Apart from aesthetic purposes, bins can keep your pantry organised — using bins helps support the system created for the individual living in the space. Transferring dry goods into sealed storage containers can help keep food fresh longer, reduce food waste, and even prevent an infestation of grain-chomping pests.

“Decanting is something you can do in the kitchen for items that are always restocked, and this will help to prolong their shelf life,” Esther shares. “You can use labels to help you remember what is in those containers as well as to indicate the expiry date.”

Demarcating kitchen zones for different activities will help make your experience in the space a lot more efficient. This will ensure a good flow, and you won’t waste time looking for say, your child’s favourite bag of chips.

“Zoning out the kitchen pantry or fridge using labels can help you manage inventory,” Esther advises. “With this, you will know when to make the next grocery run and also when to restock your favourite snacks. This helps to save you money since you will not have any expired items or end up buying more inventory that needed.”

Ever heard of the phrase that our environment is a reflection of our mental state? Well, according to psychologists, the environment with which we surround ourselves is very often a direct expression of where we are emotionally. And so, in order to work efficiently, it is very important that our workspaces are tidy, to keep ourselves focused and in control.

According to Esther, “Organising stationary and electronic items using drawers with labels can help you to increase productivity, making it easy for you to find whatever you need when you need them.” 

And if you’re the sort that gets overwhelmed with paperwork, Esther advocates going through your papers and creating a system by only keeping those you need. “For papers, tidy them by discarding what you don’t need, and what you can find digitally.” As for the rest of the documents that you might keep — these are items that you might need to refer to such as manuals, warranties, and important documents — she recommends filing them into specific folders and labeling them so that you can reach them conveniently when you need to.

You might be the parent, but that doesn’t mean your kids can’t do their part in keeping their spaces tidy! “If you have kids at home, you might be spending more time than you want to try to keep things tidy or trying to find specific things items around the house. Using labels for toy storage can encourage kids to put back their toys after playtime,” Esther shares.

Sometimes, no matter how organised and on the task we are, there are those days when we wake up late or are too tired to pack the night before. We’re human, and it happens to the best of us. To save time from an early morning scramble, label your kid’s belongings so that you’ll be able to grab whatever you need quickly.

“When it comes to items that the kids bring out or bring to school, these are easily identifiable with stick-on and iron-on labels,” Esther shares. “Having a system for your kid’s belongings can help you stay on top of your own busy schedule.”

The Brother P-Touch Cube retails at $188. Visit Brother International Singapore’s website for more information.

A Brother special brought to you by The Singapore Women’s Weekly.