kitchen organization

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Tackle the Table
The kitchen or dining room table "is a magnet for mail, bills, kids' homework and I'll-just-put-it-here-for-a-moment kind of stuff," says Walsh. To prepare it for actual dining, he suggests spending 30 "brutal and fast" minutes sorting paperwork into like piles (Mail Needing Attention, Documents to File, Recycling, etc.). "Stand, don't sit," he cautions, "so you won't be tempted to study the disclaimers on those credit card offers." When everything is sorted, resolve to deal with a pile a day, or put them all away until January. Then set the table with a tablecloth, flower arrangement and your nicest dishes, to discourage people—in other words, you—from using it as a dumping ground for groceries and unpaid electric bills.
— Meredith Bryan