Lean Six Sigma Academy

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?

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?

As I watched the Super Bowl last night – where, I must admit, I was cheering for the Colts – I couldn’t help but marvel at how well Drew Brees was playing.

To be sure, he was in the zone from the 2nd quarter through the end of the game. The Colts simply couldn’t stop him.

The fact Brees seemed to be “in the zone” is actually referred to as being in the state of Flow.

Lean practitioners often speak about flow, or making material and information flow smoothly without interruption. And while this is great stuff, it’s not the same Flow Drew Brees experienced last night in the warm Miami air.

The Psychology of Flow

The phenomena we call Flow was first proposed by Hungarian psychology professor Mihály Csíkszentmihályi.

There are many formal definitions of Flow with most of them explaining that Flow is a mental state of being whereby a person is completely immersed in the task at hand. And during this immersion the person experiences a sense of laser focus, energy, and extreme satisfaction.

The question now becomes how non NFL football players of the world, like most of us, can consistently achieve this same, or similar, state of Flow in our daily life.

Here are my thoughts on 5 specific things we can all do. And, as always, I look forward to learning from your thoughts and comments.

1. Unplug From the World

In order to experience Flow you must do your best to unplug from the world. This means, gasp, closing down your email, Twitter account, Facebook page, and Internet browser in general.

It also means turning your phones (cell and landline) off since nothing will break Flow faster than either of these devices doing what they do best – make noise and distract.

2. Stand Up

There is more and more research explaining how detrimental sitting for extended periods of time is to the human body.

As such, standing is a far better option. Initially it will be hard, and finding Flow might be difficult as your legs ache for the first week or so, but eventually you’ll find yourself far more focused and productive as you stand and work.

3. Know Your Stuff

Athletes like Drew Brees are so good at what they do (since they’ve practiced for thousands of hours) they’re often able to perform on a completely different level than most.

And so it is with us. Once we become extremely good at something, by practicing, we’ll have a much better chance of finding Flow while doing this type of work, or slight variations of it.

For example, while I’m not a professional blogger by any means, I have written a few things in my life. I’m comfortable writing. And since I try to write like I talk… once I get an idea in mind I’m often able to pound out 750 words in no time at all.

Psychologists often refer to this concept of “knowing your stuff” extremely well as overlearning, meaning you’ve practiced a particular task so much it leads to something called automaticity.

4. Work on What Matters

You’ll have a much better chance of achieving Flow when you’re working on things that really matter.

While I’m sure he competes hard no matter what game he’s playing, I’m quite confident the fact Drew Brees was playing in the biggest sporting event of his life assisted him in achieving the level of Flow he experienced last night.

So, while we all have to take care of the menial tasks in life… do your best to work on the tasks that matter most to you.

5. Find Work You Love

If you hate your work it’s going to be difficult to experience Flow.

So, while it’s not always immediately possible, you should strive to find work you love and are passionate about.

When I first sat behind a Gemba Academy video camera I was a nervous wreck since I wasn’t very good at it. But there was something intriguing about it. So I persevered.

Now, after lots of practice, there are few things I love more than sitting behind those cameras while waxing poetic about all things lean.

There’s no doubt about it… I love what I do and, as such, often find myself in a state of Flow while the lights are on and camera’s rolling.

What about you?

So these are a few things you can try as you aim to find Flow in your daily work.

Do you agree with my list? Do you have any additional ideas for how you find the zone and enter into the state of Flow?

No matter what you do for a living one thing is certain – personal productivity matters. A lot.

My wife stays home raising our 4 kids. She does her very best to be productive.

I run a company, among other things. I do my very best to be productive.

You _________. You likely do your very best to be productive.

So what to do? How can we all be more productive citizens of this great world of ours?

Allow me to share my thoughts on the matter. And, as always, I’m anxious to hear what you think as well.

1. Get Adequate Sleep

No one really understands why this is… but we humans need to sleep. Our bodies must recover while our souls rest.

To be sure, everyone is different, but if you don’t get adequate sleep on a regular basis I feel confident in guaranteeing you’re not as productive as you could be.

Don’t believe me? Prove me wrong and get at least 8 hours of sleep for 14 nights straight and see what happens.

2. Exercise

This is one thing I’ve put off to the side for far too long.

As a countermeasure, I’ve recently started the P90X program and it’s kicking my butt. But I am waking up at 5:15 in the morning and cranking it out in my dimly lit living room.

