Today we're going to devote ourselves once again to the kitchen. I think it makes sense to start in the kitchen because you spend a lot of time here every day. And especially in the current special situation, when all the restaurants are closed, I think it's important that you feel comfortable in the kitchen and that it's well organised. Marie Kondo recommends starting with the clothes. I think the main reason for this is that many people feel the "spark joy" better with clothes than with a kitchen appliance, but that is also very individual.
Reorganising the kitchen is almost a "major project". As a certified tidying coach, I can say from experience that it takes 6-8 hours for an average kitchen. Of course, these are only guidelines... every kitchen is unique and so is every person. So if you don't have the whole day (and I assume you don't), then proceed per category, i.e.: one day you do the pots, the next the baking stuff, then the cups, later the dishes, and so on. Doing very little tidying for 10 minutes a day is still 100x better than not starting at all! After my training, I also used this method to clean out, declutter and reorganise my whole flat, including the cellar. Beautiful step-by-step....
Proceed as follows:
- Clear out the stuff from the one category (or the whole kitchen 🙂 )
- Think about whether you really need so many items from this one category and whether they all make you happy? (At the moment, no one wants to throw anything away that is still usable. You could store the things you never need or no longer like in the basement, for example. Everything you haven't missed in the next 6-12 months can go - as soon as the Broki is open again. Don't forget the date on the box)
- Clean cupboard or drawer thoroughly
- Rearrange and organise
Here are a few more tips:
- The work surface in the kitchen should be as free as possible. I would stow away appliances or things that you don't use every day. Marie Kondo says that she even resupplies the kettle after each use. That's too annoying and excessive for me. In our house, however, there are only 3 things left standing around. There used to be a few more. (Coffee maker, kettle and a food processor with which we make a smoothie every morning).
- Fondue sets, party items like punch bowls or large bowls that you rarely use, either store them at the top of a kitchen cupboard or consider placing such items elsewhere if your kitchen is not huge.
- Things you use a lot should be stored at the front of the wardrobe and at eye level.
- Think about what is a reasonable number of things for you and your family, such as plates, glasses, cups. Things that are already slightly broken or cracked can be disposed of or maybe you don't like one or the other cup anymore... Speaking of cups: we used to have a lot of cups that were (promotional) gifts or souvenirs... but I don't think that a 4-person household needs 30 or more cups... especially not if the dishwasher is running every day... now we only have the favourites and it has become much more manageable.
