[Sort and Simplify Session, Week 1]
A goal without a plan is just a wish. And, you are all here, so it looks like you have a plan. Let’s ease into these weekly sessions by tackling our junk drawers. This is one project that I will recommend drawer organizers for. You can use individual trays, or you can use one whole unit with individual compartments. If you are going to purchase something new, just be sure that the organizer will fit your space. (I will round up a few organizers and link them under the shop tab on my blog.) What is the purpose of a junk drawer? To store junk?? It doesn’t make much sense does it? Think about what you envision this space to be in the end. I wanted a daily drawer that housed all of our pens and paper. Maybe this space will include all of those things plus batteries, paper clips, stamps, keys, tape etc. There is no right or wrong answer, just make sure you are storing useful things in an orderly fashion.
1️⃣ Remove every single item from your drawer and then wipe out your drawer.
2️⃣ Honestly assess the contents.
3️⃣ Throw away the garbage.
4️⃣ Return items that were shoved into this drawer to the proper places throughout your home. Ex: Loose screws to your toolbox. Golf balls to your golf bag. Coins to your purse or coin jar. Etc.
5️⃣ Place the organizer in your drawer.
6️⃣ Neatly place your useful items into the organizer creating zones for particular things. Never stray from those zones. You will now have a set space for your items. Those items should always be returned to that space and no new items should ever enter that space.
7️⃣ After this process, you should never have a “junk drawer” again. Make sense??
[Sort and Simplify Session, Week 2]
This week, let’s tackle our refrigerators. Before you begin, look in your fridge and give it an honest assessment. Look at the space, shelves and drawers and brainstorm ideas about how you could use the space more efficiently. Then:
1️⃣ Remove every single item from your fridge, checking the expiration date of each item as you remove it. Toss anything that is expired.
2️⃣ Once your fridge is completely empty, wipe it all down and give it a good cleaning. No slacking; it should be spotless when you are done.
3️⃣ Reconfigure any of the shelves if you thought of a setup that would make more sense or give you more room.
4️⃣ Develop a layout and use the exact same layout every single day. You can even label the zones you create to help you remember where something should go. This will:
- Make it easy to see exactly what you have on hand, reducing food waste.
- Make it easy to put your groceries away since you’ll know exactly where something should go.
- Allow your fridge to stay organized without any extra effort since systems will already be in place.
5️⃣ Put all of your items back in your fridge, making sure to follow the layout and zones that you created. You don’t need fancy bins and accessories to have an organized refrigerator, but if you think they will help you, then by all means use them. I have found turntables to be an epic storage solution for my fridge. You can see what you have on hand with the push of a finger to make the turntable spin (no more digging and shuffling). If you need more space, you can push the turntable to the back, taking all of the items on it with it, leaving room up front to store leftovers etc. Also, small bins in my pantry drawer were an absolute game changer.
6️⃣ You should now have the fridge of your dreams. Weekly maintenance will be required to maintain it, but now that you have a system, that should be a 5 minute project.
[Sort and Simplify Session, Week 3]
I’m just keeping the essentials around here. Before my husband and I got married, we each owned established homes, so we entered our marriage with double of everything. It was gadgets galore over here! We had some sales to try and downsize, but some of the stuff I couldn’t part with (it felt wasteful to me) because it was in perfectly good condition and “we might need it some day.” Fast forward to almost 14 years later and I have a completely different mindset. I only keep what we need and donate the rest of our belongings to people in need.
Let’s tackle our kitchen utensil drawers this week.
1️⃣ Honestly assess the contents of your drawer. Do you have multiples of the exact same item? Are there any broken utensils? Are there items that you never, ever use?
2️⃣ Remove every single item from your drawer. While doing so, throw any broken pieces away. Group the items into like piles on your counter. If you have excess of one particular thing, or there are items that serve no purpose to you, place them in a separate “donate pile”.
3️⃣ Wipe out the drawer so that it is squeaky clean.
4️⃣ A drawer organizer would create neat little zones for your utensils, but this isn’t absolutely necessary to have an organized drawer.
5️⃣ Place the items that you choose to keep (less is more in my opinion) in a drawer organizer, or if you don’t have a drawer organizer, back into your drawer, keeping all like items together.
[Sort and Simplify Session, Week 4]
I tried to ease into the first 3 weeks with fairly simple projects so that you could get the hang of your organizing style, as well as a gain a little bit of insight to the logic that I use to implement my ideas. Let’s tackle our pantries or food storage cupboards this week.
1️⃣ Remove EVERYTHING from your pantry or cupboard(s), paying close attention to expiration dates. Discard any items accordingly. Your island and counters will be covered in a mess. It will get worse before it gets better, but the end result will be worth it.
2️⃣ Wipe every shelf down until the entire area is squeaky clean. If you have a pantry, now would be a good time to remove any marks on the shelves or walls using a magic eraser.
3️⃣ Assess the area and think of the best way to set up zones or categories so that it’s an efficient use of space.
4️⃣ If you will be using bins, baskets, canisters or racks, think about a seamless layout and make sure these products have dimensions that will fit your space.
5️⃣ Group all of your items into categories.
6️⃣ Place those groupings back into your cupboard or pantry, either free standing or in bins, whichever you prefer. Tip: Discard any of the bulky packaging to save space.
7️⃣ Label your shelves and/or bins and/or canisters.
8️⃣ Stare in amazement at your transformation.
If you have any questions, please let me know. I love good “before” and “after” pics. Please message me your photos so I can share your results to inspire others. You have 7 days to complete this task before a new task is announced. Have fun and enjoy the transformations!
~ Colette
