Fiber Babble: 52 Week Challenge

52 Week Challenge

January 08, 2012

Some of them passed it on. "The Black Unicorn" by Terry Brooks ♦♦♦♦◊

Over on Google+ I found (and joined) a small group of people who have discovered the 52 Weeks To An Organized Home weekly challenges.

Now, before I go any further (and you know I will), let me tell you that I know you might be rolling your eyes or thinking 'here she goes again' or something like that. Because you've met me - you have noticed that over there on my sidebar are no less than FIVE quilt-alongs, BOMs, mystery projects that date from (at the latest) 2010.

So you're probably pretty confident that I'm not going to subject you to weekly before and after pictures and become the latest FlyLady evangelist. *And, no, I have no problems with FlyLady or her evangelists. I'm just not going there.* (Again, You've met me.)

This morning I mentioned to the G+ group that I am tempted to just wait out the weekly challenges until I find the one that will address what I think is my problem (paper organization, de-cluttering work/craft spaces). But that might defeat the purpose.

This week's challenge is Kitchen Organization: Countertops & Sink. One of the first things the challenge has you do is to figure out what you actually use your space for. Our kitchen island sees these activities:

Cooking & food prep

The dreaded Drop Zone

Wrapping packages to mail

Occasional rotary cutting surface

Cooking & food prep - no problem, if there's a cleared-off space to do it, at least. The Cooking part of the equation is the use of a slow cooker, by the way.

Drop Zone - well, that's where change and re-training comes in, doesn't it? There are 12 steps (literally) between the drop zone at the end of the island to the den, where most mail is dealt with. Three steps to my sewing closet (where most of the stuff that comes home from work goes). Other than the fact that there's a trash can at one end of the island, there's really no reason for most un-kitcheny things to land on the bar for any time at all.

Wrapping Packages and Rotary Cutting - maybe once a week we need to wrap a package and the rotary cutting happens maybe once a month. I don't keep my rotary cutting stuff in that area (it's those 3 steps away) but we use tape and scissors and wrapping paper/plastic and mailing envelopes and labels and packing tape there.

So, I'm taking my first step. The kitchen island - which in this picture is surprisingly (for us) uncluttered.

Other than opening the lid to the trash can and sweeping everything into it (Mr. W's suggestion), I came up with A Plan that we can both can get behind.

Here goes:

1. The packing/wrapping stuff can go on a shelf or in a drawer that's just around the corner. That's where the mailing envelopes are kept, and there's a metal bulletin board that I could hang the scissors on if I were to glue a strong magnet to them.

2. That hand lotion? It's been there for years. Nobody uses it. Trash.

3. Cords and things that need to be charged - We have so many things that need to go on chargers! (Yes, it's a First World Problem) There's a little cubby-area right outside the den that has cupboards and a little counter that would be a perfect area to install a power strip (or four) and make into a charging station. Mr. W. has offered to make that happen SOON (maybe today???). I will, in the interim, get out my trusty label maker and label all of the darned wall-warts so I know what charges what!

4. The cupboard above where we're going to make a charging station holds Mr. W.'s prescription meds. He's going to make a place for mine, too, so that they're off the island (heheheh).

5. My small electrics are used infrequently. They usually live behind closed doors. Put 'em back.

6. Eat the donuts. Put the other munchy stuff in the cupboard where it came from.

Or eat it.

7. Hey! Put my camera back into the knitted bag I made for it and stick it back in my purse.

That's not so bad, I don't think. And other than a trip to the big orange home improvement store, it can all be done in less than an hour.

So why haven't we done it before?