Written by: February 11, 2024
The 5S Method to unlock a clutter-free home:
Principle-First
Imagine stepping into your home, where every item has its place, and your spaces spark joy.
Your daily chores are no longer a dreaded task but a simple, swift act of maintaining your personal oasis.
This isn't a far-fetched dream; it's entirely achievable with the 5S method—a transformative approach to cleanliness and organization.
Developed for Japanese factories (champions of efficiency), it’s equally powerful for tidying your home.
Rebecca Enberg, home system expert and writer of the newsletter “Your House Machine,” popularized the 5S Method for households.
Let’s dive in.
SUPERHUMAN SCORING
In every edition of System Sunday, I assess the featured system across three superhuman dimensions: impact, setup, and maintenance.
Unlike your typical review, I focus on factors that influence personal growth. Get to know the evaluation system.
Impact (9.0/10)
The 5S method isn't just about a one-time cleanup; it's about creating a sustainable environment that enhances your quality of life.
By applying 5S, you'll experience:
- Reduced stress: With everything in its right place, you'll spend less time searching for items and more time enjoying your home.
- Increased productivity: Clean and organized spaces naturally lead to better focus, whether you're working from home or pursuing hobbies.
- A healthier living environment: Regular cleaning reduces dust, allergens, and other irritants affecting wellness.
The 5S Method, here we go…
Setup (7.0/10)
Step 1. Sort (Seiri)
Go through every room and decide what truly needs to stay.
Two powerful questions:
- “Does this spark joy?” —Marie Kondo
- Is this prompting a good or bad habit?
If it doesn't add value to your life, it's time to let it go.
Be ruthless.
Step 2. Set in Order (Seiton)
Establish a home for every item.
“Ensuring that each one of your belongings has its own spot is the only way to maintain a tidy and clutter-free home.” —Marie Kondo
My advice:
- List your most misplaced items (keys, wallet, etc.).
- Establish a home for these things today.
- Make everyday items accessible and store away seasonal items.
Step 3. Shine (Seiso)
Broken Windows Theory teaches that visual signs of disorder promote more disorder.
Consider what happens when we (or one of our housemates) leaves an unwashed dish in the sink. Such visual cues often invite more chaos, leaving cleanliness to spiral out of control.
Even worse, this sloppiness can spill over into other areas of our lives (health, career, relationships, etc.).
Conversely, a clean and ordered space promotes your mental clarity. (I call it clean windows theory.)
Maintenance (7.0/10)
The last two S’s of the 5S Method are maintenance-related…
Step 4. Standardize (Seiketsu)
Create simple, repeatable routines and guidelines for nurturing order.
Powerful strategies for maintaining tidiness:
- Consider using a visual cleaning schedule on your refrigerator.
- Time-block 15 minutes per day in your calendar for maintenance tidying. Time-block another 1 hour weekly for deeper cleaning (as needed).
- Psychology says purchases that save us time make us the happiest. If you can, consider outsourcing your cleaning to a professional service.
Step 5. Sustain (Shitsuke)
To supplement your scheduled tidying, adopt a “clean as you go” philosophy (much like a chef cleaning their kitchen as they cook).
Celebrate small victories, like a week of keeping your entryway clutter-free, to stay motivated.
Remember, it's about progress, not perfection.
Sidenote: Although I’m not a parent yet, I spoke to some friends about ways to maintain a tidy home with kids. A few recurring tips:
- Kid-Friendly Storage: Ensure that storage solutions are accessible to children, allowing them to take responsibility for their belongings.
- Zone Your Home: Create clearly-defined zones for play, work, relaxation, and eating. This can help maintain order and set clear expectations for each area's use.
- Daily Cleaning Blitz: Establish a short, daily cleaning routine where the whole family spends a few minutes tidying up together. This could be right before dinner or bedtime.
- What else would you add? I’ll be taking notes.
BRINGING IT HOME
There you have it–the 5S Method:
Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain.
If you want to dive deeper into environment design, here are 4 useful resources:
- Your House Machine by Rebecca Enger (Substack newsletter)
- Goodbye Things by Fumio Sasaki
- My Creative Space: How to Design Your Home to Stimulate Ideas and Spark Innovation by Donald Rattner
- The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
I think about this quote often:
“The space in which we live should be for the person we are becoming now, not for the person we were in the past.” —Marie Kondo
Tidiness isn't just about cleaning up; it's about personal transformation and designing the life you want.
All systems go,
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