When it comes to organizing, you’ve probably heard the suggestion before to start with the least sentimental areas of the home. With this in mind we’re going to hone in on the room where functionality takes precedence over sentimentality every day-- the kitchen!
Maybe you’re gearing up to host for Christmas or food prep on the day-to-day just feels overwhelming and nothing is where it should be. Let us lend a helping hand!
We’ve designed a fun and easy quiz to determine your relationship with your kitchen. The results will meet you where you’re at with simple and practical tips to improve your kitchen’s flow and functionality. Download the quiz to select your answers or read through it below!
RESULTS
If your highest score = “Almost Never” :
You've deeply offended your kitchen... But not all is lost!
Your kitchen is no longer your friend and you wish you could end the relationship but, as dysfunctional as it is, you need it to survive. Feeding yourself and your family is taking huge amounts of your energy and creating too much stress in your life. You feel guilty about how much food you’re wasting and may be embarrassed to have people over.
What to do?
To give yourself an immediate boost, clear off your counters and get rid of anything you’re not using. As you have time, go through one cupboard or one drawer at a time. Get rid of any duplicates, mystery bags of food, old spices, and un-used or broken dishes/utensils/small appliances.
Once you’ve rid yourself of the clutter (this may take months and that’s ok) you can start to plan how to organize your space. The key is to make sure it’s functional for you and your family so that the systems last. There really is no one-way to be organized. And if you’re not sure what your style is, we highly recommend reading Organizing For Your Brain Type by Lanna Nakone. If time is not on your side, we’ve done a summarized version to help you better understand what works most effectively for your brain type.
TIP: Keep your kitchen sink clear of all dishes until you plan to do them. Looking at a sink full of dirty dishes will discourage you from cleaning up. Consider hiring a Professional Organizer to speed things up and provide some encouragement.
If your highest score = “Sometimes” or you scored equal in each column :
You have a decent relationship with your kitchen but there are "issues"
You like your kitchen for the most part but it’s an “on-again, off-again” relationship. Your organizing systems aren’t working as well as you need for your busy life. There are likely a few reasons for this. You may be over-purchasing and your cupboards are currently too full. You need items closer at hand when you’re doing a particular job in the kitchen. Items are being left out because putting them away is too difficult and there is no obvious home for them. And last but not least, it may be time to de-clutter once again.
What to do?
To shift things for yourself, commit to using up what is in your cupboards and reduce your food spending. Pay attention to what irritates you when you’re cooking or baking and re-arrange supplies so they’re closer at hand. Try labeling cupboard shelves so everyone knows where items belong.
Reading a chapter of an organizing book or finding a “quick read” on-line resource can be motivating. Check out the books mentioned above or Google “Kitchen Organizing” and see what helpful hints you find for yourself.
TIP: Plan meals for the week and shop accordingly. When you’re making your shopping list, make sure you check what you have in your cupboards first. Shop on-line and have your groceries delivered. Professional Organizers can give you a jumpstart on any organizing project and help fine tune the functionality of your kitchen.
If your highest score = “Almost Always" :
Your kitchen is your BFF & Jamie Oliver is coming for dinner!
Congratulations! You have the kind of relationship with your kitchen that the rest of us dream of. You don’t have to guess what’s in your cupboards because you know. Putting things away is easy because you’ve got lots of room for what you need in your life. When you want to whip something up for dinner you’ve either got it planned out ahead of time or you have enough basic ingredients on hand that it’s easy to do on the fly. You manage to stay on top of the myriad of chores in the kitchen and while it’s not perfect it doesn’t need to be. Enjoy!
TIP: Keep doing whatever it is that works well and adjust the things that you find awkward or irritating. Maintaining what you have is important!
Your kitchen is a great place to start organizing. If you’re feeling the effects of clutter in other areas of your life, check out these Five Organizing Tips with the Most Impact!
