Organizing the Kitchen: How to Save Time and Space

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(My quest to stay organized through a downsize continues… This is Part II of Staying Organized Through a Downsize: How I Won The Battle To Unclutter).

As I continue to get situated in my new apartment, one of the biggest problems is always the kitchen. It’s a typical, small, compact apartment kitchen. I have limited counter space, limited cupboards, limited storage space overall. Some of my cupboards go pretty deep, but the problem with this is that things get buried and stuck at the back and I often forget about them.

As I try to set up and organize my kitchen my main goal is to maximize space. I’ve found some cupboard accessories that have essentially added removable shelf space which is great for cups and glasses. Other than this I was at a bit of a loss until I discovered some gems from Uncluttered Designs and The Brewologist. 

Need some in depth help with organization and productivity ? Drop on by our directories choc full of productivity coaches, minimalist coaches, and work/life balance coaches to get your life organized! Or click here to have us match you to the best.

The Coffee Maker

I was excited about this convenient, compact coffee maker for two reasons. First, I’m a coffee addict and I’m always interested in ways to make my coffee experience better. Second, because I was able to see immediately how this pour-over style coffee maker was going to make my life easier. 

For the longest time, I’ve been using a clunky, old-fashioned coffee maker that used to belong to my parents. It’s large and requires several steps to get the coffee made. This smaller, simpler pour-over design is an interesting switch for me. 

How it Works:

For those who are unfamiliar, a pour-over coffee maker is very much what it sounds like. The coffee brews as you manually pour the water over your grounds. It’s small, effective, and best of all – portable!

You can take it on any kind of trip – whether you’re staying in a hotel or a tent.

What you need to know:

• The pour-over method allows more oils and aromatics to be released from the coffee, which enhances the blend, giving it more body and higher notes. 

• The best coffee for a pour-over coffee maker is a medium or coarsely ground coffee. You want to aim for an even grind. 

• To begin making your coffee, you want to fill the reusable, stainless steel filter with your coffee. Make sure you even the bed a little by tapping the edges. 

• Blooming the coffee is an important step. To do this, pour about an ounce of hot water over the grounds. They will swell and expand. This has released the gasses it accumulated during the roasting process. 

• To brew, slowly pour hot water over your grounds in a circular motion for about one minute. Then, pour directly into the center for another minute or so. The coffee will continue brewing for about one minute after you finish pouring. 

That’s all there is to it! It’s easy and fast. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes from start to finish. 

How it Helps:

So, how does this coffee maker help me stay organized? First is the size. It’s much smaller than my old coffee maker and will, therefore, take up far less space on my counter. In fact, it’s so small and light I could tuck it in the cupboard if I need the space and pull it out when it’s time to make coffee.

Second, it’s going to save me time. While it’s not an astronomical amount of time, it will make a difference to my mornings. Especially on my busiest days, every minute counts and this process is faster than my current set-up. 

The Three tiered Letter Tray

The letter tray is a classic item that is useful in many situations. The simple design is one of the most versatile organization products. Uncluttered Designs stands out with its fast, easy assembly and breathable trays.

Many people use this type of product for their desk or office, but the breathable design gives you even more options. Personally, I’ll be keeping it on my counter and using it to store food. I mentioned counter space being at a premium in my place and therefore a priority to maximize.

The letter tray has three levels which essentially creates extra counter space for me. Right now, my cupboards are cluttered and I find myself simply shoving things in there with no rhyme or reason. The extra space this tray creates is perfect for smaller, loose items that I consume on a regular basis, such as fruits.

If I don’t have enough produce to fill all three trays, I might keep some of my most-used kitchen tools on the bottom tray for easier access. 

Apples and peanut butter are my weakness. Digging around and reaching to the back of the cupboard for the apples I bought last week is getting annoying. This is the perfect solution as it fits nicely in line with everything else and can hold so many things. 

Other Ideas

This letter tray offers many other options. Of course, there is the original intent of storing papers and documents in an office setting. Whether you bring it to work or keep it at home, it can absolutely be used for this. The three levels let you categorize your documents for easy access and separation.

