The Landing Zone: Ready for Takeoff?

One of the barriers to a clutter-free home is the landing zone. Never heard of the landing zone? It's literally the place where you land when you come in the door. The spot where you drop your keys, mail, cell phone, purse, and whatever else you need to put down. Whether it's the kitchen counter or the sofa table doesn't matter--as long as you organize it so you can find what you need when it's time to leave.

This doesn't have to be an expensive proposition. A few simple tools will cover the basics. Once you've designated your spot, a basket to hold keys and sunglasses, a small trash can to toss junk mail, and another basket for bills will suffice. The key to making this work will be to spend a few minutes everyday sorting through paper and tidying up. This should take less than 10 minutes and will work fine if you're single.

Now, if you have multiple family members or live with roommates, things can get a little complicated. In these situations it's best to spend a little more so that everyone has their own little niche. A decorative wall file is a good idea. These usually have three or four slots and at the bottom is a place to hang keys. If you need more space, try hanging one of those cubby-hole type mail sorters on the wall. That's also good for sorting schoolwork that needs to be signed. Below it, have a small table or desk of some kind. If it has drawers, that's even better. Inside you can put a small paper shredder and no one will know it's there when the doors are closed. Just shred the junk mail daily, and put the mail in its assigned cubby hole. This should take you a grand 5 minutes per day. You can also use this area to keep things like the dog leash.

It may take family members a while to get used to doing this, but lead by example. Think of how much more stress-free your day will start off when you don't have to hunt for keys, homework, or cell phones. Just grab and go.

? 2006, Clara Myers. Are you looking for tools to help organize your home? Visit the Organization 2.0 Blog at http://organize-yourself.blogspot.com