Perhaps it’s not totally apparent the difference between the “before” and “after” here but if you look closely you will see it. Before I cleaned it up – all the tools were thrown into a drawer willy nilly and there were many things I never used. When I took the 14 minutes necessary to sort things out – I got rid of gadgets I rarely needed, I put all the everyday tools into one drawer and the items I use only once a week or so into the other. Now it’s much easier to find what I want while prepping food. And there is (a little bit) more room as well!
Organizing does take time. But we all have a little time here and there. Make use of it! Break down projects – you don’t have to rip apart your whole kitchen to achieve cohesion. Take a small area – and set the timer for 15 minutes. Then do as much as you can. Maybe you just pull out the things that you don’t like or don’t use or are broken. That’s a good start! One or two drawers can be your start. Once you have some success it gets easier and more fun.
The desk project took longer. This was over several days. Editing is always the first step with both organization and design. EDIT. Once you have taken out all the things that don’t belong in a desk – things that you don’t use at your desk – and find the proper place for them – then you can start to see some space and organization. I like to corral things into containers and boxes – but even if you don’t do that – once you simply have less it’s easier to organize and then lay your hands on things you actually need.
My last project is my snack drawer. I used to have all my spices here – but just didn’t work that well as a spice drawer. I took everything out and cleaned the drawer with a damp paper towel. Then set about putting only the snacky things I could decant in here. It’s organized and pretty and fun to use. The jars look better without their old labels on them – but I haven’t taken the time to de-lable them all yet. I still like the system though. And it’s the first place my husband goes after he comes home from work. The peanuts!
You can declutter your spaces. Just set a small task, a timer and some music and have fun!
