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Improving Point of Use Lid Storage at Starbucks

January 31, 2012 By 10 Comments

On a recent visit to a Starbucks inside the San Francisco airport I snapped the picture to the left.  Click the image to enlarge it.

As you can see they store lids in this unit and present it close to where the “final assembly” Barista does their work.

I liked that.  No walking and limited reaching meaning the waste of motion is minimal.

What I didn’t like was how the lids in the highest section were almost empty.

As such, reaching these lids would be harder since they are much deeper inside the storage unit.  I couldn’t tell if there were different sizes of lids in each section.  Perhaps there were.

What would you do to improve this?

If Starbucks hired you to help improve this particular point of use lid storage unit what changes would you make, if any?

Filed Under: Featured, Lean, Productivity

An Easy Way to Make Your New Year’s Resolution Stick

December 15, 2011 By 6 Comments

Action is the foundational key to all success.
-Pablo Picasso

As 2011 comes to an end and we look forward to 2012… many of us will make new year’s resolutions.

Some will commit to working out, some will commit to getting organized, and some will commit to, well, lots of things.

The Sad Truth

New years resolutions are great. We all make them. At least most of us do. But, sadly, the truth is most people fail to stick to them. As such, by January 28th all of the passion and excitement is gone and everything is back to the way it was.

That’s the bad news. But don’t despair as I come with hope!

A Solution is Within our Grasp

You see, I’m confident I have a countermeasure that anyone can use to battle this issue. Want to know what it is? It’s really quite simple.

Start now. Today. Don’t wait until January 2012.

Take Action Now

If you hate the way you look and feel don’t wait until January 4th to join the gym. Join today on your lunch break and get a workout in.

If you plan to set up a family budget stop delaying. Download Mint (it’s free) and start tonight.

If you plan to stop smoking or some other bad habit don’t set a stop date. Stop now.

If you plan to learn some new skill in 2012 don’t wait. There’s no reason to put it off. Sign up with Lynda or our favorite lean thinking training company and let the learning begin minutes from now.

Momentum Leads to Sustainability

By taking action now you’ll have momentum once the new year begins. And with momentum comes success. And with success comes sustainability.

What do you think? Am I crazy? If so, are you willing to prove me wrong?

Filed Under: Featured, Productivity

3 Ways to Break Through Productivity Ruts

July 12, 2011 By Leave a Comment

We’ve all been there… stuck in rut. Unmotivated. Bored. Possibly even a bit down in the dumps.

And, to be sure, when we’re in this dip it’s easy for our personal productivity to hit rock bottom.

With this said, here are 3 things I have personally used to break through these productivity barriers.

1. Make a List of the 3 Most Important Tasks

I have said this many times before… but if you don’t have a list of actions written down on a piece of paper you’re missing out.

I know there are lots of electronic productivity apps out there… I have tried them. They don’t work for me. Instead, nothing is better than a pencil and paper.

And taking this a step further… it’s easy to make a list of 43 tasks that need done. But huge lists like this can actually cause stress and anxiety. So, I’d encourage you to make a daily list of the 3 most important tasks for the day.

Once you have those 3 tasks done you can make a new list. But start with 3 and focus 100% of your efforts on them.

2. 5S your Workplace

Nothing stresses me out more than a messy work area. So when I find myself in a rut I find it very soothing and helpful to stop what I’m doing and do some good solid 5S.  Never heard of 5S?  Check this free 5S video out. 

Clean all the papers off your desk. Organize files. Vacuum the floor. Dust. Clean your computer monitor and keyboard. In short, spend an hour focused on the 5S of your personal workplace and goodness will come. I guarantee it.

3. Schedule a Vacation

Nothing seems to motivate me more than a pending vacation.

Of course, I realize vacations only come around once or twice a year for most people so this tip needs to be tweaked a bit for it to be of regular help.

So, schedule mini vacations. Perhaps a half day every month. I’ve had managers in the past who allowed me “comp” time since I used to travel a lot… so I’d be able to take off at noon on Friday.

So, if you’re able to manage it, schedule mini vacations as they will send your productivity through the roof!

What do you think?

What do you think of this list? Do you agree with my ideas? What other tips do you have to break through the dips we all find ourselves in from time to time?

Filed Under: Featured, Leadership, Productivity

10 Tips to Immediately Boost Productivity

March 10, 2011 By 8 Comments

Are you struggling to be productive today? We’ve all been there.

Here are 10 tips that, if implemented, will give you an instant boost! 

And be sure to check out the related posts below this one for additional ideas. 

