The two-cup tactic - a minimalist experiment in the kitchen

The Tactics of Two Mugs is the story of how peace and relaxation finally descended on the kitchen with a minimalist experiment. For busier readers, I can reveal that the moral of the story is to engage home users and the technique of experimental decluttering. If you struggle with kitchen decluttering, then clear your dishes for a deadline - seriously, try this! Leave just 1-2 dishes per user for two weeks. You might not go back to the way things were.

A longer version of the story, a few lessons and additional tips

Years ago, a friend gave me some absolutely invaluable advice: don't do what someone else could do. The kids were coming over for dinner, and my friend told them to set the table. The dishes were taken from a drawer that was at the children's hips height. So that the adult had to bend over, but the child could get their dishes out of the box easily. I was blown away, brilliant!

How to tap into children's natural desire to participate in the kitchen?

Place the dishes at the user's height. It is a functional and practical solution for families with children. It is also about enabling and respecting children's abilities. It's about eliminating unnecessary adult work. It's good flow.

Children want to participate, driven by the need to be part of their community. So let the children practice, even at the risk of breaking something or taking a detour to the finish line. I know it's not easy or quick to get children involved, but in the long run it pays off.

Especially for hesitant ones I recommend to read Hunt, gather, parent -a book in which Dr. Michaeleen Doucleff explores this experience of child connection and educational methods among indigenous peoples.

Back to the kitchen: when the dishes are at the child's level, he can set the table himself and move them to the sink and back. The flow of home is strong - the child learns to help himself, to participate and to take responsibility for making his own meals possible. The adult has less work and less potential frustration.

It's also about routines: what routines do we want to learn as a family? What quantities of stuff will reduce stress and unnecessary clutter?

We have had the dishes in the bottom drawer since that magical day. We have also used porcelain dishes since our kids were babies. A few of the shot glasses that served as baby drinking glasses have met their "throwing" Greek fate, but the trials and tribulations of all three kids are in the two to three dozen range. Quite reasonable, I think, since I break three containers per year myself almost inevitably.

How to declutter out your kitchen troubles with a part-time minimalist experiment

After years of struggling, I finally decluttered out all the unused dishes and gadgets from the kitchen. Some remained in seasonal storage, away from the kitchen, freeing up the kitchen for utensils.

But... We have always had plenty of mugs available. And everyone loved these mugs and used them all the time, so there can't be too many, can there? That's what I thought and I didn't want to question my system. Until the chaos in the kitchen reached a critical point. No matter how hard I tried, the mountain of dishes wouldn't disappear. Precisely because everyone was using all the utensils available.

One day I read about a family that had one set of dishes per family member. I told the children about this. Contrary to my expectations, they were excited by the idea. I was still filtering this tactic myself. A bit extreme.

However, I often received enquiries, when will we try this idea? In the end, we agreed that everyone would take two of their favourite mugs as so-called earmarked mugs. In theory, if one is on the counter, the other should be free. Therein lies one of the pillars of goods work: experimentation! Experiment by experimenting, you can always come back if you try stashing the ones you're considering decluttering.

A smaller number of units flows more efficiently

Here, the two-cup tactic has worked surprisingly well for six months now. The kids remember which mug is whose, there is no arguing about them at all anymore. I only have one coffee mug, so I always know if it's going to be washed or clean.

Surprisingly, the experiment also reduced the mental burden on the children, as one piece of the meal was made easier; the decision on the mug does not have to be made at every meal. There is less washing up, and therefore less clutter cluttering the levels, and the clean-up routine for a more compact set of dishes is more agile. It's been easy to get into a routine, now we're on autopilot.

These seemingly easy solutions are sometimes hard to see in everyday life, when the to-do list and stress are overwhelming. But streamlining could also help reduce the unnecessary clutter and mess that puts a strain on relationships.

What did it take? An adult had to spot a point to streamline and where unnecessary, burdensome decisions reside. The children were fully prepared for the experiment.

Two mugs, then - for those who don't want to choose one favourite mug, or for whom the minimalism of one mug is too extreme!

Try it yourself: pack most of the dishes or even the mugs in storage, leaving just two per person and a couple of extras for the visitors in the kitchen cupboard. Be amazed at the peace that comes with calming the dish mountain!

If you need a hand to declutter your kitchen, contact me and we will tame your home chaos too.