Upper cabinets: keep only what you use weekly.

Keep only the dishes you actually use in a given week up there—everything else goes lower or out.

Upper cabinets are the most physically demanding storage in a kitchen. You have to reach, stretch, and possibly stand on tiptoes. So why store things you barely touch? Be ruthless: pull out every dish that hasn’t been used in the last 7 days. That’s your daily core—likely plates, bowls, maybe 4-6 of each, and coffee mugs. Those stay. Everything goes to a lower cabinet, pantry, or gets donated.

Now for the ones that stay: don’t just stack them blindly. Use shelf risers or small stands so you can grab plates without unstacking a tower. If your cabinet is deep, put the daily stuff in the front, less frequent items behind it. Group by height—tall cereal bowls and short dinner plates can share a shelf if you use a tiered rack. And please, no stacking coffee mugs inside each other. They chip and they’re a pain to get apart.