7S: How to Be Unproductive in a Very Tidy Way

It always starts with a broom. Not a better policy. Not a more efficient process. Just… a broom. Or a new shelf. Or a bright red label that screams “TAPE HERE” like that’s going to fix systemic inefficiency. We call it 7S. I call it performance art for the underpaid and over-managed.

In my current workplace, 7S has become our favorite illusion of progress. We polish our tables like it’ll reflect competence. We realign folders like it realigns priorities. We proudly display our “before and after” photos as if anyone asked. Meanwhile, the actual deliverables? Delayed. Disjointed. Disregarded.

We aren’t improving systems—we’re decorating dysfunction.

There was a time last week when I spent an entire afternoon watching coworkers argue over the font size of cabinet labels. Not the report deadlines, not the implementation gaps—just labels. And I realized: we’ve turned 7S into a religion. Not of discipline, but of distraction.

Let’s be honest. Nobody dares question it anymore. To challenge 7S is to be labeled lazy. “Walang malasakit.” As if refusing to sweep the floor for the third time this week means you’re a bad employee, not a sane one. We reward those who look busy, not those who move the needle.

And the real tragedy? We've convinced ourselves this is “culture-building.” That labeling the printer paper tray somehow builds unity. But it’s not culture—it’s control. A sanitized script written to keep everyone occupied, obedient, and quiet.

But the most dangerous clutter isn’t on your desk. It’s in the unspoken rules. The rituals we repeat without reflection. The unquestioned worship of order over outcome. The blind faith that if it’s labeled and lined up, it must be working.

I’m not saying don’t clean. I’m saying stop pretending that neatness is a strategy.

You know what’s messier than a dusty cabinet? Real work. The kind that involves decisions, risks, late nights, difficult conversations. You can’t label that. You can’t audit that with a checklist. So instead, we dust. We sort. We shine. Because it’s safer than confronting the chaos that actually needs fixing.

So here’s my humble proposal: maybe the eighth S should be Substance. Or better yet—Sense. Because at some point, we have to choose between being visibly organized and actually effective.

And if that still doesn’t work—then maybe it’s time for the ninth S:

Surrender.

Surrender to the fact that no amount of laminated posters will fix broken leadership.

Surrender to the reality that cleaning is cheaper than thinking, so that’s what gets funded.

Surrender to the grand truth we all secretly know: that productivity is often measured in mops per minute, not impact per mandate.

Because sometimes, when you’ve sorted, systematized, swept, sustained, and still nothing gets done… you don’t need a strategy.

You need a sabbatical.

Preferably in a place where no one asks you to label the stapler drawer again.

#7Syndrome #ProductivityButMakeItCute #CleanDeskEmptyReports #GovtGoals #OrganizedButLost #BroomBeforeBrains #LabelNation #EfficiencyCosplay #SortedButStillScrewed #WhereImpactGo #SatireSaSistema #FilipinoWorkRealities #OfficePolitics101 #AuditMySoul #SurrenderNaLang #AestheticOverActual #BureaucracyInHD

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