Minimizing the Kitchen Counter

Today I decided to try and minimize the items on my kitchen counter. Again, for me the object is not just to get rid of things, but to have the right things in the right places. The first step was to take a look at the counter and see what was there and then to envision what the counter is actually for and what “should” be there to make the counter most useful.

The purpose of the counter (I decided) was to help with the preparation of meals. Thus, anything that is not for that purpose does not go there. Also, spices have a place in the cabinet above the counter, so they do not need to be on the counter. The knives made sense, as did the toaster oven and a few of the cutting boards. We’d gotten three new thin cutting board/sheets for our wedding, so I decided the old ones can be donated.

On the counter was also a bunch of naturopathic tinctures and some vitamins and medications, but as my wife asked that she take a look at them before I toss any, I went lightly through them. Hopefully more will go. Because we take medications or vitamins with meals, these stayed.

Also on the counter was the coffee maker that we use daily, so that gets an honored spot. Besides that, only a pedestal I made in a pottery class that holds the loaf of bread that is being used stays. Everything else went away.

This is the counter before minimizing…

And these are the steps to get this space under control:

• Step one – Assess the area.
• Step two – Clean the area thoroughly.
• Step three – Put back only the items that are for the space.

This is the area clean and empty…

And this is the area after the minimize…

Again, this isn't rocket science, but you do have to be willing to make some decisions about the purpose of an area, and about what ultimately stays and goes. A key is to move everything out of the area you are working on and to see it empty and then to put back only what should be in that spot. When you do this, you'll likely end up with numerous items that could go back if you were being wishy-washy, but be tough and don’t overload an area.

If you can't get rid of the excess things immediately, place them in a box for storage or in another area that makes sense to you but that you have not minimized yet. For instance, on the counter were two partially used jars of honey. They should not be on the counter, but they fit in the cabinet with the tea. Okay, that's a good place for them until I get around to minimizing the tea and coffee storage area.

Don’t think for a second that the cabinets are off the hook? They will be dealt with in due course.