What My Messy Kitchen Taught Me About Alignment

---

What I noticed this month

This month, I found myself thinking about alignment in a very ordinary place: my kitchen.

One night, my husband put our baby to sleep, and I stayed behind to clean, which is truly my least favorite chore. Dishes are, without exaggeration, my least favorite activity ever. And when the kitchen is messy, my whole life feels messy. It shuts me down from creative energy, from motivation, and from feeling grounded in my own home.

• I love cooking, yet we order out more than I want to.
• I love crafting, especially making candles, but I rarely feel like I have the space to actually create.
• Cleaning baby items feels endless.
• Stuff piles up.
• I feel behind, cluttered, and honestly a little icky.

And I realized this is not just about dishes. It affects my mood, my energy, and my ability to live the way I want to live.

Something clicked this month

I often say, “I wish I had more time.” But what I realized is that I do not actually need more time. What I need is better alignment with how I use the time I already have.

If my environment constantly drains me, it makes everything else harder, including creativity, sustainability, rest, and follow-through on my goals. This is not about perfection. It is about designing a life that supports my energy instead of working against it.

The MADE lens

Looking at this through my MADE lens, I realized my kitchen, and parts of my home, are currently out of alignment with my mission to live more sustainably and intentionally.

I do not want a home that feels like a chore list. I want a home that feels like a cozy lodge, a place where I can exhale, create, nourish myself, and spend time how I actually want to spend it.

My first instinct was, “Let’s redesign everything,” because that used to be the fun part for me. But the more I pause and reflect, the more I find myself removing things rather than adding new ones. Our brains often associate adding with progress, but because sustainability is my goal, reducing excess and removing misalignment is actually the more positive choice.

Before jumping into design, I paused to identify what is truly misaligned so that any changes feel natural, supportive, and sustainable rather than just new. I made a list of what feels misaligned versus aligned.

Some of the misalignments I noticed include:

• dishes left overnight
• jars and items saved for future crafts
• crowded cabinets
• winter weather making recycling harder
• and simply having too many items for the space we actually have

What feels aligned includes:

• loading the dishwasher at night
• downsizing and simplifying
• cleaning as we go
• and cooking meals that feel nourishing and joyful

Only after identifying those patterns did I brainstorm design ideas that respond directly to what feels off.

Some of those ideas include:

• limiting craft supplies to a single shelf or box so that if it does not fit, it is gone
• decluttering items we have not used in a year by regifting, reusing, storing, or releasing them
• fixing broken cabinet shelves so items fit properly
• and designing systems that support sustainability without creating overwhelm

Not more stuff. Just systems that fit better.

Winter energy and reflection before action

This month included more thinking than doing, and I have decided, compared to last years when I set resolutions, that is okay.

Winter is a season of rest. Animals hibernate. Plants lie dormant. Nature stores energy before it blooms. Instead of forcing action, I leaned into observation, reflection, and clarity so I could build a foundation for more meaningful change later.

Some of the ways I reflected included:

• journaling what I noticed about my habits and energy
• mind mapping elements of my sustainability mission
• and using creative thinking tools like SCAMPER to reimagine systems instead of blaming myself

This was not procrastination. It was preparation.

My invitation for you

If you have felt behind, stuck, or like you “just need more time,” I invite you to consider this:

What in your life feels misaligned, not because you are failing, but because the system does not fit you?

You do not need a total life overhaul. You might just need small design shifts that support who you already are. This month reminded me that sustainable change does not start with hustle. True change starts with honest reflection, gentle redesign, and compassion for your current season.

Spring will come, and I am choosing to store energy for it.

Thank you for reading,

Jenn Babcock

Founder, MADE Consulting

Mission-Aligned Design Excellence