  1. Work your emails down to 0 in your inbox. Having 210 read and 38 unread emails staring you in the face does nothing but clutter your mind and keep you from being effective.  So work that inbox down to 0.  You can do it!
  2. Clean off your desk. File what you must and throw away the rest.
  3. De-clutter your computer desktop. Much like the desk you work at… a cluttered computer desktop does nothing but encourage ineffectiveness.
  4. Close down all forms of Social Media. Yes, this includes LSS Academy (until our next article of course). Select a few times each day to read blogs, log into Facebook, Twitter, etc.  
  5. Close your email. Like Social Media… identify fixed times during the day to check and respond to emails. Keeping your email open all the time only disrupts any form of flow you may enter into.
  6. Read. The fact you’re reading this sentence is a good sign you’re on the right path. You should find at least 15 minutes each day to read something new as it may inspire you to action. With this said, spending 3 hours reading probably won’t move your productivity forward so be sure set a limit.
  7. Make a list. Write down the things you need to accomplish each day and cross them off as you complete them. The items you don’t get done should be at the top of tomorrow’s list.
  8. Identify Your 3 Most Important Tasks. Related to your list… identify the 3 most important tasks you must do today. Work on these 3 tasks first and don’t start anything else until they are done.
  9. Go to Gemba. Go to where the work is done on a regular basis with a pre-determined plan of what you will do. In other words, this is not a time for industrial tourism.
  10. Teach someone. Nothing encourages productivity more than helping others… so do your best to teach/coach someone every day. Kids, co-workers, significant other, etc. Find someone and help them.

What do you think?

What other tips would you add to the list?

Filed Under: Featured, Lean, Productivity

What Motivates?

July 23, 2010 By 2 Comments

If you are reading this via email or RSS, you may need to click through to the website to see the video.

Filed Under: Leadership, Productivity

Your Homework This Week

June 14, 2010 By 1 Comment

I just read an excellent post by Jamie Flinchbaugh titled A Call to Action.  The basic premise of Jamie’s thoughts are to stop talking about things… instead take action.

So, your homework for this week is two-fold.

  1. Read Jamie’s post.  It will take less than 45 seconds as it’s a short one.
  2. Take action on a project or task you have been putting off this week.

That’s it.  Two things.  I know you can do it!

Filed Under: Leadership, Productivity

How to Radically Increase Personal Productivity

June 9, 2010 By 8 Comments

Think back to the last meeting you attended. How many people were there? How long was the meeting?

Let’s assume – for sake of example – that there were 8 people in your meeting. Let’s also assume the meeting lasted 1 hour. This means that your meeting lasted 8 hours.

Huh? Yep. This meeting lasted 8 hours. You see, you took 8 people away from their job for an hour… meaning 8 hours of potential personal productivity was lost during this 1 hour meeting.

Most people don’t think of it this way. They should.

You see, I’m convinced that organizations around the world could radically improve personal productivity by simply slashing down the number, and duration, of their meetings.

Think of it as applying the principles of Quick Changeover or SMED to the way meetings are run.

Can we be more prepared? Can we stand during the meeting instead of getting all comfy in those soft leather chairs? Can we completely eliminate non value added meetings called by the boss who justifies his or her existence by holding 4 hour staff meetings each week?

What’s radical productivity improvement you ask? I feel very comfortable saying a 25% improvement in personal productivity is possible right off the top. Maybe more.

Do you agree?

Filed Under: Productivity

3 Practical Ways to Immediately Reduce Costs

June 1, 2010 By 8 Comments

No matter if business is good or bad one thing is for certain… you, and those you work with, should be laser focused on cost reduction.

Now be honest, when you read the words cost reduction was the first thing that popped into your mind reduction in force? You know, laying people off?

Sadly this seems to be the most popular way to reduce costs for a lot of companies. But it doesn’t have to be this way.

There are so many other ways to reduce operating costs. So many one could write a 6 book series on the topic!

But until then, I’d like to propose 3 practical ways you and your organization, no matter the size or number of employees, can reduce costs in the front office.

Let’s get started.

1. Change Default Printing to Black & White

It’s estimated that it costs .08 cents a page to print in color versus .007 cents a page to print in black and white.

So, if we assume a person prints 10 pages a day x 260 workdays… printing in color will cost $208 per year while printing in black and white will cost $18.20 per year for a difference of $189.80.

Take that across a company of 5,000 employees and we’re talking some serious costs savings folks ($949,000).

There are ways to change the “default” print color to black and white on your computer to make this change happen. Your IT department can likely do this remotely, across the board, without employees having to do anything.

2. Text Messaging Plans

Next, if your company pays for associate’s cell phone usage I’d encourage you to check out the text messaging plans.

Some people are text message crazy while others are not. For those who love the text message it makes sense to have them on a plan to accommodate their usage.

But for those who rarely text it may make sense to have them “pay as they go” which can save $10 to $20 per month.

Again, taken across a company of 5,000 employees we’re paying a person’s salary ($100,000).

3. Print on Both Side of Paper

I have worked with clients who “recycled” their paper by printing on both sides.

They had special bins that employees placed their one sided printed documents into. This, printed on one side, paper was then placed in a special printer that everyone was mapped to.

This was their so-called “junk” printer… meaning if you wanted to print out an email or some other document that didn’t warrant a completely clean piece of paper the junk printers were called upon.

