Organize Your Kitchen
Let’s start the process of figuring out the best way to organize your kitchen.
Are you ready to eliminate MORE clutter? Refer to the “decluttering toolkit” in Roz’s Reasons on the website and then join us back here to organize!
GATHER YOUR SUPPLIES
• Decluttering toolkit
• Paper
• Pencil or pen
SET A TIMER
Spend your time purposefully and productively. Don’t allow your time to be hijacked. YOU are in charge! Set the timer to YOUR allotted minutes for this task.
PURPOSELY ORGANIZE YOUR KITCHEN
When you first moved into your home, did you pause and purposefully think through the best place to put your kitchen utensils, pots and pans, dishes, glasses, and appliances? Or did you just empty boxes as fast as you could? Did you unpack thinking you would organize it later? Did someone else unpack for you?
Regardless of how you answered these questions, you’ve been in your kitchen for a while now. Perhaps it’s been years! You know what you love about it and what drives you bonkers. You know what works and what needs improvement.
So often the crazy things that bug us can actually be changed…but we just never get around to the solution. Well, today you can finally cross some of these things off your list!
Make a plan. Organize with PURPOSE.
1. Make sure kitchen supplies are in the best location.
• When you unload the dishwasher, do you travel all over the kitchen to put up the dishes? Or is the silverware drawer and plate cabinet close to the dishwasher?
• Do you have to remove everything in a cabinet to get to that small appliance you use twice a week? Would it benefit you to have your appliances in the pantry instead of dry goods? Or vice versa?
• Should you move the plastic ware/storage container drawer to a higher location so your toddler can’t reorganize it (aka “destroy” it) three times per day?
Evaluate your kitchen. Organize your kitchen supplies and store them according to YOUR needs and how often you use them. I guarantee you’ll be more likely to use them AND enjoy your time spent in the kitchen.
2. Create stations.
As you plan, think through the lens of stations: a prep station, cooking station, and cleaning station could be your first place to attack.
Store cutting boards, knives, and bowls near the prep area. Keep pots, pans, spatulas and other cooking instruments by the stove. Stock the cleaning area near the sink and dishwasher.
Once the essential areas are set up, add additional stations: bowls, mixers, beaters, & rubber spatulas could be placed in a baking area. Your coffee, coffee pot, coffee grinder, sugar, spices, etc. could be placed in the coffee station. You could even have special stations for the kids’ snacks or breakfast items.
3. Group like items.
Similar to the station concept, grouping like items together help maintain your organized kitchen. Store and group spices together. Keep all of your knives in one place. Store fruits together. Organize canned items in the same area.
When you group similar kitchen items together, you won’t have to search high and low looking for a particular item. This means your frustration will decrease and your efficiency will increase.
4. Set up the kitchen to suit the primary user.
Is the primary user of the kitchen left or right-handed?
If left-handed, keep knives to the left of your prep area. Place your spatula container to the left of your stove and pots in the left cabinet.
If the primary user is right-handed, do the opposite!
Take a few minutes to look through your kitchen and determine the best placement for your appliances, dishes, pots & pans, serving dishes, spatulas, etc. Organize your kitchen with a purpose! If your toddlers have grown into teenagers, it might be time to rearrange and re-prioritize.
Your assignment for today:
• Set your timer. Then purposely organize your kitchen!
• Continue working on Habit #2.
• Keep working on your Rainbow calendar.