Recently, I almost puked at the end of a workout (legs and back) but after slugging back my recovery drink and taking a shower I felt like a million bucks – full of energy and ready to take on the day.

Like insufficient sleep, if you don’t exercise you’ll likely feel sluggish throughout the day and, I hate to break it to you, your risk of sickness is much higher than those who do exercise.

3. Eat Well

Next, eating well is extremely important. Like exercise, I was not doing well in this area for a long time. I ate bad foods more than good food and drinking several sugar filled sodas throughout the day was the norm.

Now I’m doing my very best to eat more salads, drink water instead of soda, and since my wife is an organic food fanatic evening meals are always healthy.

4. Read

As important as exercise and diet are to the body I feel reading is equally important for the health and vitality of your mind.

Since you’re reading this sentence chances are you’re doing well in this area. But this doesn’t mean you can’t do better. If you read for 15 minutes before bed crank it up to 20.

5. Pray

Finally, I’m a man of faith and find spending time in quiet prayer extremely valuable.

It helps me keep perspective while also seeking guidance as I navigate through this thing called life.

If you’re not a person of faith I’d still encourage you to take some time throughout the day to quiet your mind and reflect on the blessings and challenges of your life.

What about you?

So those are 5, albeit not simple, things any person can do to improve their personal productivity.

What do you think of the list? Do you agree with it? Do you do anything I’ve not mentioned in order to increase your personal productivity?

As we start off the new year one thing is for certain… there will be lots of resolutions stated.

Everything from weight loss to improving the way money is managed will be focused in on for, at the very least, 7 to 10 days.

Yep.  You’ll more than likely fail at whatever you’re setting out to do.  Sorry.  Just trying to speak the truth.

That’s the bad news.  Want the good news?

It doesn’t have to be this way.  Here are some tips I’d like to propose for goal setting, I mean New Years Resolutions.

1. Get Real

If you’ve not worked out for 11 years don’t set a goal to work out for 2 hours every day of the week.  That’s not realistic.

Instead, start small and set a goal to work out 3 times a week for 10 minutes a session.  Then, once you are successful crank it up a bit more and increase it to 15 minutes, etc.

It’s good to be aggressive.  I love aggression.  But it’s even better to be real.  So no matter what your goal is be realistic and set a goal you’re confident you can succeed at.

2. Shhh… Write it Down

Instead of announcing your goal to every friend and Facebook follower you have… just write it down on a piece of paper you will see each and every day.  Perhaps you can tape it to your bathroom mirror.

In other words… this goal of yours belong to one person.  You.  You don’t need to make a big deal about it.  Just set it and go for it.

Having an accountability partner is OK… but I am not a big fan of announcing your goals to the whole world.

3. Think of Others First

Finally, the last tip I’d like to offer you is this.  Instead of focusing on a goal for yourself… why not set a goal to help others in some way.

The fact others will benefit from you just may be the catalyst you need to finally nail that resolution.

And the best part… success is contagious.  So once you succeed at helping others you just may have the motivation you need to help yourself.

What Do You Think?

Do you agree with my list?  What would you add?

I recently came across an elegant and minimalist online “to do” tracking tool called Teux Deux.

Now, to be sure, I am a fan of the hand written to do list… but since I travel a lot I also like to maintain an online list.

This tool is free and very easy to use and I am giving it a shot… feel free to do the same and let me know how you get on.

Here is a short, and somewhat quirky, video explaining how it works. If you’re reading this via email or RSS reader you will likely need to click through to the site. Enjoy!

TeuxDeux Demo from TeuxDeux on Vimeo.

I was on the road last night doing some work  in my hotel room.

After an hour or so my back started to hurt from the crappy chair I was sitting in so I decided to create my very own “stand up desk to go” in honor of my recent home office stand up desk.

And for the record… my little arrangement worked great!  See what a little creativity and problem solving can accomplish?

I first witnessed so called “stand up desks” in Japan during my JKE trip. As an aside you can read about this amazing trip here, here, here, here, and here.

Anyhow, I wasn’t quite sure what to make of the idea.  I mean come on… standing up all the time… seriously?  The claims are that those that always stand are far more productive than those that sit in comfortable chairs.

Kevin Takes Action

Well, a few months after I got back from Japan my friend Kevin Meyer went on this same JKE trip and saw the same thing I did.  The only difference is Kevin took action when he got home and scrapped his traditional desk for a stand up desk.  It’s now more than one year later and Kevin is still standing.

