Ease into Reentry with a Kondo Morning Routine
The world we are reentering is very different than the world we left earlier this year. Reentering the ‘new world’ will bring a variety of emotions, anxieties, and stress for many of us. While organizing may not be a top priority with everything else going on in the world, it will help. Creating an efficient and organized home can help reduce the taxing impact of constant and unpredictable change. Making small changes gives you something you CAN control, and a little more control in an uncontrollable world can make your day – and life – easier.
Do your mornings include running around looking for misplaced keys? Does your morning coffee routine leave the countertop in disarray? Do you come home after a long day to a messy kitchen full of reminders of the morning rush? If so, then Marie Kondo’s KonMari method can help! A few simple organization tips and uncluttering hacks can make these disorganized situations easier to manage, giving you mental space to focus on adjusting to the new world of work, school or play.
Kondo your Coffee Clutter
Before organizing and uncluttering, a ‘quick’ cup of morning coffee in this kitchen was 5-step process:
Step 1. Get coffee from one of various bags from a cupboard shelf.
Step 2. Find coffee spoon or scoop from drawer.
Step 3. Get coffee filters from another cupboard shelf.
Step 4. Use counter coffee maker or French press from a 2nd cupboard.
Step 5. After making coffee, get travel mug from yet a different shelf to take to work.
I mean, is this making a cup of coffee or a morning exercise routine?!
The end result of this routine created lots of opening of cabinets, pulling items out to look for a scoop and mugs, and, opportunities for frustration (spilling coffee bags, not having clean mugs, etc.).
First, we did some decluttering: we got rid of travel and coffee mugs never used (keeping only those that spark joy!) and miscellaneous coffee related items never used. Then, we organized.
The Unclutterly result? We created a ‘coffee station’ in a cabinet underneath the coffee maker.
Only one place to go to actually get that quick cup of coffee.
We also emptied the coffee bags into this repurposed coffee container and kept the scoop in the container. One place, one cabinet, fewer dishes, and less opportunity for frustration in the morning. These small adjustments also keep your mind clear (you’d be surprised how much brain space small questions can take up). No brain power used to answer questions like “Where is the coffee scoop?”, “Where is my travel mug?”, “Where is the top to the French press?”, or “Why was this coffee bag left open?”
Having ‘like’ items that ‘go together’ in one place decreases frustration and increases the chances they will be put back where they belong.
When your morning starts off well you save your energy for solving new challenges or anxieties related to post-COVID reentry. What can you do to Kondo your morning coffee routine? What other parts of your morning routine can you Kondo?
Let me know if this worked for you! Follow me on Instagram @unclutterly.dc or Facebook @unclutterly for more organizing ideas and decluttering tips. Virtual support available. Good luck!