So you have so much to do and you don’t know where to start. Every time you start something it ends the same way, half done. No matter how many times you try to talk yourself into getting more organized it’s always difficult to find the momentum and the right system that best works for you. Not everyone is born with organizational skills, however in this article written by: Pamela Pool you’ll find some helpful advice on how the 5S process will help you get better organized. Here at Septagon Studios we have tried to apply the 5S process to our system of doing things, and once you actually take the necessary steps you’ll figure out that it all gets easier if you take action.

The 5S Process

The five steps of 5S, and their approximate English translations are: seiri (sort), seiton (straighten), seiso (shine), seiketsu (systemize), and shitsuke (sustain).

1. Seiri (Sort): Get rid of anything in your work space that is not absolutely necessary for your work.

This first step is supposed to enable you to simplify tasks and use space effectively. It’s also supposed to help you be more selective about what you introduce into your work space and keep the number of work-related items around you to a minimum.

Frankly, for a personal office, I think this is a little extreme and bad for morale in any circumstances. I have a couple of things on my desk that are just there to give me something fun to look at. They’re staying. But the rest can go: the Advil, CDs, business cards (the bane of my existence), masking tape, Christmas postcards I meant to send to the two people I know who haven’t discovered email… There are a few other trouble spots I need to hit too, like the top of the filing cabinet, and that box of cables taking up space I could use. Step one is going to take me a full day at least.

2. Seiton (Straighten): A place for everything, and everything in its place

This step is about efficiency. It encourages you to make optimum use of your work area and to outfit your space with functional storage. It is also important for everything you use for work to have a convenient and appropriate home to which it is returned when you’re done using it.

This is how I used to operate, back when I had a lot of space. Once upon a time, I knew where everything I owned was. The fact that I couldn’t find a recipe last night, despite having paper files for my old, pre-computer recipes, may be the very reason why I’m writing this today. (Getting them onto the computer is on my to-do list. I have gotten as far as comparing recipe management software.)

3. Seiso (Shine): Clean up after yourself

This third step is about being responsible for keeping your own space neat. Most importantly, it doesn’t work unless everyone who shares the space does the same. The idea is to treat your office as if you might have a client drop in at any moment.

To read steps 4&5 visit: http://webworkerdaily.com/2010/02/04/the-5s-process-for-getting-organized/

The 5S system is a great method of getting organized, however it doesn’t have to be strictly followed. There are a variety of ways, different systems, programs and methods to help you get better organized. In fact the best way to get organized is by developing your own system perhaps applying some of the above to your process or just do what works best for you. It really all comes down to this: setting some time aside, taking action and having the will and determination to complete your task.

If you have a system that works or a program that helps with organization let us know, we’d be interested in hearing the different methods that you guys use. Remember, “Do what works best for you.”

Photo by Flickr user etherflyer