According to wiki.answers.com, the kitchen is the most used room in a house, ranking it second, just behind the bathroom. This makes sense really because as people’s lives have become busier and more complicated, the kitchen has evolved from a food preparation area to a social hub and command post. Family members gather to communicate, socialize, coordinate schedules, do homework, and even be entertained.

Regardless of the square footage of a kitchen, these are some heavy-duty demands in addition to the task of meal preparation. All this activity requires a clutter-free and highly organized space to run effectively and efficiently. Keeping your kitchen counters cleared off and uncluttered is the first line of defense in maintaining a well organized kitchen.

Why keeping your counters uncluttered it is important

Saves you time: You spend less time looking for things. Keys, bills, small kitchen tools and food stuffs don’t become piled on top of each other into a disorganized mess.

Saves you money: You save money because you can quickly find your bills and other important paperwork. You keep your coupons neatly collected in one location. You don’t over-buy or duplicate purchase food because it is put away in a pantry, not cluttering up a counter top.

Stress-reducing: Having a clear counter provides a ready-to-use workspace. You don’t have to spend time cleaning off a counter to prepare for your task at hand. Additionally, a minimalist, organized counter surface looks inviting and relaxing.

Steps to success

Purge—an overflowing counter surface is a clear sign that there are too many items competing for its square inches. You need to use the Simply Sort sorting principle to eliminate as many items off the counters as possible.

Create zones—after you are done purging, think about how you most use your kitchen. Do you cook a full meal every night or are you more of a micro-wave meal person? Do you do more baking than cooking? Counters in every kitchen should be divided into at least the following four zones: mini-office, prep, cooking and baking.

Within each zone leave only one or two items on the counter. For example, a knife block in the cooking zone, the small appliance mixer in the baking zone, etc.

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