Free to print
The standard is the part that stays
You can sort a room in an afternoon. Keeping it that way is a different job, and it is the one almost every organizing system skips. This is twenty sheets, one per room, naming what each micro zone holds to and the everyday moment that brings it back.
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Landing Zone
The surface holds the tray and the folder and nothing else, and keys never ride out of the house in a coat pocket that lives on a hanger.
As you take your coat off, your hands are already full and already stopped.
Coat and Outerwear Zone
Two empty hooks at all times. If there is no empty hook, one coat is in the wrong room.
On the first morning cold enough that you go looking for gloves, that is the seasonal swap.
A book tells you what to do. A standard tells you when you are done.
Every reset ends the same way: the room looks right, and nobody has written down what right was. Six weeks later the room has drifted and there is nothing to compare it against, so the whole job gets done again from the beginning.
A standard is one sentence describing the finished state, checkable at a glance. It is not a rule and not a chore chart. It is the answer to the only question that matters when you walk in: is this zone right, or not?
What is on a sheet
Three things, and one of them is a signature
The standard
What the zone looks like when it is right, in one sentence. A description of a finished state, not an instruction.
The trigger
The everyday moment that starts the reset. Coming home from the pharmacy. Putting the broom away. A standard attached to a moment survives. A standard attached to good intentions does not.
Two signatures
A standard nobody agreed to is one person's preference, and the household will treat it as one. Those two lines matter more than the wording above them.
Where it goes
On the door, not in a drawer
Inside the cupboard door. On the back of the pantry door. Above the bench where the work actually happens. A standard filed away is not a standard, and a standard on the fridge for a room upstairs gets read exactly once.
Rewrite any line that stops being true. A standard that is quietly broken every week is a bad standard, and the room is telling you so. That is the point of the pen line, not a failure of it.
Twenty sheets
Every room, 114 micro zones
Each sheet's standard comes from the zone's own page, which also walks the six passes that get the zone there. Pick yours:
- Entryway. The Landing Spot, The Coats and Outerwear, The Shoes and Boots, The Bench or Console, The Door, Mat, and Immediate Floor
- Kitchen. The Primary Prep Counter, The Cooking Zone, The Sink and Dishwashing Zone, The Upper Cabinets, The Lower Cabinets and Cookware, The Utensil and Utility Drawers, The Refrigerator and Freezer
- Pantry. The Dry Goods Shelves, The Canned and Jarred Goods, The Baking Zone, The Snack and Lunch Zone, The Backstock and Bulk
- Dining Room. The Dining Table, The Sideboard Surface, The Sideboard Storage, The China or Display Cabinet, The Beverage or Coffee Station
- Living Room. The Sofa and Seating, The Coffee Table, The Media Center, The Bookshelves and Display, The Side Tables and Lighting, The Floor and Circulation Path
- Family Room. The Primary Media Zone, The Toy and Play Zone, The Board Game and Puzzle Zone, The Blanket and Comfort Zone, The Charging and Device Zone, The Craft and Activity Zone
- Primary Bedroom. The Bed and Bedding Zone, Your Own Nightstand, The Other Sleeper's Nightstand, The Dresser Top, The Dresser Drawers, The Primary Closet
- Guest Bedroom. The Guest Bed and Linens, The Guest Nightstand, The Guest Dresser, The Guest Closet, The Guest Welcome and Work Surface
- Kids Bedroom. The Bed and Sleep Zone, The Toy Storage Zone, The Study Desk, The Clothing Closet, The Dresser Drawers, The School and Activity Launch Zone
- Nursery. The Crib and Sleep Zone, The Changing Station, The Baby Clothing Zone, The Feeding Station, The Diaper and Care Backstock, The Books and Quiet Play Zone
- Primary Bathroom. The Vanity Counter, The Vanity Drawers, The Under-Sink Cabinet, The Medicine Cabinet, The Shower or Tub, The Toilet Area, The Linen and Towel Storage
- Guest Bathroom. The Guest Vanity Counter, The Guest Vanity Storage, The Shower or Tub, The Toilet Area, The Guest Linen Zone
- Laundry Room. The Washer and Dryer, The Detergent and Treatment Zone, The Sorting and Hamper Zone, The Folding Surface, The Hanging and Air-Dry Zone, The Utility and Cleaning Zone
- Home Office. The Primary Desk, The Desk Drawers and Pedestal, The File Storage, The Bookshelf and Reference Zone, The Printer and Scanning Station, The Supply Cabinet
- Garage. The Primary Workbench, The Hand Tool Wall and Cabinets, The Power Tool and Battery Zone, The Automotive Care Zone, The Sports and Recreation Zone, The Lawn and Garden Tool Zone, The Bulk and Overhead Storage
- Workshop. The Main Workbench, The Power Tool Storage, The Fastener and Hardware Zone, The Material Rack, The Finishing and Chemical Zone, The Safety and PPE Station
- Mudroom. The Family Hook Zone, The Bench and Transition Surface, The Shoe and Boot Storage, The Pet Station, The Seasonal Outdoor Gear, The Cleaning and Utility Zone
- Hall Closet. The Linen Shelf Zone, The Cleaning Equipment Zone, The Cleaning Supply Zone, The Paper and Household Backstock, The Seasonal and Guest Zone
- Stair Landing. The Landing Surface or Console, The Wall and Display Zone, The Stair and Floor Path
- Patio or Deck. The Outdoor Seating Zone, The Grill and Outdoor Cooking Zone, The Outdoor Dining Zone, The Garden and Plant Care Zone, The Outdoor Storage Zone, The Surface, Rail, and Safety Zone
What comes next
These sheets hold the work. They do not do it.
A standard says what right looks like. It does not tell you how to get there from a room that is currently wrong. That is the Whole House Print Pack: the same 114 micro zones taken through all six passes, 684 cards you print nine to a page and carry into the room while you work.
Sort, Straighten, Shine, Safety, Standardize, Sustain, one card at a time. Safety is the fourth S, not an afterthought at the end.
You do not have to print anything to start. The same work runs free in your browser, one zone at a time, and it asks what is annoying you before it suggests a thing to do.
The Print Pack is emailed within a few hours. These sheets stay free either way.
Questions
Questions people ask about standards
- What is a standard in 6S?
- A standard is one sentence describing the finished state, checkable at a glance. It is not a rule and not a chore chart. It is the answer to the only question that matters when you walk in: is this zone right, or not?
- What goes on a standards sheet?
- Three things. The standard: what the zone looks like when it is right, in one sentence. The trigger: the everyday moment that starts the reset. And two signatures, because a standard nobody agreed to is one person's preference, and the household will treat it as one.
- Where should a standards sheet go?
- Inside the cupboard door. On the back of the pantry door. Above the bench where the work actually happens. A standard filed away is not a standard, and a standard on the fridge for a room upstairs gets read exactly once.
- What if a standard stops being true?
- Rewrite any line that stops being true. A standard that is quietly broken every week is a bad standard, and the room is telling you so. That is the point of the pen line, not a failure of it.
- Do the sheets tell me how to reset the room?
- No. A standard says what right looks like. It does not tell you how to get there from a room that is currently wrong. Each sheet's standard comes from the zone's own page, which also walks the six passes that get the zone there.