A wise woman once said, “Sometimes the most productive thing you can do is choose to do fewer things better.”

I’m in a very busy stage of life right now, and I completely lost control of my home organization. Not the pretty bins and labels kind of organization—the real systems that create order in daily life. If you are in a similar situation, please know that you are not alone.

For me, I reached my breaking point a few weeks ago – I spent an unreasonable amount of time looking for a small piece of my smoothie blender, and I completely lost it. Like, how is it even possible for a simple object to just go missing for weeks? That’s when I realized: having a home without organizational systems means you are constantly playing a battle of catching up, with clutter, junk, and many surfaces for objects to get lost.

And I should know better. In my previous post in this Learning to Keep Home series, I shared about the discovery of homemaking as a science and art. I learned from Cheryl Mendelson, author of the Home Comfort books, about creating order at home.

Since this discovery, I have tackled my own kitchen organization, built lasting systems and feel confident that anyone can achieve the kitchen of their dreams (at least functionally).

The Two-Part Problem I Discovered

Through this process, I learned that kitchen chaos usually stems from two issues working together:

Problem 1: No Systems — Things don’t have logical homes that match how you actually cook and move around the space.

Problem 2: Wrong Tools — You’re working with equipment that fights you instead of helping you.

I had both problems. My tools were scattered randomly, and half of them were cheap replacements that barely worked. That peeling non-stick pan did it for me.

What Actually Worked: Zoning + Strategic Upgrades

The Zoning Method is about creating dedicated areas for specific tasks instead of randomly organizing things wherever they fit. Your kitchen becomes zones:

• Prep Zone: Where food gets washed and chopped (near sink, with knives, cutting boards, prep bowls)
• Cook Zone: Around stovetop and oven (with pots, pans, cooking utensils, seasonings)
• Clean Zone: Near sink and dishwasher (with dish soap, towels, cleaning supplies)
• Assembly Zone: Where meals get plated and served
• Storage Zone: For putting things away (pantry items, less-used appliances)

The Strategic Upgrades happened when I realized my tools were working against me. Instead of replacing everything, I focused on materials that actually perform:

• Cast iron and stainless steel replaced flaky non-stick pans
• Sharp, quality knives replaced the dull, dangerous ones
• Wood cutting boards replaced the warped plastic ones
• Glass and ceramic containers replaced reactive materials that changed food flavors

Three Questions That Can get you started

This is a great place to start if you are unsure of where to start with a kitchen reset, or if you were looking to just get started in a new kitchen. Before keeping or buying anything, ask yourself:

1. Is it safe? (No more chipped, flaking, or damaged items)
2. Does it work every time? (Tools that fail mid-task aren’t worth keeping)
3. Does it earn its space? (Every item needs to justify its real estate)

This filter eliminated half my kitchen contents and clarified what actually needed replacing.

The Real Lesson: Simply Start

Organization overwhelm happens when you try to fix everything simultaneously. But when you focus on one area, use the three-question filter, and upgrade strategically, you create systems that actually stick. The combination of proper zoning and quality materials will change everything.

: I’m actually enjoying spending time in my kitchen now. I’m cooking more, making better quality food because my tools work properly and I can find what I need instantly. I’m not spending hours looking for anything anymore—items have a home and everything is easily restored to order after cooking.

The transformation from that three-week blender cover hunt to never losing anything again? That alone made this entire reset worth it. But the real win is that cooking went from a frustrating chore to something I genuinely look forward to. When your space works with you instead of against you, everything changes.

This kitchen series is for anyone who has had to struggle through maintaining a kitchen because they live with others or are terrible at maintaining organization systems. The hope is we can learn enough together to build systems that support how you actually live and cook.

What’s Coming in This Series

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing each step of this process:

• How to identify your specific kitchen problems
• Setting up each zone for maximum efficiency
• Which material upgrades make the biggest difference

What organization challenge have you been avoiding? Sometimes naming the problem is the first step toward solving it.