Photo by Jeff Sheldon on Unsplash
Clear spaces like countertops or an empty corner just seem to collect stuff. At first, it’s not bad. A bill that needs to be paid. Keys thoughtlessly dropped when you’re home from work. Recycling that needs to go out. But, when you try to keep the house clean, you either end up getting frustrated at everyone (including yourself) who plops something down where it shouldn’t go or you are running errands all over the house, delivering that paperclip to the office upstairs or the keys to the keyhook in the spare room.
I have another method that will make both the neatfreak and the slob *mostly* happy (there are varying
degrees of both sides of the spectrum - on one end they can’t stand to have anything on their clear counters
and other side gets nervous if they can see an empty, unused space).
degrees of both sides of the spectrum - on one end they can’t stand to have anything on their clear counters
and other side gets nervous if they can see an empty, unused space).
Drop zones. According to the Google dictionary (which is extremely accurate), a drop zone is a designated
area into which troops or supplies are dropped by parachute or in which skydivers land. When your husband
comes home from work or when you’re flying around getting ready in the morning, you have dozens of
small supplies flying every which way and if you don’t have a designated spot, ain’t no one gonna find nothin’.
area into which troops or supplies are dropped by parachute or in which skydivers land. When your husband
comes home from work or when you’re flying around getting ready in the morning, you have dozens of
small supplies flying every which way and if you don’t have a designated spot, ain’t no one gonna find nothin’.
I have a few of these placed strategically around my house. The first one is right by the side door (which
is the one we use most frequently) - it’s the “outgoing” box. It’s not fancy or cute - it used to be a Costco box
that says “Smoked Shorty Sausages” all over it. But it’s where I put everything that needs to leave our house
- returns, give-away, and things to give/return to family. This box never seems to empty. Once I move a
couple things out, a few more take its place. But at least it’s all contained.
is the one we use most frequently) - it’s the “outgoing” box. It’s not fancy or cute - it used to be a Costco box
that says “Smoked Shorty Sausages” all over it. But it’s where I put everything that needs to leave our house
- returns, give-away, and things to give/return to family. This box never seems to empty. Once I move a
couple things out, a few more take its place. But at least it’s all contained.
Another is by our couch and was where our laptops and their power supplies accumulated. To accommodate
the ugly problem, I put a box there and placed everything inside. It’s mostly organized and out of sight.
And no, that box isn’t cute either. One of these days I’ll get around to fixing that.
the ugly problem, I put a box there and placed everything inside. It’s mostly organized and out of sight.
And no, that box isn’t cute either. One of these days I’ll get around to fixing that.
My favorite and the prettiest is a wooden box that sits on our dresser. Before adding this gem to our collection,
we had our cologne and massage oil on top of our dresser and the deodorant and lotion never made it
back to dresser drawer and bathroom cupboard, respectively. This box nicely and attractively contains all
these items, giving the appearance of order.
we had our cologne and massage oil on top of our dresser and the deodorant and lotion never made it
back to dresser drawer and bathroom cupboard, respectively. This box nicely and attractively contains all
these items, giving the appearance of order.
And finally, my bathroom catch-all dish. While it usually stands empty, it holds my watch, ring, earrings,
and hair things when I take a shower. It’s so nice having a space to keep everything together and where
I don’t have to worry about my ring accidentally falling down the drain because I left it too close to the sink.
and hair things when I take a shower. It’s so nice having a space to keep everything together and where
I don’t have to worry about my ring accidentally falling down the drain because I left it too close to the sink.
I’m sure I could do with a few more drop zones around the house...maybe one with things to go upstairs
and one to go downstairs as those items still stack up in random piles.
and one to go downstairs as those items still stack up in random piles.
The one area where these boxes and baskets won’t help are larger items. Those are just easier to move
to their destination. If you find that those items are used frequently, but you store them in a hard-to-access
spot (upstairs, basement, overstuffed closet), then maybe you should give it a new home in your house
so putting them away isn’t such a huge effort.
to their destination. If you find that those items are used frequently, but you store them in a hard-to-access
spot (upstairs, basement, overstuffed closet), then maybe you should give it a new home in your house
so putting them away isn’t such a huge effort.
This is one of those areas where the organizing principle of working with your habits comes into play. Don’t
force yourself to become a crazy neatener, flying from room to room putting things away when you’d rather
save your energy for cooking dinner or perhaps mopping the floor once a week. With this method, you’ll
only need to spend a few moments at the end of each day putting away all the things that have collected.
Drop zones gives the appearance of order with minimal effort. What’s not to love about that?
force yourself to become a crazy neatener, flying from room to room putting things away when you’d rather
save your energy for cooking dinner or perhaps mopping the floor once a week. With this method, you’ll
only need to spend a few moments at the end of each day putting away all the things that have collected.
Drop zones gives the appearance of order with minimal effort. What’s not to love about that?
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