"Lean" and my morning routine.

In the rawest definition, Lean is taking common sense and applying it to any practice that could remove waste and improve efficiency.

If you are bored by manufacturing talk, skip this paragraph and go to the the next. If not . . . In the manufacturing world, this relates to reducing scrap, improving machine uptime, using real data to drive improvement, empowering the employees to own their part of the process, and more. Lean is used in many different industries (medical, information technology, non-profit organiztions, etc.) , but manufacturing is what I know.

Some folks think that Lean is unnecessary or a waste of money because it's so simple and anyone can do it. After all, why would you pay someone to come and teach you how to do something you already know? That's the beauty of it, though. Lean principles are easy to understand, and easy to apply, so my job is fantastic. The tough part is connecting that common sense in a different way. And that's where I help.

For example, I am not a morning person. Okay, so I used to be a morning person. Then I became a mom. But regardless, mornings are tough for me, so I try to make them as simple as possible. Here's what I used to do:

• Wake up.
• Walk to the bathroom and use the potty.
• Walk to the kitchen to start the coffee maker.
• Go outside for a cigarette.
• Walk to the bathroom and take a shower.
• Walk to the bedroom to get dressed.
• Go to the kitchen to make a cup o' joe.
• Go back to the bathroom to brush teeth, do hair, etc.
• Walk to various rooms to find purse, phone, keys, shoes, and any other items needed.
• Walk out to car. Realize coffee cup is still in bathroom.
• Walk back in, retrieve forgotten item.
• Return to car, and leave for work.

After Baby arrived and I started my new job, it was quite apparent to me that I needed to really organize my life. One could say that there isn't much fat to trim in the routine above, but the truth is that every minute counts. And if you lived in my house, every footstep counts (old creaky hardwood floors and a VERY light sleeper of a kid).

What Lean has taught me, and what I teach now, is that there is waste in every process. Some of the waste in the above process was all the moving from one location to another and back, the searching for items, and the order of events. There were some underlying wastes associated with it, too. I didn't mention that it took a good portion of my time to prepare the coffee maker due to my poor organizational skills. Also, (and I still suffer from this, but working on it) I had a horrible time trying to pick out my clothing for the day.

And you want to hear why I had to go outside for a cigarette so early in my routine? I mean, I could have waited until I left, but how else would I know how warm or cool I should dress?!? Sounds silly, but it's true.   

So, as a result of sheer necessity, I altered my morning routine. Here it is (again, as above, each line is in a new location):

• Wake up.
• Take clothing to bathroom, use the potty, and shower. Get dressed, brush teeth, do hair, etc.
• Walk to kitchen and pour a cup o' joe, gather purse, keys, and phone.
• Walk to door, confirm nothing was forgotten, put on shoes.
• Walk to car and leave for work.

Aside from the obvious, here are the differences:

• The night before, I program and prepare my coffee while I am cooking dinner.
• I also set out my clothes for the next day while I get myself and my daughter ready for bed.
• I ALWAYS leave my purse, keys, and phone in a designated location in the kitchen.
• I have such a standard routine that I never forget the "normal" items. On days when I need to gather something abnormal, I place it next to my purse. So far, the only time I've forgotten something is when I have lunch packed up in the fridge. (I'm working on that; I put a note on my purse to remind me to grab it!)
• I am taking less steps and opening and closing less doors, so I don't wake up my daughter or husband. (They are grateful.)

That's Lean in a nutshell. It's not rocket science, but common sense.