Our kitchens sustain our family. Our kitchen is where our family and guests gather to eat and spend time together. Ask yourself, on a day to day basis does your kitchen work for you? Are your counters covered with piles of who knows what? Are your cupboards filled to the max? Are you having trouble finding things? Is your pantry a black hole? Are you embarrassed to have guests over?
You can make your kitchen work for you! In just 10 minutes a day!
Tonight…
Set aside ten minutes before going to bed tonight. Start with the counters in your kitchen. Recycle any junk mail or old papers that may be cluttering the counter. Take any items that don’t belong in the kitchen and return them to their appropriate home. Put away one appliance you haven’t used in the past month. Fill and start your dishwasher. That is all for today. You are on your way!
In the morning…
Your kitchen will feel a tiny bit cleaner and more organized in the morning. If you can, empty your dishwasher before leaving for work or school. (I’ve timed it and realized it only takes me THREE minutes to empty my dishwasher! And yes, I was half asleep when I did the time test!) Load the dishwasher with breakfast dishes. Take a look at the counter again with fresh eyes, can anything else be put away? Take a minute while drinking your coffee and make one small change – even if it is just recycling old receipts, or putting a cookbook away. Every small effort helps.
Tomorrow night…
Repeat this ten-minute ritual again before going to bed. Is there an appliance on the counter that is taking up a lot of space, but is rarely used? Put it away. Work on putting away items that don’t belong on the kitchen counter. Put away clean dishes and load the dishwasher. Put away any food that belongs in the pantry. Take out trash and recycling. Quickly wipe down the counter. Start the dishwasher. Your tidier kitchen is more inviting already!
PRO TIP: Get help from your family! “Hey kids, grab something off this counter that belongs to you and take it to your room please. Thank you!”
The next day, during your new evening ten-minute ritual, open your pantry and take a close look inside. Pull out two items that either look old or expired, or no one in the family has liked for ages, or food that belongs somewhere else. Throw away any expired or disliked food. Now you have a tiny bit more space in your pantry. Fill and start your dishwasher. One step at a time! Don’t try to tackle the entire pantry in one night. Repeat this the next day, and again the next and so on.
Keep going…
Take ONLY ten minutes every night. On some days, open up a drawer and toss broken or un-used kitchen gadgets. On other days, open up the Tupperware drawer and toss two containers that are warped or missing lids. On another day still, open up your cupboards and evaluate if any of the appliances can be donated. How many times did you use that snow cone maker over the summer? Maybe it’s not worth the storage space in your cupboard. Remember, only take ten minutes each day.
See the difference…
Over a couple of weeks, these incremental changes will add up and improve the functionality of your kitchen dramatically. As you make space in your cupboards, it will be easier to keep your counter clutter free. When your counters are free and clear or clutter, maybe it’s time to have some friends over. Over time, this ten-minute ritual will help the whole family enjoy the most important space in the house.