5 Business Lessons From Cleaning Out My Kitchen Pantry
By: Nina Quist
Tags: Life Lessons, Freelancing, Life, Entrepreneurship, Business

5 Business Lessons From Cleaning Out My Kitchen Pantry

Who knew Heinz tomato soup and taxes had so much in common

Photo by Heather McKean on Unsplash

Cleaning out my kitchen pantry had been on my to-do-list for ages.

Every time I opened it, at least one item would fall out. I’d be ducking to avoid the falling bags of macaroni and oatmeal. On good days I’d catch them falling, and all was well. On not so good days, they’d hit the floor, and there’d be spaghetti everywhere. And on the worst days, I’d get a can of tomato soup in the head.

And yet, all this time, I was cooking delicious meals.

I’d simply gotten used to working around the mess.

Then came the pandemic, and all of a sudden, I had more time on my hands. And one day, I just did it. I went to the store (I live in Sweden, so COVID never stopped us from doing that), and I bought loads of beautiful containers, cute labels, and a marker.

And I started organizing.

I spent an afternoon throwing stuff away, vacuuming the shelves, and polishing the kitchen until everything was shining. And for the first time in my adult life, I now have an amazingly organized kitchen pantry. I even got suspicious looks from my kids, seemingly asking, “who is this person, and what has she done to our mom?”

Because messy used to be my middle name. And I never even realized it bothered me. But now?

Now I’m in love with my kitchen pantry. And you know what? Cooking is more fun than ever.

The food tastes the same, but it takes me half the time to cook and clean up afterward. I’m no longer attacked by canned food, I always know what I need to stock up on, and I no longer find weird, molding remnants of god knows what in the back of the cupboards (shhh, don’t tell my mother!).

And while I was writing labels for my oatmeal and pouring rice into glass cans, I started seeing the whole experience as an analogy for business. Heck, even for life.

So, here are my 5 takeaways!

#1 Seize the muse — or you’ll lose her

One day, I just had enough. Enough of pasta chaos. Enough of buying more just in case, ending up with five bags of flour and so sugar. One day, I just knew it. It was time to get organized. I know that if I’d just noticed that feeling but decided to wait till the next day, I’d probably still be stepping on tagliatelli on my way to the fridge. Instead, I acted immediately. As soon as I felt the urge to get my shit together, I went to the convenience store and bought a big bunch of glass containers, stickers, and a marker. I went home, and I put everything on the kitchen table got started. Getting started is often the most challenging part — once you’ve started, it becomes fun and rewarding.

#2 Investing in structure is always worth it

Sure, it may take some time to clean up your mess. And it definitely takes some thought and effort to create sustainable systems and structures. You may even have to make a financial investment to reach a state in your business where no proverbial soup cans are hitting you in the head (yes, big pile of unpaid bills and still-not-tended to receipts, I’m looking at you!).

But the effort, the cost, the investment — it is so worth it. You will enjoy your work more, be more productive, and, perhaps most importantly, find a whole new level of zen in your day-to-day life. (Nothing is less zen then realizing you forgot to pay taxes or missed a deadline, due to lack of structure.)

#3 Sometimes you need to spend money to save money

By spending some money on glass containers and labels, and creating a nice overview, I’ve found that I’m actually saving money. I don’t buy the same thing twice, and I don’t have to go panic shopping at the expensive store in my street. I can plan my purchases (god, my teenage self would hate me so much for saying these things). Well, the same logic applies to your business. Investing in the right tools to create systems and structure will help you make more money and avoid unnecessary expenses. Often it’s not even money you need to invest. Instead, it’s time. Spend a little time now to set up your processes and save A LOT of time in the future.

#4 Structure is not boring — it sets you free

When I was growing up, I used to think people who planned a lot, kept lists, and put stuff in boxes came from a different planet. I couldn’t relate and found them so boring. But growing older and wiser, I’ve realized the liberating aspect of actually having the practical aspects of life and work under control. It’s not constraining, as I used to think. It sets you free. Now, I would be lying if I said it comes naturally to me now. It doesn’t. But now I totally see the value of structure and try to live and work accordingly.

#5 I’m not doomed to mess — it’s a choice

If you’re like me, you may have identified with being a bit messy. If you do, it can be hard to change. But what I’ve learned is that not that many of our traits are set in stone. We change, we grow, we evolve, and we mature. And before we even knew what hit us (well, probably a can of soup), we’ve acquired new skills and qualities. I’ve learned that I’m not doomed to be a messy person, and I’m no less fun for having a clean kitchen.

My main takeaway

As human beings, we can get used to almost everything. But often, we don’t have to. Often, we have so much more agency than we realize. So don’t get used to having pasta everywhere; be it at home, at work, or in life in general. Go clean up that annoying pile of the mess instead, whatever it is that’s stressing you out. You know what I’m talking about.

Give yourself that gift. You deserve it.