I’m going to take a wild guess…your kitchen is doing a LOT. It's where you meal prep, make coffee (of course!), help with homework, wash dishes, and occasionally hide from everyone for a few minutes of peace.

So of course, kitchens get messy! And when it's messy, it can be harder to get things done.

At the same time, you probably want a kitchen that’s not so rigid that you can’t use it. There’s got to be some middle ground, right?

And there is, it’s called kitchen organization!

Huge caveat here. By organization, I don’t mean perfection. My kitchen has never been perfect. But I do love having a system and tips and tricks that really work, even when I’ve let the pots go unwashed for a day (or two…). But who’s counting?

Yes, everything! I know, I know…this sounds like it's going to make things way worse before it gets better. And it will (for a bit). But stay with me here.

Pick an area, like a single cabinet, one drawer, whatever is manageable, and take everything out. Put it all on the counter or the table. Now look at what you've got.

If you haven’t done this in a while, you're likely going to find stuff you forgot you owned. The broken corkscrew. The three (yes, three!) identical rolling pins. The container of whatsitsname that expired many moons ago. It's time.

Make three piles…

• Keep: stuff you’ll use
• Toss: expired, broken, or mystery items
• Donate: it’s perfectly fine (just not for you)

Far too many skip this part and it’s probably the reason that “kitchen organizing doesn't work.” Well, I’m a firm believer that you can't organize clutter. You can only rearrange it.

Here's a tip that’s stuck with me for years. Instead of shoving things wherever they fit, think about your kitchen in zones based on what you do there.

• Coffee/morning zone: mugs, coffee maker, filters, sweetener, all in one spot
• Cooking zone: pots, pans, spatulas, oils, and spices near the stove
• Prep zone: cutting boards, knives, mixing bowls near your main counter space
• Snack zone: easy-grab stuff for you or the kids, front and center…or hidden (yes, I have a snack basket in the pantry)
• Storage container zone: lids matched to containers (more on that nightmare later on)

When everything has a home based on how you use it, you’ll be amazed when you stop wandering around your kitchen looking for things. It sounds so simple, but it's one of those things that makes a massive difference once you start doing it.

You know those cabinets and drawers that are easiest to reach, the ones right at eye and counter level? That's your prime real estate. And it should be reserved for the stuff you use every day.

Your daily plates, your go-to cups, your favorite pan, the spatula you'd take to a desert island (for me, that’s my metal spatula) all of that goes in the easy-access spots.

That fondue set your friend gave you and the giant roasting pan you use once a year at Thanksgiving, those go up high, way in the back, or in a less convenient cabinet. They should still be in in your kitchen but not taking up prime real estate.

Ok, we’re going to take a brief moment to catch our breath here before we move on. In and out…in and out. That’s it.

Now, I'm convinced that almost all households have a storage container problem. Lids everywhere. Containers with no match. That one piece that you still keep but you’re not even sure how it ended up in your kitchen!

Here's what to do…

• Pull everything out and match it up. Anything that has a bottom container…needs to have a lid. No exceptions. Bonus points if you have containers with lids that are interchangeable!
• Ditch anything without a matching lid/bottom. Yes, right now. Just let it go.
• Evaluate. How many storage containers do you REALLY need? I promise you can always get more in the future!
• Stack and rack ‘em. Largest containers on the bottom and smaller ones at the top.
• Store lids separately. This is the game changer! A cheap lid organizer or even a small dish rack stood up on its side works great for keeping lids upright and visible.

This step is worth every minute it takes to get it done. And every time you open that cabinet after, you'll feel like a new person.

Most kitchens have a junk drawer. That's fine by me! It's allowed to exist. But it needs some rules, or it turns into a free-for-all (not fine by me).

Grab a few small bins or dividers (dollar store ones work perfectly) and give things a little structure. Batteries in one section. Pens in another. Takeout menus (do you really need these though?), tape, random screws, etc., they all get a spot.

The goal here is to be able to find the scissors without having to sort through tons of ketchup packets.

I like this step, but I will say that it’s not for everyone. You might find that labeling things in your kitchen is over the top. Like, I know that's rice. Why do I need a label?

But as you start labeling bins in the pantry and containers on the shelf, you might come to find that things are more likely to stay where they belong. Because labels are not just for you, really they’re for the other people in your house. (You know exactly what I mean.)

Don't have a fancy label maker? No worries! A piece of masking tape and a marker works fine. Or if you want it to look cute, there are tons of printable labels online.

If your pantry looks like a grocery store after an earthquake, let's fix that!

• Use clear containers for things like flour, sugar, pasta, cereal, and snacks. You can see what you have (no more buying your third bag of flour…ugh). And everything looks so much cleaner.
• Group similar things together. Baking stuff with baking stuff. Canned goods with canned goods. Snacks in their own little section.
• Put newer stuff in the back and older stuff in the front. Basically, run your pantry like a mini grocery store. First in, first out.
• Use risers or small shelves inside your pantry so you can see what's in the back row. Those little expandable shelf organizers are worth every penny.

If you’re still with me, then kudos! Because next up is the fridge. Your fridge is basically a tiny kitchen inside your kitchen, and it needs the same love.

A couple of things that help…

• Use bins to group things, one for deli/lunch stuff, one for condiments, one for kids' snacks. When you need to grab something, you can slide the bin out.
• Keep a “use first” bin at eye level for stuff that needs to get eaten soon. This one trick alone could save you a bunch of money on food you'd normally toss.
• Wipe down shelves every week or two. It only takes minutes and prevents that mystery sticky spot from becoming permanent. Eww!

Here's the rule that keeps you from sliding back into old habits. Every time something new comes into the kitchen, something old leaves.

New set of tumblers? Cool! Donate the old ones. New spice blend? Yummy! Toss the one that's been sitting there for three years. It's a simple habit, but it keeps things from slowly piling up again.

Look, your kitchen is like a living, working space. I’m pretty sure that it's not going to look magazine-ready every day, and that's completely fine. Mine isn’t!

But the goal is to have a functioning kitchen….and not open a cabinet and have something fall on your foot. Now you’ll always know where the 1/3 measuring cup is (and avoiding using the ½ and rounding down). Yes, I’m talking to you.

Even if you can only get to one cabinet this weekend, that’s better off than you were last weekend! And please, please make it the storage container cabinet.

If you want to set up your own space online to share ideas like this without starting from scratch, you can grab the exact template I used to build this site below.