Where to put the STUFF
Tip 1:
Whatever is the most commonly ‘forgot’ item as you’re running out the door, store it there. e.g. Socks in a box, permission slips, a little coin container for school mufti days etc. Have a dedicated shelf or bookcase so when you are walking out the door, you will see it and grab it before you close the door.
Michelle has a notepad and pen beside the door to write all their DO NOT FORGET reminders on. It saves her butt often!
Tip 2:
Cull shoes regularly, then have a basket or a shelf for each family member. You gotta keep ‘em separated.
Andrew hates mud being tracked in so his wife, Victoria got a decent outside mat that catches the mud and a nice inside mat to catch what the first mat missed.
Tip 3:
Have dedicated space and lots of hooks or hat stands for specific items like coats or bags. Keep clothes off the floor and bags upright.
Sofia couldn’t add hooks or attach things to the wall in her rental home, so she got a nice old heavy rustic door. She covered that in hooks and has it sitting inside her doorway.
Tip 4:
If you rarely wear the jacket that hangs at the doorway cos you don’t like it, get a new jacket. Make sure your ‘tools’ are fit for purpose. Mediocre stuff halts productivity and unnecessarily lowers your living standard. Live each day how you want to live your life.
Tip 5:
Have a designated spot for your keys/phones/wallets. One easy place. Just for EVERYDAY stuff. Preferably close to a multi phone charger and make it something that closes shut and hides your stuff. Store spares and odd things somewhere else. Save Prime Real Estate for the everyday things and kick other stuff out
Tip 6:
Get yourself a mail tray and keep all the incoming mail and paper in one spot. Don’t, for the love of all things holy, let recycling build up there.
Keeping the stuff UNSTUFFED
Now that you have some where to put the stuff, you need to keep that place unstuffed. Cues are useful. While you’re waiting for the kettle to boil make it a routine to take 3 things out of the entranceway that don’t belong there.
The more storage you have, the more stuff it will attract, the more work it’ll be to keep it tidy. An empty flat surface, like a hallway table, will invite all kinds of crap to be dropped mindlessly. If you don’t have a table already, don’t go buy one just cos they look nice in magazines. If you do have one, look at what sort of stuff gets dropped there and create a basket specifically for it. If you have kids, reward the ones who keep it tidy and make it part of their everyday chores.
In saying that, I’ve had good luck with having a nice hallway table beside the front door when the family mainly use the garage to come and go. Only visitors put things on the table and then take them again on the way out.
Some rooms are busier than others. One person’s entranceway might be sparse and photo-worthy holding shoes, pretty baskets and jacket or two. While another’s might also be home to the wash house, broom cupboard, tool storage, second fridge…. It is what it is. It’s important to remember how lucky we are with all the things we have!