AN ORGANIZED ENTRY AND EXIT
Brought to you by Joan Kosmachuk, Professional Organizer
and Personal Life Coach
“Organizing is sustainable if your system is built around the way you think and designed to grow and adapt with you as your life and work change”.
-- Julie Morgenstern
It doesn’t take long after the kids have returned to school and the cooler weather hits before the home entryway becomes a cluttered obstacle course for anyone attempting to enter or exit your home. Backpacks, book bags, sports equipment, jackets and multiple pairs of shoes seem to grow and expand before your very eyes and we haven’t even yet added in the scarves and mittens, snow pants and boots that will appear with the first snowfall. How can one find, never mind remember, lunch bags, permission slips, gym shorts and library book returns? Even those with childfree entryways may struggle to find space for their own growing collection of seasonal and technological accessories not to mention the problem of where to have party guests hang their wet coats and boots.
In a “perfect” world, every home would have an easily accessed and spacious side-entry room into the house, complete with built-in storage for the entire family’s needs as well as those of guests. In reality, most of us feel blessed if we have a three-by-five square foot space inside the front door with an overstuffed closet close at hand. Many have a front door that opens right into the living/dining room or kitchen. But, regardless of your space, an organized entry/exit area is a critical key in maintaining your household organization.
In order to keep your home and day-to-day life organized, you need a structured space where family members and guests alike can come in, wipe their feet, sit down, take off their wet or dirty shoes, and hang their coats and have a place to put their things. The same space also needs to have an organized exit plan so everyone can easily find whatever they need to grab and head back out the door each day.
The minimum requirements for an organized home entry/exit:
A place to hang coats:
There should be at least one hanger or hook for each person in your household to
store an every day coat or jacket. Using sturdy wooden or plastic hangers
instead of wire will help to keep coats from ending up on the floor. If your
children are small, or you have teens that are always on the run, consider the
use of hooks instead of hangers for the jacket they wear most often. Don’t forget to add a few extra hangers/hooks or a coat tree for guests. If you have the wall space but no closets, consider a freestanding personal locker for each family member or customize your closet to create individual niches for each family member. See www.organizes-it.com
A place for accessories:
You’ll need designated bins, baskets, cubbies or hooks for storing hats, scarves, mittens, umbrellas, dog leashes, keys, cell phones and other accessories that are part of your daily household use. You should also assign a place for each family member to keep his or her backpack, book bag, briefcase or purse. For those who have more wall space than floor space consider a wall-mounted cubbie and hook system.
www.homedecorators.com
A place to put your shoes:
If you don’t want shoes to end up in a big pile by the door, make sure that you provide adequate storage for everyday footwear for each member of the family. Keep in mind that your shoe storage solution needs to include a place for wet or muddy boots/shoes to dry out. Placing a good-quality mat both outside and inside the door will also help to reduce the amount of dirt and snow tracked into your home. Take a look at www.stacksandstacks.com for shoe storage ideas.
A place to sit:
Whether it’s a storage bench, a wicker chair or a fold-up stool, it’s important that your family and your guests have a place to sit and put on or take off their shoes. Because entryway space is often so limited, consider seating options that have a dual purpose to maximize your space. See www.brookstone.com entryway furniture solutions.
A place for incoming mail:
The entryway is not the ideal location for handling your incoming mail but it is usually the first place your mail lands so it is a good idea to have a safe place to put it until you have time to process it. A drawer, bin, or tray can also serve as the temporary inbox for school notes, sport schedules, and newspapers provided it is cleared out daily. See www.problemsolvers.com for this wall-mounted organizer.
A place for outgoing items:
DVD rentals, library returns, dry cleaning, store returns, packages for the post-office, signed homework sheets and permission forms, lunch bags, gym clothes, the diaper bag, a product for a client…these are just a few of the items that will need exit your home each day. It’s good idea to have a place for these outgoing items to be placed the night before so that they are easily seen and remembered in the morning rush hour. Does it all land on the stairs? Check out the stair/step basket at www.thestoragestore.com/stbastbablle
A place for everything:
Every household is unique and there may be other items that you need to include
to accommodate the needs of yourself and your family – you can easily identify these items by observing what’s lying around your entryway because it doesn’t have a place to go. Make sure you create a place for everything and then, make sure everything gets put in its place. Check out the customized entry/exit wall as seen here from an issue of Better Homes and Gardens.
For assistance in organizing your entry/exit or other organizing challenges consider enlisting the help of a professional organizer. To hire the services of Joan Kosmachuk, please email your request to info@simpleeffects.com or call 617-784-0707.
If you found the information in this newsletter to be of value to you, please feel free to forward it to your friends and colleagues; you'll be helping them organize their lives.
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