People say that your home is a great reflection of your personality. What would your home reflect if everything in your room is in shambles? You cannot even remember where you put your important files and your clothes.

Good thing that you can use the 5S in organizing your home or your room. The system, which stands for Sort, Shine, Set in Order, Standardize, and Sustain, has been used by large, successful companies. Locally, however, you can apply this in your immediate surroundings.

Here are a few suggestions on how to apply the 5S in your own room or home:

1. Do some color coding. Arrange similar items through the use of colors. For instance, employment documents and other important papers should be placed in a blue box. If you have old business cards, it helps to have all these placed in one business card case so these will not be scattered. Old magazines, books, and other periodicals should be placed in a black box. Toys, decorations, used lighters with sentimental value such as Zippos may all be stacked in a green box. Color coding will help you identify which items are in that box. Just remember what the colors stand for so you would not end up sorting through each box again.

2. Get rid of unused boxes and other containers. Some people have the habit of keeping shoes and small-to-medium sized appliances in their respective boxes. If these take up a lot of space, get rid of them. Instead, buy a shoe rack or a cabinet and neatly stack these items there.

3. Sort items and discard those that are no longer useable. In the process of cleaning up your room, you will eventually discover a few items that are no longer of service to you. Among these are clothes, wallets, and shoes. Don’t be a hoarder of these things. Some people may be able to use them. Have the heart to share what you no longer use but which are still in good condition. Going forward, make use of less bulky things such as a money clip wallet, compact DVD stand, and foldable sofa bed. These will certainly give you extra room to make your place look more spacious.

These are just a few suggestions on how to apply sophisticated corporate systems into your own home. It is good to know, then, that you can actually simplify the 5S and localize its use into your own home.