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The other day my friend Jenny sent out a call for help on Facebook. She needed to reorganize her kitchen and didn’t know where to start. Perhaps you can relate. And even though I can’t rush over and help her (or you) in the flesh, perhaps I can still help by sharing this technique.

I’ve read a lot about organizing over the years. I’m cluttery and messy and, in the past, have had a relatively high tolerance for a certain amount of uncleanliness. But I’ve always liked things to be organized. I like being able to find something when I need it and I like orderly appearances inside my cupboards and closets.

Nearly every single book or article I’ve read on the subject promotes some variation of what I’m calling “The ABC Principle” for functional organization. I’ve used it in many, many spaces over the years and promise you that it works works WORKS. You don’t need special containers or label makers or anything new. This is a principle. How you put the principle into practice is entirely up to you.

If you are an organizing genius, you can go ahead and stop reading now. There is likely nothing new here for you. Instead, please help the rest of us out by sharing your smarts in the comment section below. If, however, you have some spaces that aren’t working for you and don’t know where to begin. Read on, dear friends, read on.

The ABC Principle of Organizing

The gist of the ABC Principle is to put the most regularly used items in the most accessible spaces. Likewise, rarely accessed items go in the most inaccessible places. The ABC principle provides structure for thinking about your stuff.

I’m calling it “The ABC Principle”, because the idea is to categorize your available locations as A, B, and C; then categorize your items as A, B, and C; and then put like letters together. And also because I don’t know what else to call it.

First I’m going to explain the nature of ABC locations and items, and then I’ll give you an idea of how to use the principle to organize any space in your home. (Update: Commenter Bianca rightly noted how overwhelming this sounds. I’ve been detailed to not leave you lost, but the execution is much simpler than the explanation, I promise.)

A, B, and C Locations Defined

A – These locations are the very easiest to get to. They are at an arm’s reach from normal postures (standing at the sink, stove, or fridge in a kitchen; or sitting at a desk in an office). You should be able to reach them without straining or crouching or digging. “A” locations are golden real estate.

B – These locations are still relatively easy to get to, but not as ideal as “A” spaces. You might have to bend, reach, or dig a little, but no stools or gymnastics are required.

C – These locations are the most challenging to get to. Places like small cabinets over the fridge or top shelves or the garage.

A, B, and C Items Defined

A – Stuff that you use nearly every day

B – Stuff you use nearly every week

C – Stuff you use nearly every month.

Got it? Great. On we go.

You can put this principle into practice any way you wish. But I don’t want to leave you stranded without a place to start, so I’m going to show you how I do it. If it suits you, use it. If not, leave it.

An Example: My Crazy Kitchen

My kitchen is cuckoo. If you were to look really closely at my diagrams that follow – which I don’t recommend – it would not make any sense. This is because my kitchen doesn’t make any sense. It has two near-unusable cabinet spaces, three small drawers, and two large elevated concrete slabs. Ikea and I have become good friends.

Anyway, here we go. I’m going to walk you through the steps I use, give you a few notes on the process, and then summarize the whole thing into it’s simplest parts.

1) Sketch the space

The goal here is to gain a clear understanding of my space; to know what spaces are most usable, what spaces are most difficult, and to understand how I access the places I have available for things.

I draw a rough sketch of the space I’m organizing, be it the kitchen, a closet, the home office, whatever.  The sketch is basic blueprint of the space, but with indicators of shelves and drawers and such. Nothing Fancy. It just helps me see what I’m working with. I like to do this part in pencil or black ink.

Here’s the sketch of my kitchen:

2) Mark locations as A, B, or C

Next, I take a different-colored pen [Read more…]