Kitchen Counter Clearing

I don’t know about in your home, but part of my kitchen counter (in several sections) is like a magnet for stuff. To control my own behavior, about five years ago, I placed a shade-loving house plant right in the middle of it. Still challenged, I added a Revere-style bowl on the side, which somehow draws various papers and small items. I work at clearing it often.

What are your challenges? Is there a pile of paper, or two, or even more, on your kitchen counter? How to tame it/them? Are bills mixed in? If so, you might place them in a napkin holder, in due date order. Other important papers? If space allows, put them in a manila file folder, in date order, or in order of importance, or whatever works – to save time, space and brain power. Remember that physical clutter = mental clutter.

Less is, Well, Less. Resist More!

In this era of super-sized this and that, it’s easy to get lured by the temptation to buy more of various things than you really need. Do you shop at “regular” grocery or big box stores that offer multiples? Tightly packaged rolls of paper towels, toilet paper and the like may seem like a good idea in those non-home settings, with their different scale of wide aisles and huge shopping carts.

While you may save some on additional items, are those savings in balance with at-home conditions? Do you have to force those additional paper towels into cupboards that now seem too small? How much time might you waste trying to get to other items? What about your frustration level?

Unless you live very far from stores and shopping requires a major excursion, you might want to think carefully about how much stock of anything to keep on hand. For most items, a week’s supply, or enough for two weeks at the outside, will be enough. More could be considered clutter. And, remember that physical clutter = mental clutter.