic assessment of everything that was sorted in the previous step.
4. Standardize
Implement rules for how items are supposed to be used, and follow those rules. When you take a hammer out, make sure you put it back exactly where you found it. This step points to another advantage of labeling: people will know where things belong.
5. Sustain
Make sure you review your own Lean Six process on a regular basis. You’ll do this to ensure it is working and everyone in the family is following it.
The advantage here is that, if the process is evaluated frequently, you’ll have more time to spend as a family doing things that you want to do, as opposed to wasting your life tackling large cleaning projects or searching for lost items.