It’s Now My Time

So, alas, I decided it was time to give it a try myself and this weekend I converted my old desk into a stand up desk.

I used an old shelf I had to hold my monitor and speakers so the only thing on the desk top was my wireless keyboard and mouse.

I used a small hole saw to cut an opening behind the monitor and down towards the floor to hide all the cables which is really nice.

How Did You Do It?

Now, you might be wondering how I increased the height of my desk.  Well, my goal was to not spend a cent on this project so I got creative and used two storage crates I already had to hold the desk up.

I know it’s not super professional and I’ll likely find a better solution over the next few weeks… but I didn’t want to delay anymore than I had.  And, again, I didn’t want to spend any money until I was convinced this was how I wanted to work for the next 30 years!

So Far So Good

It’s taking some getting used to… especially typing.  But my back feels great and I find myself far more focused on what I need to do.  So, we’ll see how it goes.  I’ll offer some updates from time to time and when (and if) I scrap the crates for something more professional I’ll be sure to let you know!

What Do You Think?

So, do you think I’m nuts?  Or are you standing at your desk as you read this?  And if you’re sitting could you ever imagine giving this stand up desk thing a try?

Studies have shown that the average person can spend around 30 seconds every 5 minutes of their working day searching for something. That’s not too bad… or is it?

Consider This

Well, if you consider that this is 30 seconds out of a possible 300 seconds… meaning 10% of this time has been wasted on searching for something and not adding value to the product or end customer, it would seem less than good!

Taken even further… over a 450 minute shift this “searching time” could essentially result in 45 minutes of wasted time! Yikes.

Ideal State

Of course 30 seconds is not the perfect number and searching time will vary person by person and situation by situation. But imagine being able to never search more than 3 seconds for something. What would that mean?

For starters, this is a 90% improvement (30 seconds to 3 seconds) resulting in savings of over 40 minutes per 450 minute shift!  Not too shabby, eh?

Ultimate Productivity Enhancer

So, while 5S is often thought of as a housekeeping activity where all we do is throw away the junk we’ve been hording and tidy up a bit… it would seem to be so much more.

You see, 5S could very well be one of the most powerful productivity tools you have access to. And the best part of all? You can start improving your 5S today. There’s no need to wait.

Quick Test

If you’d like to test this searching theory out try this. Select a co-worker or family member and think of something you’ve given them in the last week or so. Maybe a document, or an email, or something of relative importance.

Once you have the “item” in mind go and ask that person to retrieve it for you and count in your head how long it takes them.  You may be surprised at what you discover!

What do you think?

Do you think 30 seconds every 5 minutes is a realistic “searching” number? Or is too high? Too low? What do you think?

Note: This is the 400th article here on LSS Academy! I’ll take some time to reflect on this in the near future. But for now, I have a far more important topic to discuss. Read on.

Times are tough. Real tough. You may have recently lost your job. You may be worried about losing your job. You may be worried about making payroll this month. No matter the situation you’re in… chance are… things have been a lot better than they are now.

What to do? I’ll tell you exactly what I think you should do. Invest. Yep, that’s right. You and I need to invest like never before.

And before you think I’m crazy I am not proposing you invest in the stock market, housing market, or anything like that.

Nope. I am talking about investing in two particular things – yourself and your company.

Invest in Yourself

Let’s begin with you. Here are some tips for how you can invest in yourself.

• Make something happen. You have the knowledge. You have the will. Now it’s time to do something with these attributes. Go to your gemba – or the place the work is done – and attack the waste that’s devouring your company. It’s there. I promise. Find it… then kill it.
• Learn something new. I don’t care what it is. Learn something new and learn it this week. Need help? Click here.
• Help others. I assure you someone has it worse off than you. Find them and help them. You’ll help yourself more than you know.
• Stop worrying. Lastly, worrying is natural. It’s also detrimental to success. So try to stop worrying and instead start focusing on the three points above.

Invest in Your Company

Now that we have you taken care of let’s switch gears and talk about how you can invest in your company.

• Run a kaizen. Find something to improve. Assemble a team. And hit it. And hit it hard. Then when you’re done – repeat.
• Light the fire. Ever heard of the burning platform? Now is the time to light a few while pouring gasoline all over them (metaphorically speaking of course).
• Ask how you can help. Not sure what you can do to help your company? Ask someone. If they don’t know ask someone else.

What about You?

Do you agree with this advice? If so, why? If not, why? Do you have anything to add to the ideas above?

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