How to Declutter Your Kitchen Without Losing Your Mind

A gentle, realistic approach. No mug limits, no guilt, no rules.

The kitchen is one of those spaces that almost everyone wants to tackle and almost everyone dreads tackling at the same time.

And I get it. The kitchen collects clutter from multiple directions at once. It involves things we might use someday, which is some of the hardest decision-making there is. And it's one of the most used rooms in the home, so even trying to clear it out means working around the regular rhythm of daily life.

I've been through this process in my own kitchen more than once. And I've helped many women through it in theirs. Here's the approach that actually works, without any strict rules about how many mugs you're allowed to own.

Start with the obvious, before any real decisions

Before you make a single hard decision, do one easy pass through the kitchen with one purpose: remove anything that is clearly ready to go. Expired food from the pantry and fridge. Broken appliances you've been meaning to fix for two years. Duplicates of things you only need one of and never reach for the extras. Single-use gadgets you've used once, if at all.

This pass requires almost no emotional energy. It's fast. It's satisfying. And it immediately creates more physical space and more mental breathing room before you've even gotten to the harder stuff.

Work with how you actually use your kitchen

The most ADHD-friendly kitchen, and honestly the most functional kitchen for anyone, is organized by how you actually use it, not by what makes sense in theory.

The things you use every single day should be the easiest to reach. The things you use once a month can go in a less accessible spot. The things you use once a year can live in a high cabinet or even another room. This sounds simple, and yet most kitchens are organized the opposite way, with easy-to-reach spots full of things we rarely use.

Counter space is premium real estate

I want you to think of your counter space as premium real estate and decide intentionally what earns a permanent spot there. The coffee maker earns it because you use it every morning. The bread machine you bought years ago and used twice does not.

This isn't about perfection or about having a bare, minimalist kitchen. It's about intention. What makes your kitchen genuinely easier and more pleasant to use every single day?

And yes, you are allowed to have a junk drawer

I say this with complete sincerity. A single, contained junk drawer is not a failure. It's a realistic acknowledgment that homes have miscellaneous items and those items need somewhere to live. The goal isn't to eliminate the junk drawer. The goal is to have one junk drawer instead of five.

Your kitchen doesn't need to look like a magazine. It needs to work for you, on a Tuesday evening, when you're tired and everyone's hungry. Build for that version of yourself. 😊

Ready for more?

Ready to tackle the kitchen and the rest of your home with a group of women cheering you on? Come join us for the Decluttering Marathon. Enrollment closes June 20th

Sign up here: https://youremorethanyourstuff.com/decluttering

With love and encouragement,

Julie xo

P.S. What's the one area of your kitchen that's been bothering you the most? I'd love to know.