Why You Need A Landing Spot Right Now

Perhaps you attempted to leave the house today, but couldn’t find your keys. And then ran back inside for your phone. Finally, you were set to drive away and remembered a package to mail or an item to return. At last!! You’re in the school kiss-n-ride line but your son isn’t wearing shoes. 🙂

Sound familiar? If so, you need a landing spot, right now.

Did you know in your lifetime, you will spend a total of 3,680 hours (153 days) searching for misplaced items?

And on average, you lose up to 9 items every day—or 198,743 in a lifetime. (The Daily Mail)

Let’s stop the madness.

Before decluttering, I was late for everything and struggled to get out of the door.  Times have changed since I got the volume under control and set up a landing spot. This simple habit helps me feel more organized and starts the day off right!

So, let’s add some hours back to your life too.

Exit Strategy

Identify which door you use to exit the house. Is it the front door or through the garage? This is your daily path and it is difficult to change the muscle memory to use a different one. Don’t try unless you change where you park your car.

Instead, identify a table or shelf (on this path) that can hold a basket or bowl. Repurpose a lesser-used item from the kitchen. If it’s your keys that are the problem, add a Command Hook right where you need one. (It takes 2 minutes to install this hook.)

Get the habit down first. You can make it pretty later. When you return home, place your keys, phone, sunglasses, and work badge in the bowl or on the hook. Train yourself to do so every time you walk in the door.

You can also use vertical space and add a shelf on the wall. My landing spot is a combination of the two. The hooks hold my sling bag and tool bag. And I park my phone in the bowl along with keys and sunglasses. I also stage items that need to be returned, delivered or mailed. Gathering these items in a bag and placing it near your exit door works too.

In all likelihood, you need to declutter this space before it will work for you.   

• Dumping Ground – The entryway and mudroom of a busy house can become a dumping ground. Grab a laundry basket and return items to their rightful home or create a home for them. Donate unused items that were dumped here and haven’t been used in months. 
• Shoes – Use a basket or bin to corral shoes and limit each family member to 1-2 pairs in the entryway, mudroom or garage. Return the rest to bedroom closets. 
• Purse/Briefcase/Work Bag/Diaper Bag – Hang bags you use daily near the door. Relocate others or consider getting rid of a few. Make sure you’re only carrying only what you need every day in these bags. Toss unused items and lighten your load. Re-hang the bags by the door. Install hooks as needed. And install low-level hooks for young children. Again, limit their bags to daily use items.
• Create Your Landing Spot – Designate a table for your wallet, keys, phone, and sunglasses. Try to repurpose a piece of furniture from somewhere in your home. Be creative. An extra chair or barstool works fine.
• Extra Credit – Car/Trunk – I keep a clutter-free car which makes loading and unloading the car easy.  It also means I can transport a car full of donations every week. So, grab a trash bag or two and clean out the car. Unload all the stuff that does not belong and return it to its proper home. You need empty space for all the stuff you’re donating. Schedule a recurring weekly appointment on your calendar to drop off items at the local donation center. 

What clutter did you find in your entryway? 

Does your entryway feel more peaceful and welcoming when you come home?

A weekly reset will keep the “dumping ground” from getting out of control.

And save you time everyday getting out the door with ease.

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