Landing pad – Launch pad clutter

Let’s talk about the landing pad / launch pad near the door. It gets disorganized so easily! Even organized people ask me about this space.

What do you do with all of the different bags and totes for different purposes?

How do you keep the kids from dumping their backpacks and sports stuff here?

Give the stuff a home — somewhere else

[bctt tweet=”The best trick for keeping your bag (and others’ bags) out of the entryway is to give them a home.” username=”getorganzdalrdy”]

Here are a few examples of low-priority things junking up your landing pad:

• junk mail –Throw it out immediately, or put it in a basket near your desk to go through later.
• bags you are finished using –Unpack them ASAP, hopefully the same day.
• re-usable shopping bags –Store them in the trunk of your car instead.
• multiple shoes and jackets, umbrellas –Get your family in the habit of doing a clean sweep of this area daily in order to free up the space for new things coming in. It’s never ending, yes. But the smaller the pile, the quicker the sweep!

(Another helpful article: Why won’t my kids pick up their toys?)

What can stay?

If your landing/launch pad area has some room, backpacks and purses used daily can stay here. So can jackets and even shoes. The key is that these items are used daily. Give things a hook, a basket, or a cubby to live in. Label the spaces if you have multiple users and want the spaces to be obvious.

If your entryway is basically just the kitchen counter near the back door, then nothing should live here! Keep the space open for things you have to take with you when you leave.

Don’t give up

This space is like laundry and dirty dishes. The work is never done, and that is okay. Enlist the people who live with you to move their stuff. Or, if they are the type of people who don’t even notice! you’ll end up moving their stuff for them. Have a spot in their room where you can dump it — a basket, a step on the stairs up to their room, on their bed.

How do you organize your launch pad? Tell me about it in the comments!
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Sincerely,

Nonnahs