Cabinet Ideas for Every Room

The ABCs of Organizing

Congratulations! You’ve decided you want to get organized. A fresh look at some basics may be just what you need. Plus, you’ll learn about an easy ABC method for organizing, along with other advice and examples to spur you onward.

Back to Basics

Organization is all about placing items so they are convenient to the person who uses them. When the things in your life aren’t organized it can cause unnecessary stress. That’s where Organomics comes in. Organomics combines the art of organization with the science of ergonomics. It helps you design spaces and storage to better accommodate the way you live and work. Organomics creates specific solutions for specific problems, and we’ll look at a few ways it can help your overall organizing effort.

You could start your planning with something as basic as cleaning out a drawer. Or, depending on your budget and needs, you could hire a professional to give you a hand with your entire home. But most of us just want to get rid of clutter and establish a system that we can maintain easily. After all, clutter is a result of postponed decisions. In a room designed with Organomics, everything has its place. Once you make those decisions, you can clear away the clutter.

Now check out some approaches toward getting organized in today’s chaotic world. Then, look at some examples of how you can apply basic organizing principles to your life.

Prioritize, Then Organize

A common theme repeated by professional organizers is establishing your priorities. You may have heard time management experts mention an “ABC” system to prioritize tasks: A (highest priority task - must be done), B (very important - should be done), C (somewhat valuable - could be done), D (cross off list - waste of time). You can use this simple system to organize your kitchen, home office, project room, entertainment center, and much more.

Using this system to manage your things, you can make great strides in getting organized. In your kitchen, for example, look around at your available storage spaces:

• spaces are between your knee and hip level. You should be able to reach an A item and put it away easily. Items of frequent use should be stored in this level.
• locations are slightly higher. These might include items you use a couple times a week, something you absolutely can’t do without, or a duplicate of something you store in an A location.
• areas are much more difficult to access, such as in rear areas of base cabinet shelves or top shelves. Think of items you use with less frequency. They might be a part of an entire set but you use them less, they could be items that have personal meaning and you can't part with them. Store those items in a place out of the way, but easy to remember.
• areas probably aren't even in the kitchen. Consider seasonal items, holiday utensils, tools and supplies or things that can be stored away for awhile until the occasion occurs. You may store that turkey pan you only use once a year on a shelf in the attic or in a closet in another part of the house.

Then, categorize your things into A, B, C and D items. (There may be a few D items, like an extra coffee maker that you never use - get rid of them.) Some will be obvious: Silverware? That’s an A item - you use it frequently and it makes sense to locate it centrally in your kitchen just above hip level. Large, holiday serving platter that you rarely use? Probably a C item to store out of the way.

Also consider who uses your kitchen and their comfort zones. Older family members or those who find it difficult to bend down may want to keep certain items in an A zone rather than C. With small children in the house, a pull-down knife rack will keep cutlery in an B zone for adults but further out of kids’ reach.

Here are some common examples. Your A, B, C, and D items may differ, but this will help you start categorizing your kitchen items:

A Items: Cutlery, tableware, serving spoons, spatulas, everyday dishware, glasses and cups, favorite storage containers, towels, placemats, measuring utensils, bottle opener, grater and tongs.

B Items: Strainer, funnel, vegetable scrub brushes, corkscrew, heavy or large pots and pans.

C Items: Serving platters, relish tray, specialized appliances and tools, and canning jars and lids.

D Items: Holiday cookware and serving dishes, cookie cutters, waffle iron, wok, fryer, and other less frequently used appliances.

The same principle should be applied to food storage as well. Sugar, salt and pepper should be within easy reach. Your favorite oils and seasonings may be used less often and could be placed in a B area. Consider starting with your refrigerator. Look inside and study its contents, then rearrange it so the items you grab everyday are easiest to reach. The next most popular items could go on a lower shelf and so forth.

Use Your Emotional Instincts

As you use practical thinking to get organized, try tapping into your emotional and spiritual instincts as well. Identify what causes you to be and feel disorganized: Does a hectic schedule have you tossing your things here and there? No clear place defined for your things? Need more communication between family members about where each item belongs?

By considering these factors, you can identify areas in your home to focus on first. Small events like losing your keys can quickly add to a chaotic home life, so start by establishing a place for your keys and sticking to it as part of an overall commitment to get organized. Replace poor habits with simple routines that keep you in control of your home environment.

Visualize how you want each room in your home to make you feel. A “calming, relaxing” living room. A “bright, cheerful, invigorating” kitchen. A “productive, professional, energetic” home office. It’s difficult to feel any of this when your home is disorganized! Visualizing can help motivate you to get organized, and help you decide which items to keep where. It’s all wrapped into Organomics: arranging your home around the way you live your life, in a way that appeals to your senses. You’ll enjoy home life more in an environment that helps you feel energetic in the morning or relaxed at day’s end.

To help ensure pleasing surroundings, don’t forget a decorative touch as you organize. Put a few of your “buried treasures” on display, perhaps china that’s been packed away using up storage space. For visual interest in a stark room, you may want to create simple display shelves for books and collectibles. You can also creatively use cabinets to meet your storage needs by displaying items on open shelving or behind mullion glass doors.

Apply the ABCs to Your Home

Organomics helps make all areas of your home easier to use. With devices like rollout trays, even the lowest C areas are easier to access. With help from a handy step stool that folds up and stores conveniently in a nearby cabinet, you can reach items stored on high shelves. When things are easier to put away, you’ll find staying organized is almost effortless.

Also consider ways to group items together. For example, a Cutting Board Kit gives you the ultimate in efficiency and requires a single motion for access. The cutting board and knives are stored together in a pullout device. Or, store your coffee grinder next to the coffee maker in an appliance garage.

These photos show where A, B, C, and D areas might be in a kitchen and home office.

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