Depending on where you buy your paper, 500 sheets can cost up to $10. So, to be sure, this adds up quickly.

What am I missing?

Obviously this is a very short list of 3 things any company can do to save money. There are more posts I have written below in the Related Posts section for some additional ideas.

But I’m curious, what things are you and your organization doing to save administrative money besides, gulp, the lay-off approach?

Filed Under: Lean, Manufacturing, Productivity

3 Life Lessons P90X Has Taught Me

February 25, 2010 By 11 Comments

I awake to the sound of my iPhone alarm clock ringing. It’s 5:15 AM. Are you kidding me?

I lay there for about a minute. Then, my dog Lexi, who is 15 years old and losing her mind, comes to my side of the bed and begins her ritualistic, and unbelievably annoying, routine of turning in a circle and barking under her breath.

It works. I crawl out of bed… walk to the kitchen and feed her.

My other dog, Buddy – who is also 15 and lost his marbles a long time ago – just lays there. I’m guessing he wonders why anyone in their right mind would get up this early.

And so it begins

My next move is to pull on some workout clothes, grab some water, and walk to my dimly lit living room.

It’s just me and my psychotic – but ever so loyal – dog Lexi.

I turn on the TV, press play on the DVD player and begin approximately 60 minutes of pure pain called P90X.

If you’ve never seen the infomercial or heard of P90X you can learn about this extreme home workout program here.

I’m several weeks into the program and am seeing results. I’ve lost around 10 pounds, I’m back a belt notch, and I feel better than I have in years.

But, equally important, P90X has awakened a part of me that has been dead for many, many years.

In fact, the things I’ve learned since starting the program are definitely applicable to all aspects of my personal and professional life. And, I contend, they’ll likely apply to you as well.

1. Stop making excuses

The hardest thing about making a change to a business or manufacturing process, or your life, or really anything for that matter is the first step.

Being honest, I bought the P90X package a few months ago and sat it in the corner of my bedroom where it commenced to collect dust.

I made every excuse I could as to why I hadn’t started to my wife, and most importantly, to myself.

Finally, enough was enough. I grabbed my drill and mounted the pull up bar above my bedroom door.

I then put on some shorts and started the journey that very day.

The Lesson: The only way to make progress of any kind – in any endeavor- is to stop making excuses and start.

2. Weakness Leaving The Body

With a tremendous amount of sweat, and definitely a few tears, I made it through that first workout.

Truthfully, it nearly killed me and I definitely hit the pause button a few times to collect myself.

A day later I felt pain throughout my body like I hadn’t felt since my days as a high school wrestler in Greenville, Ohio.

I groaned about it on Facebook looking for a little sympathy from my family and close friends.

What did I get? I’ll tell you what I got.

My big brother replied with this simple, yet profound statement, “Ronnie, that’s just weakness leaving the body… keep at it.”

The Lesson: Progress of any kind will almost always start with some type of pain – physical, psychological, or financial. Those that can persevere through the pain will have a chance to win. Those that run from the pain will almost certainly fail.

3. Progress is Contagious

I did keep at it. The first week was brutal and I did skip a few days since certain parts of my body simply wouldn’t move. But I didn’t quit.

Instead, I kept at and slowly began to get the hang of it. And now that I’m seeing results I’m starving for more.

I can honestly say that I’m looking forward to the workout tomorrow morning since, I know with 100% certainty, my getting out of bed each morning at 5:15 and bringing it as P90X apologists like to say is making me a healthier, happier, and more productive person.  And, you know what?  That totally motivates me.

The Lesson: Progress is contagious. Once you get past the initial pain and begin to taste success, even just a little, you’ll want more. So, assuming you’re venturing towards something worthy and feasible, this motivation is nothing but good.

To Be Continued

Obviously, this story has just begun. Stay tuned as I’ll share my thoughts and progress over the coming months.

Oh, and for the record, please don’t expect any “before” and “after” pictures. Don’t get me wrong… you’re the best readers of the entire blogosphere… but posting shirtless pictures of myself on this blog is really pushing our relationship to a level I am not certain I’m comfortable with just yet!

What do you think?

What do you think? Do any of the 3 points above resonate true for you? Why? Why not?

Filed Under: Leadership, Productivity

The Rolling Tool Cart

February 24, 2010 By 9 Comments

I recently came across the video below and was intrigued by many aspects of this “rolling tool cart.”

Here are some of the things I liked.

  • It was made for around $50 according to this article.
  • It’s on wheels
  • It can be moved to point of use eliminating motion
  • It seems to be relatively safe to use
  • It doesn’t take up much space

Here are some things I think could be improved.

  • Do we really need that many tools on one cart or should we only focus on the tools we use most?
  • If something was missing would we know?
  • While labels are not everything… I’d at least like to see the drawers labeled.

What do you think?

What do you think of this?  Thumbs up or thumbs down?

Filed Under: Lean, Manufacturing, Productivity
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