Situation:

An incredibly large pantry with built-in shelves and drawers but a very industrious and busy cook. It seemed to have a life of it’s own and created it’s own systems if we didn’t keep an eye open for small hands and hungry mouths!

Challenge:

There were so many shelves and drawers that it looked deceptively easy to organize. This is a common situation with too much space in pantries, closets or other areas in your home. Because of the expanse of storage space, you keep buying more and more products to fill it up. Sound familiar? This actually wasn’t the issue in this pantry but a good thing to keep in mind if you have a large but out-of-control storage area.

Solutions:

We decided what zones were really necessary to keep everything organized in this space. Zones were super important since this was a very busy mom with a multi-cultural family with a variety of palettes.

Specific zones were created to include:

1. Condiments, Sauces

2. Asian Cuisine

3. Canned Goods: Soups, Veggies

4. Canned Goods: Mexican

5. Baking / Entertaining Zone

6. Rice/Pastas

7. Teas / Beverages

8. Snack Zone

9. Breakfast Zone

These are the zones created specifically for foods. After that we created storage for appliances and other items to include:

1. Entertaining  2. Baking  3. Cooking  4. Paper Goods

Click here to see more specific solutions for storage and zone organizing for pantries. I use these solutions frequently when I work in with clients and you might end up with some new ideas for your own pantry!

PS Please post any good solutions you have developed on your own in the comment form below so that others can benefit from your clever tips and tricks!

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Kathi,

My office just cut back on staff. Now I’m temporarily handling my normal workload along with two other missing team members. How can I work more efficiently? I’m tired of having dinner with the night janitor.

Ben, San Marcos

Ben,

Double up on certain tasks. Do small tasks simultaneously, such as sorting through mail while you are talking on the phone, or purging files while eating lunch.
Stand up while on the phone. Your conversations will automatically be shorter.
Use window envelopes where appropriate, saving time in writing or typing the name and address.
Purge your files annually. You will be better able to find files and decrease storage space.

And, my usual advice, take many short breaks throughout your day to stretch and refresh. You will inevitably accomplish more with less effort using this method.