What Marie Kondo, Farming and the Auto Industry Have in Common

Lean and mean

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Way back in the early days, the auto industry used the LEAN system to boost productivity by 30%.

LEAN was used in automotive assembly lines to improve efficiency. Then Hiroyuki Hirano integrated 5S principles and LEAN into Toyota’s manufacturing line.

That brought the company international recognition as a prolific producer of high-quality autos. In Japan, they call this kaizen.

In The Lean Farm, author Ben Hartman describes how to use 5S principles and the Lean manufacturing process in farming to minimize waste and maximize value with less work.

“Our production goal is to farm efficiently but also as gently on the earth as possible.” Ben Hartman

Companies that adopt kaizen can boost their productivity by as much as 30%. Hartman experienced a similar result: he produced a larger yield on smaller acreage.

I love it when a system that works in one industry can be applied in a completely different industry with similar results.

5S Philosophy

One powerful Lean manufacturing tool is the 5S philosophy. Each S stands for a Japanese word that defines a way of working.

1. Seiri — sort and simplify
   Go through your buildings and premises and eliminate everything that isn’t essential for production. Examples are rusted tools, parts, or scrap. The idea is to eliminate clutter and simplify. One tool can perform many different tasks.

2. Seiton — set in order
   Every tool has a place.
   Store tools where you use them the most.
   Store tools where you can see them.
   Store tools based on use.

3. Seiso — shine
   Clean, paint, polish and organize your premises neatly. Everything should end up in a nearly new state.

4. Seiketsu — standardize
   For the farm, use the same size or type of pots for all plants. Use the same size buckets in all areas, so they are interchangeable. Common standards also include standardized ways of working.

5. Shitsuke — Sustain
   Double-check the system each year.
   Review all systems regularly.

When any system is subjected to the 5S principles, it reduces waste. Wasteful movement, waiting times, or wasting time are addressed. Sometimes that means cutting out unnecessary steps.

This system can be used in many industries.

Marie Kondo uses a similar method in her KonoMari method of tidying up.

Her basic philosophy is only to keep things that speak to the heart or spark joy.

1. Seiri — sort and simplify
   Beginning with a category of belongings (books or clothes, etc), eliminate everything that isn’t essential to your life.

2. Seiton — set in order
   Put items in their proper place.

3. Seiso — shine
   Fold clothes neatly. Arrange books by color. Set your belongings in order.

4. Seiketsu — standardize
   Use this standardized process for all categories of belongings. Step by step, you will reduce your belongings and eliminate the wasted effort of caring for belongings you don’t need or don’t use.

5. Shitsuke — Sustain
   Continue to use this process regularly.

“If we used the LEAN system on farms, imagine how many more people we could feed.”

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1. Have you tried Marie Kondo’s method to tidy your house? Did it work?

2. Do you think the 5S Lean System might improve your writing practice?

3. Do you have a system for your writing practice? How’s that working out?

4. Would you rather wing it?

5. Would you rather write when you feel like it?

I look forward to an answer in the comments below.

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kaizen n.: the practice of continuously improving the way in which a company operates. The word comes from the Japanese word for improvement.

Sources: The Lean Enterprise Institute, Springer, Clay Bottom Farm