New Year, New You? Using Lean Six Sigma to Cut the Fat—In Business and Life
Ah, January! The month when gyms are packed, smoothies replace indulgent snacks, and resolutions—fuelled by the optimism of a new year—run rampant. But how often do we set ambitious goals only to watch them fizzle out by February? Whether it’s shedding holiday weight, trimming waistlines, or tightening company processes, the principles are surprisingly similar. Let’s explore how the concept of “New Year, New You” can extend beyond personal fitness to transform your business productivity using TIMWOODS framework.
The Fitness-Productivity Connection
When people think about fitness, they focus on reducing “waist”: extra fat that doesn’t serve a purpose. Similarly, businesses carry “operational fat” or waste” through inefficiencies that weigh down productivity, profits and service. The Lean Six Sigma methodology, particularly its TIMWOODS approach, is a brilliant way to think about the way the work works and to diagnose and eliminate inefficiencies. But before diving into TIMWOODS, let’s set the stage.
In fitness, you assess your baseline: weight, fitness level, and eating habits. In business, this is about understanding where you’re wasting time, effort, or resources. It’s not about shaming the past—it’s about identifying the “As Is” and understanding opportunities for improvement that will share your “To Be” or your future state.
What is TIMWOODS?
TIMWOODS is a mnemonic that highlights eight types of waste commonly found in processes. Here’s how it breaks down:
- Transportation
- Inventory
- Motion
- Waiting
- Overproduction
- Overprocessing
- Defects
- Skills (Underutilised Talent)
Let’s explore each of these through the lens of both personal and professional “weight loss.”
- Transportation: Moving More Than Necessary
In fitness: Imagine walking across your house to grab your water bottle every time you need a sip. Wasteful, right? You could save time by simply keeping it close by.
In business: Excessive movement of materials, files, or information is transportation waste. Are teams shuttling documents between departments unnecessarily? Consider digitising workflows, multi-skilling colleagues or streamlining approval processes to cut down on inefficiencies.
Quick Fix:
Look for ways to consolidate workflows, consider a training skills matrix or make use of technology that eliminates the need for physical or digital back-and-forth.
- Inventory: Stocking Up Too Much
In fitness: Buying five tubs of protein powder because it was on sale might seem smart, but if they expire before you use them, you’ve wasted money and storage space.
In business: Excess inventory ties up cash and takes up storage space. Do you have shelves full of outdated products or unfinished projects? Do you have excessive folders and information and records? Aim to match supply with demand more precisely.
Quick Fix:
Adopt just-in-time (JIT) inventory practices to reduce stockpile waste while meeting customer needs. Ensure you hold only necessary information for the required time and purge regularly.
- Motion: Unnecessary Movements
In fitness: Think about inefficient exercises—like flailing around without proper form. You expend energy but achieve little and in some cases this can cause injury.
In business: Motion waste occurs when employees or equipment move more than necessary. For example, having printers or essential tools located far from where they’re needed. Thus can be both frustrating for colleagues but also wasteful, increase costs and increase production time.
Quick Fix:
Rearrange workspaces for ergonomic efficiency and eliminate redundant steps in processes.
- Waiting: Idle Time
In fitness: Ever spend more time waiting for the bench press to open up than actually working out? It’s frustrating and unproductive.
In business: Waiting waste happens when employees are stuck in downtime, often waiting for approvals, information, or materials.
Quick Fix:
Empower teams to make more decisions autonomously or implement tools to speed up processes (like automating report generation).
- Overproduction: Doing Too Much Too Soon
In fitness: Preparing three days of meals in advance is smart meal prep; preparing three months’ worth is overkill. Food might go bad before you can eat it.
In business: Producing more than what customers demand leads to waste, whether it’s products, reports, or meetings. Why create 50 copies of a document when only 10 are needed?
Quick Fix:
Produce only what’s necessary and focus on real-time customer demand.
- Overprocessing: Adding Unnecessary Steps
In fitness: Using three apps to track your workouts might feel productive, but it’s overprocessing. One good app could suffice.
In business: Overprocessing occurs when you’re adding unnecessary steps or features that don’t add value for the end user. Do your approval chains have too many levels? Are you over-engineering products?
Quick Fix:
Ask, “Does this step add value to the customer?” Eliminate anything that doesn’t. Consider the following, Keep a step if it adds value? Eliminate a step if it does not add value and consider the need if the step enables value, this is usually a step the is driven by regulation or legal needs.
- Defects: Mistakes and Rework
In fitness: Poor form in an exercise can lead to injury, requiring time and effort to fix. That’s a defect in your workout process.
In business: Errors in production or service delivery lead to defects. Whether it’s a product recall or a misfiled document, defects waste resources, take time to fix and injure your bottom line or service position.
Quick Fix:
Focus on quality control upfront to reduce rework later – get it right first time. Use tools like checklists, templates and better training
- Skills: Not Leveraging Talent
In fitness: You hire a personal trainer but only ask them about dieting tips. That’s underutilising their expertise.
In business: Underutilising your team’s talents is a significant waste. Are employees stuck doing tasks below their skill level because of poor delegation or lack of training? Or are they doing the same thing day in day out because they have not been multiskilled and empowered?
Quick Fix:
Invest in professional development, cross-training, and giving team members stretch assignments that challenge them.
Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement
Fitness goals are achieved through consistency and discipline—not crash diets or quick fixes. It’s a lifestyle change. A change of mental model. The same is true for businesses aiming to cut waste and boost productivity. The key is adopting a mental model of continuous improvement. Encourage employees to think critically about their tasks and suggest improvements.
Final Thoughts: Lean Into the New Year
“New Year, New You” isn’t just about fitting into your favourite jeans again. It’s a chance to rethink how you’re running your life and your business. By applying Lean Six Sigma principles and tackling waste with the TIMWOODS framework, you’ll trim the fat, increase efficiency, and build a leaner, fitter organisation.
So, as you set your resolutions this year, don’t just focus on the treadmill—focus on transforming your workplace. A leaner business means more time for the things you truly value. Now that’s a resolution worth keeping!
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