I have been teaching students the idea of “lean” and “continuous improvement” in Operations Management for many years and urge students to implement them to improve their lives before going out to change the world. Below I will explain them in more details.

Lean

“Lean” in management refers to the Lean methodology or Lean management principles, which have their origins in manufacturing and were popularized by the Toyota Production System (TPS). The primary goal of Lean management is to maximize value while minimizing waste. It focuses on efficiency, productivity, and continuous improvement. Here are some key principles and concepts associated with Lean management:

Lean manufacturing principles can be applied in your daily life to help you save both money and time. Lean principles are all about eliminating waste, improving efficiency, and continuously optimizing processes. Here are some ways to apply lean manufacturing to your daily life:

• Identify Value: Determine what activities or tasks add value to your life and focus on those. For example, spending quality time with your family, working on personal goals, or pursuing hobbies you enjoy. Once you identify your values, be mindful to invest your time and effort into this activities and tasks to improve your sense of achievement and satisfaction.
  In doing so, it is often easy to forget that time is the most valuable, more so than money.  Time slips away without our permission and cannot be turned back. Time cannot be bought.  If time is tradable, Warren Buffet would be willing to give away billions to turn 18 again.
  Time can buy people to do things for you, but cannot buy yesterday back, not even yester-second back.

  If you are young, you are already rich. Just do not throw it away. Do something enjoyable, useful, and meaningful.

• Eliminate Waste: Identify areas of waste in your daily routine. Common types of waste include waiting, overproduction, excess inventory, and unnecessary movements. For instance, avoid overbuying groceries, plan your errands to minimize driving, and reduce time spent waiting by being punctual.

  To avoid food waste, before you head to grocery stores, check your pantry and fridge.
  Before clicking that button on amazon or any e-commerce site, check your closet or wardrobe, do you already have something similar? Do you really need it? If you have them already, you do not need to buy. If you have something similar or substitutes, you do not need it. Do not buy.

  If you have to go to nearby grocery store, ask yourself:
  ” do I have to go this time and wait in a long check-out queue”?  Can I go in an off-peak hour? 
  “can I bike or walk there instead of driving?”  in doing so,  grocery shopping is turned into a purposeful physical exercise.

• 5S Method: Apply the 5S method (Sort, Set in order, Shine, Standardize, Sustain) to organize your living spaces and work areas. This will help you find things more easily and reduce the time spent searching for items. 

  If you feel bored and agitated, start to clean your house; sweeping floors and kitchen countertops; checking on your house plants, cleaning toilets; reorganizing your wardrobes. In doing so, you will thank yourself: your house is much tidier and a better place to stay in and more likely you will also realize that you already have material abundance. No need to buy more. 

  If your physical surrounding is already very tidy and comfortable, check your digital space. Can you clean your mailboxes, digital files and e-books?

  If both physical and digital goods are neat and tidy,  great! do you need a mental cleaning? Often the chance is that you won’t be too agitated and restless. If you are still bothered by your internal dialog or by your own thoughts. Sit down or standing, do nothing, just be there with yourself and staying with your breath.  If meditation is not your thing, move your legs, go for a neighborhood walk, or hit a trail in the park, or work out in a gym. When your body is busy, your mind will slow down, and you will be more relaxed.

• Just-in-Time (JIT): Adopt a just-in-time approach for household tasks, such as grocery shopping. Plan your meals, create a shopping list, and buy only what you need, reducing food waste and saving money.  Waste a little here and there, before you know it, your bills add up to a big amount.  Do check your monthly credit card bill analysis using Mint.com.   Better yet, use EXCEL spreadsheet to jot down your expenses. At the end of each month, you can see where your money comes in and goes out. Cut where there exist superfluous spending, and move them to tasks and activities that are more aligned with your goals and values.

• Standardize: Develop standardized processes for repetitive tasks. For example, create a daily routine or schedule that allows you to be more efficient and productive.   
  • For errands, I buy big rolls of toilet tissues from Costco. They usually last at least six months for me.
  • Monthly bills, I set up automatic payment and check occasionally to ensure their accuracy.
  • It is hard to get up early and start a day with house cleaning like (the third-word Chinese script for kids). Recently, I start to try it out. It energizes me for the whole day by cultivating the mentality of “I can do it”.

• Continuous Improvement: Continuously seek ways to improve your daily processes. Regularly review your routines and look for areas where you can save time or money. Make incremental improvements over time. 

  • Continuous improvement often have the “plan-do-check-improve” cycle to improve our lives gradually. By organizing closet regularly, I realize how much clothing I already own. This helps curbing my impulses to buy more often outdoor/workout expensive clothing. I also take a note on food that have gone bad and have to be thrown away to remind myself not to over buy.  To prevent impulsive buy, another effective way is to check your pantry and fridge and make  a list of what you plan to buy and stick to it.

• Reduce Defects: Strive for error-free activities by being organized and maintaining proper communication. For example, double-check important information to avoid mistakes that can cost you time and money.

  • I make several lists: before leaving home for trips of a few days or a month. Gift lists when I travel back to China.

• Time Management: Apply time management techniques such as the Pomodoro technique, time blocking, or Eisenhower’s Matrix to prioritize and manage your time more effectively.

• Respect for People: Encourage open communication and collaboration with family members, housemates, or coworkers to work together on improving daily processes.

Applying lean manufacturing principles to your daily life requires commitment and discipline, but it can lead to significant savings of both time and money, ultimately improving your quality of life.