October seems like the perfect time to organize your kitchen zone. November and December generate a lot of special cooking and baking. Before all of this gets underway, it’s helpful to have the kitchen clean and organized. For my own kitchen, I want all clutter eliminated and as much free counter space as I can arrange. Food drives begin to show up, so this is a great opportunity to donate any food that you have overstocked and clear out the pantry for your holiday cooking supplies.
Kitchen Strategy:
Motivation – My main motivation for doing the kitchen in October is to get it ready for all of the extra holiday cooking. I need all of the space I can find on my counters, in my refrigerator and freezer, and in my pantry. It’s time to throw out the mystery meat in the freezer and the year-old pecans in the pantry.
Create Vision – I am going to spend a lot of time here in the next few months, so I want this zone to be as inviting as possible. While in the heat of food prep, I want to immediately get my hands on that special spice and have room on the counter to roll out pie crust and cookie dough. I want to feel comfortable when others are in the kitchen working with me.
Brainstorm – Once I have my vision, I want to list everything that needs to happen to match that vision. Some tasks on the brainstorm list are: cleaning and clearing the fridge and freezer, giving the oven a good clean ( I hate it when someone comes in and says, “something smells good” and you are just preheating your oven), replacing old spices and other cooking ingredients, better defining my kitchen zones (food preparation, cooking, dishes, food storage, an food serving).
Write Out Goals – Writing out goals helps keep me focused. I make my goals specific and measurable. I print them out and post them on my fridge to cross off when completed.
Develop Timeline – This is where your calendar becomes your best friend. Look at all the available times you have to work on your goals. Be reasonable. Instead of writing “clean the fridge” I break it down to clean the interior of the fridge, clean the interior door shelves, clear out the freezer, pull out the fridge from the wall and clean behind it and wipe down the outside surfaces. I plug in a time for each of this mini-tasks.
Follow the Timeline - Honor the scheduled times you have set aside to do the tasks that are on your calendar. If life intervenes and you can’t do that intended time, immediately reschedule. By the end of the month you will love your newly organized and clean space and feel ready for the holidays.
Reward Yourself – When the kitchen zone is complete, I give myself a reward. It may be flowers on the table or a nice candlelit meal.
For more details on following this plan, visit my website and purchase my book, From Vision to Victory: A Workbook For Finding a Simple Path to an Organized Home .
The picture above shows a workshop on organizing the kitchen. Contact me to arrange a workshop on organizing your kitchen zone or any other zone in your home. (jonda@timespaceorg.com) or sign up for my Zone Plan Teleclass program where I guide you through a new zone each month.
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