Another place it can be useful is in the bedroom. It’s a good size for most night tables if you’ve got a lot you store on that. Or, it’s perfect for the top of your dresser. It can store books, notebooks, mail, electronics, vitamins, lotions, the options are endless. Not only does this keep you organized but it makes everything easily accessible. 

The Brilliant Spice Rack 

This spice rack is like nothing you’ve seen before. I’m truly in love with it. It’s easy, convenient, and extremely versatile.

It comes with a chrome plate, nine magnetic spice bottles, and a hook and screws for hanging it up.

There are three main ways you can use this spice rack:

1. Go old fashioned and leave it on the counter. The round bottles have magnets on the bottom and will stick to the chrome plate. To save a little space and make things more convenient, you can prop the rack up on a 70-degree angle. Move it around as needed. 

2. Save space and attach the rack to a wall or the inside of a cabinet. If this is what you choose, they provide you with a hook and the necessary screws. 

3. Attach the bottles directly to your fridge or any other magnetic surface. The magnets cover the entire bottom of the bottle and are sufficiently strong. This method gives you all the power as you can arrange them in any fashion you like – see below. 

Once you’ve decided how you’re going to set up your spice rack, it’s time to fill the bottles. Their design is innovative and useful for dispensing both spices and herbs. Begin by removing the cap and filling the bottle with your desired herb or spice.

When storing, ensure the lid covers both holes. To dispense, simply turn the lid to reveal either the small holes – for spices – or the larger one – for herbs. You can remove the lid entirely to scoop larger amounts out with a spoon. The lids are clear so you can easily see which spice you need.

In the kitchen alone, this versatile spice rack can be used in so many different ways. It suits any number of set-ups. If you really love your spices and have more than nine at any given time, setting up multiple racks will work just as well. 

Other Ideas

If you’re not a spice person, this brilliant little rack is useful for many other things. With the help of the included bracket, it can attach to any surface. You can put it in your bedroom for vitamins, buttons, hair clips, jewelry, or even little candies or snacks. 

It can also be placed beside your desk for small office supplies like push pins and post-it notes.

It’s also a fantastic option for those who have a knack for crafts and DIY projects. It’s perfect for a craft room or workshop as it can easily hold and organize an assortment of beads pins, threads, cords, glue, screws, nuts, bolts, etc.

These ideas are just the beginning. I’m in love with this versatile little product and may just have to get myself one for each room. It also makes a great gift as most people would be able to find a use for it somewhere. 

Onwards and Upwards 

Trying to get organized – and then stay organized – in a one-bedroom basement apartment is an ongoing battle. At times it feels like I’m never going to find a perfect place for every little thing. But, it’s versatile and innovative products like these ones that give me hope of getting there someday. The process becomes less and less daunting with the addition of each one.

I’ve come a long way but the journey is far from over. Stay tuned as I continue to tackle my clutter, one room at a time.  

The Surface-First Rule

In a small kitchen, your counters decide everything.

If the surface is crowded, the whole room feels chaotic. If it’s clear, the space feels twice as big.

I follow one simple rule now. Protect the surface first.

That means asking three questions about anything sitting out:

• Do I use this daily
• Does it save me time
• Does it earn its footprint

If the answer is no, it doesn’t live on the counter.

This is why the new coffee maker works. It’s compact. It earns its space. And if I need the room, I can tuck it away in seconds.

A productivity coach might call this reducing visual friction. When your eyes aren’t scanning clutter first thing in the morning, your brain starts calmer and moves faster.

Try this tonight. Clear one counter completely. Then only put back what truly deserves to live there.

Deep Cabinets and the “Buried Item” Problem

Deep cupboards sound generous. They’re not.

They’re storage traps.

When items sit behind other items, they disappear from memory. That’s how you end up buying a third jar of paprika because the first two are hiding behind a pasta box.

I use a simple front-facing rule now.

• Nothing lives behind something else unless it’s bulk
• Frequently used items stay in the front third
• Tall items never block smaller ones

If you have to move three things to reach one thing, the system is broken.

