Unpack to organize: The kitchen

The kitchen is one of the most popular rooms to organize, and for good reason: we all spend most of our time there cooking and eating, why wouldn’t we want to be able to find and use the room as easily and efficiently as possible?

To get your kitchen unpacked and organized, Calm Order likes to use the analogy of placing down a border first, then the rocks, and then the pebbles. The border or main items in your kitchen, like every-day used appliances, dishes, glasses, cutlery, pots, and pans, that are used daily should be placed first in locations that are easier to access, in drawers or cupboards that are within easy reaching distance.

After these items come the other items that are used often, but not quite every day, like baking supplies, specialty kitchen tools, and serving dishes. These items can be placed in higher cupboard shelves or lower drawers. Even though these items aren’t used daily, they should still be easy to access and easy to remember where they are located. It’s a good idea to store like items with like. Consider designating one drawer or cupboard shelf for baking supplies, for example, or keep all dishes and serving items together.

The pebbles are the non-essential decorative items like placemats, napkin rings, and other items that don’t need to be kept in a specific place, items that can essentially fit anywhere you have room. However, you want to place these items with some logic so you know where to find them when you need them. For example, measuring cups can be stored in the same drawer as other baking materials like mixing bowls.

When you’re unpacking your kitchen, it’s also important to make sure that your items are placed in a way that makes sense for your lifestyle, and the layout of your kitchen. For example, some people bake more than others, so baking supplies may be given higher priority, or depending on the layout of your kitchen, you may have to move items around depending on the space you have available.

Unpacking and organizing a kitchen sounds like a daunting task, but sorting out items into borders, rocks, and pebbles breaks down the process into manageable steps that everyone can use to set up their kitchen.

Resolutions 2017 – How to get organized

Creating a resolution to get organized can be an insurmountable task. Becoming more organized involves a whole change in lifestyle and action, and isn’t something that will necessarily come easily for most people. The key to successfully completing a resolution involves creating a plan and goals that are realistic and achievable. It’s also important to stay motivated, even when it may seem like organizing your home is more than you thought you could handle. Staying on track is also a big part of your success, and using a calendar, list, or tracking tool can help you with this.

When it comes to specifically getting organized, the first step is to figure out how or what you want to organize and break it down from there. For example, if you’re focusing on your home, start with one room at a time, and go from there. Just saying that you’re going to organize your whole home throughout the year, and just work on whatever room whenever you feel like it won’t work very well. You’ll need to make a concise and manageable plan.

For example, you can focus on one area of your home for each month, and give yourself smaller daily or weekly tasks to complete during the month for each room. If you decide to start with your kitchen, for example, you can dedicate on week to organizing your pantry (and break it down further to focusing on one shelf a day), then your fridge, then your cupboards, then your dishes, and more.

To keep on track of what your organizing and when, set up a large calendar in an easily accessible location in your home, make a list on a white board, which includes the location and times you need to organize that room, or even use a calendar or time management app on your phone. While you’re planning your resolution, it really is important to make your goals and plans realistic for your lifestyle. If you plan on travelling at certain times throughout the year, or know that certain times throughout the year that are more stressful than others, be conscious of this in your planning. If you do, your resolution becomes harder to keep up and will ultimately fail.

To be successful in your new year’s organization resolution, create a schedule of what you want to organize and by when.  Make your change to a more organized lifestyle on that is realistic, achievable, and easy to incorporate into your lifestyle. If you do have problems, don’t give up, but instead look at how you can change or accommodate your goal to be more successful.

Fall is here - and winter isn't too far behind!

Now that summer is definitely over, it’s time to start preparing your home for the fall and winter seasons. This means clearing out your closets, mudrooms, and bringing in the clothes, shoes, and accessories that you’ll need in the coming months.

To make room for your seasonal clothing – especially bulkier jackets – pull out any summer or spring clothing and take this time to go through your items. Donate anything that is old or too small. Also, think about how often you wear it or if you even wear it anymore. If you don’t like it, don’t keep it. Donating these items to someone who could use it is better than letting it take up storage in your closet or wardrobe.

Summer clothing is often light-weight and made out of in-expensive material that doesn’t last long. Don’t hold onto the items you know won’t hold up until the next summer.

Summer shoes can also be taken out and sorted through. Any flip flops that are falling apart, or flats that have seen better days should not be kept. Try on your other shoes to make sure they fit, and take this opportunity to repair any heels or pairs that need repair.  

Once you’ve decluttered your summer items, consider moving them to the back of your closet or another area that is out of the way because you won’t need to access these items on a daily basis. Clear storage bins can also be used to store summer clothes under the bed, or on top of a closet shelf.

Alternatively, a rolling rack can be installed in a basement or spare bedroom closet to hold your summer and spring clothing, and clear plastic bins can hold shoes. If you don’t have clear bins, make sure you properly label what items are in each container and who they belong to. Make sure they are stored properly – avoid having to re-iron creases in blouses and work shirts if you choose to store them in a drawer or container.

Once this is done, you can pull out your warmer jackets and sweaters, and store them in the front area of your closet, or the easiest accessible drawers and cupboards in your wardrobe. Pull out boots, hats, toques, gloves, and scarves. However, because Calgary’s weather is constantly changing and we can get mild weather even in the winter, consider keeping a few lighter pieces out, like a thinner jacket or t-shirt just in case. Also, if you’re planning on taking a winter vacation to a warmer location, it might be easier to store a few items from your summer wardrobe in an accessible location.

When you’re going through and changing out your seasonal clothing, the most important thing to keep in mind is organization and efficiency. By placing your everyday items in a location that is easy to access, you can stay organized in your daily routines. Swapping out clothing in your closet gives you more space for the items you actually need, and keeps the items neat and tidy and quick to take out.

Winter is fast approaching so make sure your home is ready for it! [INSERT TWEET THIS LINK]