The challenge: clear a counter

When you walk into your kitchen, what is the first thing that catches your eye?  What are things that your husband sees as he is walking in the door after a long day at work?  When you have guests, what do they see first?

I know that the counters can be a quick catch for everything that leads to clutter especially in a large family.  But even if you have all the dishes done, the counters cleared of papers, and the food put away, our counters can still be cluttered with decorations and appliances that rarely get used.

Why make the change:

As with everything in life the more simplified we can make it, the more peaceful and calmer we will be.  If we are constantly fumbling for something, or trying to find counter space for this item.  If we have to move one mess just to make room for another mess.  We are just adding chaos to our life.  The goal of simple lifestyle challenge is exactly what it says to SIMPLIFY OUR LIFESTYLES.

How to make the change:

How do you go about de-cluttering and organizing your kitchen counters?  First clean up your kitchen as you normally would, putting away all items that are not normal left out.  Then leave the room and walk back into the kitchen, pretending you are viewing it through the eyes of another person.  What types of areas are your eyes drawn to?  Is it the stack of papers and notes that you leave out because you need them everyday?  Or is it the many appliances that you leave out because you use them a few times per week?  Is it the sink with its messy dish rag and bottle of soap?  You need to identify areas that need de-cluttering and fix them.

Start with paperwork.  You need to identify what the paperwork is and where it came from and then where it is supposed to go.  Sort through your mail by the trash can and immediately throw away junk mail.  Open the bills and place them in an area that you pay your bills at.  Put the magazines and newspapers in the area that you read them at.  After you have read the magazine or newspaper throw it away.  If you have an article or recipe that you want to save from the publication then cut it out and place it in your household binder or in your recipe box.  If it is paperwork for your husband place it in an area just for that.  I use my wall clipboards for that purpose.

If your counter-tops are covered in appliances, you need to reevaluate which ones you actually “need” out everyday and which ones you can put away because it takes probably 10 seconds to get it out again.

Keep your counter-tops cleared.  It is more pleasing to the eye and makes a nicer workplace for you to be in.  Clearing the clutter from the kitchen is not a once and forever job, it is something that needs to be evaluated every few months.  Clutter creeps up on us and we need to keep our eye on it so that it doesn’t take over.  Clutter makes our daily work harder to do because we have to fumble around it.  You need to train yourself to constantly evaluate the clutter factor in the area where you are the most. And for most of us ladies it is the kitchen.  Keep it clutter free.  You just might be motivated to de-clutter other areas of “chaos” in your home.