Tag Archive | organize

3 Easy Steps to Organize Your Cabinets & Maximize Your Kitchen

ARE YOUR CABINETS OVERSTUFFED, INEFFICIENT AND DIFFICULT TO USE?

IS IT HARD TO FIND WHAT YOU WANT OR EASILY REACH WHAT YOU NEED?

IS THE DISORGANIZATION IMPACTING THE FUNCTIONALITY OF YOUR KITCHEN?

If you’ve answered YES to any of these questions, it might be time to reorganize and and setup your cabinets to increase the efficiency in  your kitchen.  Using a few basic organizing techniques, implementing a variety of space-saving tools and investing a little bit of time will quickly maximize the everyday function of your kitchen space.  Read on to learn how you can get your cabinets organized today.

CLEAR IT ALL OUT

The very first thing you should do is choose the cabinet(s) you wish to work on; choose your target cabinet based on the time you have available and by using this general guideline:

  • 2 Hours: 1 cabinet
  • 4 Hours: 2-3 cabinets
  • 8 Hours: 4-6 cabinets
  • 12 Hours: 4-6 cabinets & a small pantry

Once you’ve determined what cabinet to focus on, clear everything out of that cabinet.  If you remove food items, check the expiration date for each item, TOSS what is expired and SET ASIDE what is left.

If the cabinet contains dishware, check each piece for broken parts (TOSS), pieces you don’t use very often (MOVE TO ANOTHER LOCATION) or pieces you no longer wish to keep (DONATE OR GIVE AWAY).  Wipe down the cabinet and consider installing new shelf paper or lining.

CATEGORIZE YOUR ITEMS

Once you know what you will be keeping (you should have been able to decrease your overall inventory by at least 1/3 with the above purge technique), then it’s time to GROUP LIKE WITH LIKE.  Here’s an example of possible groupings:

For food items:

♦ canned goods ♦ boxed goods
♦ cereal ♦ baking
♦ spices ♦ oils
♦ grains ♦ pasta

For dishware:

♦ plates ♦ bowls
♦ glasses ♦ coffee cups
♦ serving platters ♦ silverware
♦ mixing bowls ♦ baking pans
♦ pots & pans

After the items have been sorted through and grouped accordingly, decide on which cabinet in which they will be housed and return the appropriate items to the designated location.  Here is a general location guideline:

  1. Dishware & utensils near the cleaning source (dishwasher/sink)
  2. Servingware near the serving spaces (place where you eat)
  3. Bakeware near the oven; mixing bowls near the prep center
  4. glasses/cups near the source of drink (refrigerator, cold drawer or coffee station)

CONTAINERIZE TO MAXIMIZE SPACE

If you have food items that are used on an everyday basis, consider implementing a system to house that food.  Containers are great for maximizing space and keeping food fresher for longer.  They also make identifying contents quick and easy as well as reaching a breeze.

AFTER Photo of pasta/grain cabinet
Here’s an example of a container system that was used for a client’s recent cabinet makeover.

A combination of store-bought containers and repurposed containers was implemented to reduce  cost.

The clear containers allow the food to be easily identified and the shape of the containers make it easily reachable.

 

Another example of maximizing space with containers is illustrated below with my own pantry container system that was designed using products from Tupperware.

The sliding doors on this cabinet make everything easily accessible, the container system inside helps to keep the food organized and fresh and the small space is maximized to its fullest storage capacity.  Adding labels makes it easy to see the contents at a glance and is like the icing on the cake!

Maximizing your kitchen cabinets can be quite simple using the 3 Cs strategy detailed in this article.  Once you have implemented the techniques, you will find that you will no longer answer YES to the questions above and you will quickly be on your way to maximizing the functionality of your kitchen.

Now it’s your turn….TELL US if you think this is something you want to try by dropping a comment below.  As always, we’d love to FIND OUT how it turns out for you – you can give us all the details in the comments below. And…

DON’T FORGETthere will be another blog post in this series to follow: Setting up an Effective Landing Zone. You can receive this post, future ones and our upcoming newsletter directly in your mailbox if you sign up HERE.

AN ORGANIZED OFFICE: Banish These 4 Stumbling Blocks to Clear the Way

Character adding a blockIn the organizing world, March has been tagged as Organize your Office month and today is National Organize Your Office DayThis day focuses on organizing one of the most stressful areas in a home or business: the office. 

What is your office like today – is it a jumbled mess that seems to grow exponentially while you sleep? Have you not even tried to tackle organizing it because you have found too many stumbling blocks preventing you from even getting started?  Be assured, you are not the only one experiencing this problem.Today, on this national day of recognition, let’s explore some of the stumbling blocks that are holding you back and banish them forever. 

I find the four most common blocks are: indecision about taking action, not having enough time, uncertainty about where to start and not knowing how to startHave you experienced any of these stumbling blocks?  The only way to overcome them is to work through each one, one block at a time.  Here’s what you can do.

DECIDE TO TAKE ACTION: Concentrate on the benefits

The hardest step to take is deciding to take action; living in indecision can be quite paralyzing.  This is what I remind people who are stuck at this stumbling block:  your indecision is costing you valuable time, energy, money and creating high stress levels.  Is that how you want to live your life?  Concentrate on the benefits you will receive with an organized office and you will be able move past the stumbling block as soon as you decide to take action.

DON’T HAVE ENOUGH TIME: Block out smaller chunks of time

You don’t need large blocks of time, but you DO have to commit to SOME blocks of time.  If you truly wish to move away from a disorganized space, commit to working on the project by blocking off time on your calendar.  You can block off 15 minutes a day, 30 minutes three times a week, a few hours once a week or a full day over the weekend. Make a commitment to improve your space using calendared blocks of time.

DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START: Break the project into small chunks

If this is a stumbling block for you, I recommend that you sit at a central point of the room (usually the desk) and look around.  Think about what areas cause the most inefficiency in your day (or what bothers you the most) and make a list of 4 areas that need work (prioritize them from worst to least).  This will break the BIG task down into smaller chunks, making it feel more manageable and will give you a focal point to get started.

DON’T KNOW HOW TO START: Follow our lead

You’ve already started by reading this blog post and our 3 week series on Organizing Your Office will guide you the rest of the way.  During the month of March, you will learn how to:

  • Clear out the Clutter (from your desk)
  • Set up a Paper Processing System
  • Choose a Desk that Meshes with Your Personal Working Style

So I challenge you:  Decide to take action today by remembering the benefits of organizing, make a commitment by blocking out time on your calendar and break the project into smaller chunks with a priority list.  Once you begin using these tools, you will quickly overcome your stumbling blocks, clear the way to an organized office and within a few, short weeks bring efficiency and productivity into your world.  

What will be the stumbling block YOU overcome today?  Leave us a reply and share your discovery with our readers.