8 Wastes

One of the foundational principles in Lean Management is to eliminate waste. Waste shows itself in 8 forms and wreaks havoc on our lives.

WARNING: You will never see things the same after learning these types of waste!

Touches: handling items more times than is necessary to complete a task (a bill by mail gets touched at least 5 times before it is dealt with and filed/paid/tossed)
Creations: producing more of something than is actually required by you, your family, or guests (making large appetizer platters for a party and having to throw the excess away)
Stuff: having more of something than is actually needed; takes up space and is money sitting on the shelf (extra "just in case" items bought at grocery store that you forget you have and buy more of)
Waiting: anything that is not moving towards it’s “finish line” (wet laundry in the washing machine “waiting” to be moved to the dryer or waiting in the dryer to be folded)
Steps: a person moving more than is necessary to accomplish a task (Making coffee. My coffee pot is across the kitchen from the mugs, with the grinder under the counter, and the beans in the pantry. This is a lot of extra steps prolonging  the enjoyment of my morning cup of brew.)
Damn Its: an error that causes a break in finishing the task, resulting in major frustration and rework (damp clothes are left in the washer too long and require a re-washing, a bill doesn’t get paid on time resulting in delayed services)
Trips: excessively moving an item before its final destination (bulk items go from car to basement with bulk item storage, then gets moved up towards its point of use, and then finally makes it into action)
Head Space: anything that requires mental energy unnecessarily (spending time guessing where your keys are hiding)