Me, Myself & My VPN: A Lean Look at Digital Disruption

Every Friday night, I transform my kitchen into something special. It’s fine dining night, good food, good wine, and, most importantly, the perfect atmosphere. Cooking something special, glass of wine in hand, kitchen lit just right… and the perfect soundtrack filling the air. And for that, I need my foreign radio station app playing in the background. I’m into synth-pop, modern Italo disco, the kind of global niche music that you won’t find on most mainstream UK radio stations.

So, every Friday, without fail, I fire up my favourite foreign radio station app, usually streaming stations out of Germany, Italy, or Canada. It’s what takes the cooking experience from “everyday meal” to culinary event. But before I can do that, I have to switch on my VPN which is on my home screen. Because some of these stations are geo-restricted, and without that VPN connection, it’s radio silence. The radio app? Tucked away on page two.

5S: When Organised Isn’t Optimised

Now, naturally, I had 5S’d my phone layout long ago.

• Frequently used apps on my home screen.

• Less-used ones grouped neatly in folders on page two.

• Similar apps categorised together, media apps with media, tools with tools.

I even remember feeling proud of how tidy it looked, a perfectly structured little dashboard. But here’s what I missed: function doesn't always follow form. Because even though the layout was technically neat, it didn’t support flow.

• The VPN app was front and centre.

• The radio app was hidden two swipes away, buried in the "Entertainment" folder.

• And the two are always used together, but nowhere near each other.

So, every Friday night, the same clunky routine:
- Open VPN → wait for it to connect
- Exit
- Swipe twice, open the folder
- Find the radio app
- Finally hit play

It wasn’t wrong, but it wasn’t Lean. It was a fragmented flow for something that should feel seamless and once I saw the waste, I couldn’t unsee it.

And if you’ve been using 5S long enough, you know, it’s never one-and-done. Enter PDCA:

• Plan: Original layout based on frequency

• Do: Set it up that way

• Check: Realise it’s breaking my flow

• Act: Reorganise based on sequence, not just usage

Why I Use a VPN Often

And just to clarify, it’s not just about music. I use my VPN a lot:
- For privacy when browsing on public Wi-Fi
- To access location-specific content
- To securely log into services when travelling

So yes, it did make sense for VPN to have home screen real estate. But…
when used in sequence with another app, frequency alone isn’t the only criteria. 

The Fix: Designing for Flow, Not Just Frequency

So, I made the shift. I moved the radio app up, onto the prime real estate of page one, right next to the VPN. At first, it felt counterintuitive. I mean, why give home screen priority to an app I only use once or twice a week? Because now they’re used in-sequence. One tap flow into the next, no friction, no faff. That’s the Lean business case I had to make to myself. Not just about space, but about value. Not just about neatness, but about the user journey.

• Where does this app belong, based on when and how it’s used?

• What’s its partner in the process?

• How much motion waste am I accepting just because I’ve normalised it?

And like any good 5S exercise, I gave each app a home based on use in context, not in isolation. For someone else, the best location might be different. But for me? That one change made my Friday nights smoother, more satisfying… and made the music flow right into the cooking without any interruptions.

When Neatness Becomes False Satisfaction

Here’s the thing. Most people organise their phones (and their lives) based on what looks good:

• Folders

• Matching categories

• Everything in “its place”

But there’s a difference between visually tidy and functionally lean. It’s the same reason we put T-shirts in one drawer, socks in another, underwear in a third. It looks logical. It feels organised. But in reality? 80% of the time, you’re reaching for the same few pieces. The rest are repeaters or strangers, items you wear once in a while, or forgot you even had. So why not lean it? Segment one drawer:

• Front third for the runners

• Middle for repeaters

• Back for strangers

Same storage. Different layout. Massive difference in flow.

The Lean Takeaway: Organise for Movement, Not Just Management

Prioritise flow over frequency. Organising things for the sake of neatness is a false win. Lean reminds us that true organisation serves flow. How things are actually used in context, together. Whether it’s a radio app, a VPN, or your sock drawer, designing for how you actually move through the process is what makes the difference. Packing a travel bag (we recommend modular packing with LeanPac)? Put items in the order you’ll need them, not just where they fit.

How Many "Page Toggles" Are in Your Day?

Is there something you’ve structured in a “logical” way, but it still trips you up? So, what’s your version of my radio app? What’s the app, drawer, or folder you keep clicking, opening, or searching for in the wrong place?

Drop a comment, I’d love to hear where you’ve discovered that frequency or category doesn’t always = flow.

Because once you rehome that thing to where it really belongs… you’ll wonder why you didn’t do it sooner.