What Can You Do Today to be More Organized Tomorrow?

Written by Clearissa Coward

Weekly Organization Tip

What Can You Do Today to be More Organized Tomorrow?

I thought it would be a good idea to begin a “Quick Tip of the Week” focused on organization from Divinely Organized. I hope you are enjoying the weekly organization tips so far. Your responses have been positive. Keep them coming. I really appreciate how supportive you guys are. If you missed the previous articles, you can find them here, here or here. These are not long articles. They are quick reminders of small things you can add to your daily routine that will make a major difference in how you live. 

They will be quick tips and to some, they may seem quite obvious, but you would be surprised how just a nudge or reminder can help someone get and stay on the organizational track. For this week, I would like to give you a quick tip for keeping your kitchen tidy and organized. And the tip for this week is (sound the horns)…How to keep your Kitchen counters uncluttered all of the time. It may seem like a lot, but in actuality, it’s a simple process. And once you make it a habit, it will take no time at all. Are you with me?

The first step, repeat after me – find a specific place for everything in my kitchen. I hate clutter of any kind but especially in my kitchen. I can’t have counters that have nothing on them because of space and because I love to cook, therefore somethings need to be handy. However, even the frequently used stuff does not need to clutter my counters.

If you are like me and lack cabinet space and/or like to have some of your spices and oils at your fingertips, try corralling them together. I use trays I picked up at Pier 1 and Home Goods to keep like items together and within reach on my counters. I also use, what I think are, pretty containers instead of the average looking bottles the oils and other spices come in. Here’s the trick…after using a spice and/or oil, wipe down the container and place it in its space on the tray. Do not leave one item outside of the storage area. Not even if you think you will use it for the next dish you are preparing. Force yourself into the habit of wiping down the outside of the bottle and replacing it immediately. This may sound tedious, but it really isn’t. It is all about repeating the process until it becomes a natural movement for you. And I promise it will happen if you stick to it.

The reason I wipe the bottles/containers down before putting them back is because I don’t want them to feel sticky or have flour or any residue on the outside of the containers. That would take away from the look and feel of the containers you choose to use to house your spices and/or oils. I happen to think the Patron tequila bottles are really cute, so I asked all of my friends to save them for me and I currently have regular salt, canola oil and red peppers stored in Patron bottles with corks (of course I removed the labels). But the possibilities are endless. Mason jars, pickle jars, wine bottles, or any type of bottle or jar you find attractive.

If you are blessed to have loads of cabinet space, you can place your frequently used items inside your cabinet to clear your counters completely. Just make sure to follow the same script when putting items back into the cabinets, and wipe them down first. You don’t want oily or sticky residue to get into the cabinets, now do you? Oh and just because your condiments are stored inside your cabinets is no reason to not to find attractive storage ideas for them. This is a feel-good mechanism that will help you to stay on track. If the containers are attractive you are more apt to wipe them down and care how they look as opposed to an old plastic oil jug or spice bottle. There you have it. Clean and uncluttered countertops. Even if there are some items on the counter out of necessity, you can find ways to make them attractive and appear to be a part of the décor of the overall kitchen.

Remember, spending just a minute wiping down and returning items to their assigned space will go a long way in helping you maintain clutter free countertops and finding attractive containers can be a fun weekend project. You’ll be surprised what a difference this simple thing will make in your life.

Don’t forget our November challenge to make the bed every day during the month of November. You’ve been challenged! Drop me a line to let me know how you’re doing with the challenge and I would love to see pictures of your happy faces with your made beds. No more clutter, accept the challenge and leave me a comment…see you next week! If you liked this article, you may also like this one, this one or this one.

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