Pull-out bins and shelf risers help. So does grouping like with like. All baking items together. All breakfast items together. No random stacking.

An organizing coach would physically walk through the cabinet with you and redesign it by category and reach frequency. It’s surprisingly practical work.

The Vertical Multiplier Principle

When you can’t expand outward, expand upward.

That’s why the three-tier letter tray works so well in my kitchen. It turns one flat surface into three usable levels.

A fruit bowl takes up one square foot. A tiered tray holds apples, bananas, and snack bars in the same footprint.

The rule is simple:

• If it sits flat, ask if it can stack
• If it spreads wide, ask if it can rise tall

Look at 12 inches of counter space and ask yourself if it could hold three layers instead of one.

This works for produce. For mugs. Even for small kitchen tools.

A home organization coach might stand in your kitchen and point out all the “air space” you’re not using. Once you see it, you can’t unsee it.

Designing Your Morning Workflow

The coffee maker isn’t just smaller. It changes the flow of my morning.

My old machine required multiple steps. Fill the tank. Insert the filter. Measure. Wait. Clean.

The pour-over process is direct.

• Fill filter
• Bloom
• Pour
• Done

It takes a few minutes, but the steps are intentional and contained.

When mornings are rushed, complexity is what derails you. Not lack of motivation.

If a system has five moving parts before coffee, you’ll resent it on a Tuesday when you’re late.

A performance coach would call this friction mapping. You look at your morning routine and remove one unnecessary step at a time.

The result isn’t dramatic. It’s subtle. But subtle changes repeated daily add up fast.

The Magnetic Surface Strategy

Most kitchens ignore their vertical metal surfaces.

The side of the fridge. The inside of a cabinet door. Even a mounted metal plate.

That’s why I love the spice rack.

It follows one rule. Light items can live on vertical surfaces.

The magnetic bottles free up drawer space instantly. They also eliminate the spice avalanche that happens every time you open a crowded cabinet.

If your spice drawer jams, it’s not because you own too many spices. It’s because they’re stored horizontally in a tight space.

Move them vertical and the problem disappears.

This strategy also works for:

• Small office supplies
• Craft beads
• Hair accessories
• Vitamins

A systems-minded coach might help you identify every underused surface in your home and assign it a purpose.

Walls are storage too.

The One-In, One-Reassign Rule

Small kitchens can’t absorb endless additions.

Every new item has to justify itself.

When I brought in the new coffee maker, the old bulky one didn’t get stored “just in case.” It left.

That’s the rule.

• If something replaces a tool, the old one goes
• If something adds convenience, something else loses space
• No duplicates hiding in cupboards

Sentimental attachment to appliances is real. Especially when they came from family.

A decluttering coach might gently walk you through that decision. Not emotionally. Practically. Is it serving your current life or your past one?

Space is limited. Your kitchen can’t hold both versions of you.

The Five-Minute Weekly Reset

Organization isn’t a one-time event.

Without maintenance, even the best systems slide.

Once a week, I reset the kitchen. It takes five minutes.

• Wipe down all counters completely
• Empty and refill the fruit tray
• Check spice levels
• Open one deep cabinet and adjust anything creeping backward

That’s it.

When I skip this, things pile. The tray becomes a catch-all. The magnetic rack gets cluttered. The deep cabinet swallows items again.

A habit coach would tie this reset to something consistent. Sunday meal prep. Friday evening cleanup. Same time every week.

It’s not about perfection. It’s about keeping the systems alive.

Small space organization works beautifully. As long as you keep touching it.

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Are you all about style, decor and organization? Download a copy of our Decluttering Workbook.

Need some in depth help with organization and productivity ? Drop on by our directories choc full of productivity coaches, minimalist coaches, and work/life balance coaches to get your life organized! Or click here to have us match you to the best.

Read Part I of how it all started here: Staying Organized Through a Downsize: How I Won The Battle To Unclutter, Part 1

Stay tuned for Part III when I tackle the bedroom!