Counter tops are such great spaces in our kitchens. However, with all of our busy lifestyles they can end up as a dumping ground for so many things that often we end up with no work space for sandwich making, food preparation or just having a relaxing coffee over. In order to get the most out of this valuable real estate we need to find new and relevant homes for anything that is lodging there indefinitely.
It's so easy to come home, plop everything on the counter and just leave it there until you're rushing out the door, yet again searching frantically for those bloody keys which are now lurking under the pile of post you dropped there yesterday evening and the cycle continues. Lost time, panic stations, heart rate elevated etc etc etc.! I could go on….but I reckon we are all so familiar with that situation there is no need to. What I want to talk about is how to avoid the same ol,’ same ol’ so that we can begin to enjoy our daily rush a little bit more!
The key to keeping your counter tops clear is to develop a system where everything has a home and you and your family members are strict with yourselves in ensuring that things get put back where they belong and not just plopped on top of the counter for the immediate convenience. In order to do this you first have to decide where you are going to keep the post, keys, coins, rubber bands, hair brushes, hair bands, nail varnish, magazines, school notices, newspapers, shopping lists, pens, pencils, scissors, etc…..
If you have a desk somewhere downstairs, then I would suggest that this is where you keep your post, stationary, pens, pencils etc. and if you have a space for a notice board then this is the best place for school notices, timetables, shopping lists etc.
Having a Launch Pad is a fantastic way of knowing where your keys, coins, etc are at any given time. We have ours in our hall which works for all of us or you could have it in the kitchen on a dresser or window ledge depending on the layout of your home. All it is, is a container – preferably flat as opposed to a bowl as bowls tend to swallow up smaller items and they can get lost at the bottom. You can get them in so many different places such as Woodies, TK MAXX, Home Store etc. or you may well have something suitable in your home already. Something with dividers is even better for keeping keys together and coins together etc.
If having to have hair equipment downstairs is simply the only way to go for you, then keep everything in a basket or pretty box of some sort – again you may have something you can use in your home already otherwise for just a few quid you could get something that will save you so much in the long run between stress levels and the cost of losing hair bands, clips, brushes etc.
The same goes with most things really. It's simply all about creating a place/home for each item and ensuring that everything gets put back once it has been finished with. Building good habits is not that difficult and creates a much clearer pathway for life in general so starting with the small things such as creating and maintaining homes for hairbands, nail varnish, keys, pens etc you can then go on to create homes for the bigger things in your life.
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