How to Organize Your Entryway
Well hello there!
I’d like to share a tip this week on how to possibly save you some time in the morning (or afternoon) when getting your kids ready for school, or for when they come home in the afternoon.
If you struggle in the mornings to get everyone ready, or feel like you are running around the house, I’m hoping that this will ease some of that stress and anxiety for you (and your family).
I know that the school year has already started, but, what better time than now to reassess the systems you have in place right now.
One of the things that you can do is evaluate the entryway (and exit) to your home. This space, I have noticed, has become a MAJOR hotspot for many moms. It seems like everyone throws their belongings right on the floor by the door as soon as they come in the house. Eventually, it turns into piles of clothes, shoes, backpacks, and who knows what else!
Setting up systems in your entryway is a must in order to contain everyone’s belongings, and also to stop you from feeling overwhelmed the second you step inside the house.
Here are some ways that you could set up systems in the entryway for everyone in your household:
1. Install Hooks or Cubbies
Adding hooks is going to be especially important if you do not have a mudroom, or a specific space for just entering the home. Adding hooks will keep things looking neater by not having everything on the floor. This is also another way to keep each individuals’ items separated from one other. No more picking through the pile to find your coat or shoes. Go the extra mile and add a name label above each hook or cubby to differentiate each person’s space!
2. Add Some Shelves
They do make coat hooks with a shelf of the top of them. Using that wall space and adding a shelf by the entry/exit door is genius! But what do you keep on those shelves without it becoming a hot cluttered mess?
You could put a couple of baskets on the top of the shelf and use it for those quick “to go” items to get yourself, or your kids ready and out the door. The goal is to not be running around like crazy in the morning, but let’s face it, life happens, and this is inevitable. You may have to tell your kids to run out of the house and brush their hair in the car. Or, for yourself, that extra spray of perfume or that bottle of hand sanitizer you need to take with you - or an item that needs to go back into your car. I like to call this whole area a drop zone. You come in and drop your items, or, your items are staged to exit the house and you take them on your way out.
3. Floor Mats/Trays
Keeping a floor mat or tray under each person’s hook is another way to contain shoes and stop them from getting thrown all over the place. Something as simple as having a floor mat for each person’s shoes is a way to give boundaries for those items and to train yourself (or your kids) to put things back neatly. You may think it sounds silly to have a mat for each person, but I’m telling you, by having a physical spot for everything, sets the expectation that THIS is where THOSE items belong.
4. Hallway Entry Table
Having a hallway entry table right by the door is another great way to help contain those items we drop when we first come in the house. Plus, it makes it look nice too (that’s always a plus!) But again, how do you keep this tabletop from becoming a cluttered mess? You guessed it . . . containers. You could have a decorative bowl on the top of the table for people to put their keys in or for hubby to put his wallet and anything else he has in his pockets in when he comes home.
Side note . . . having this bowl will help with stopping you from finding all of those loose items in the washer machine! I know because I’ve done this . . . and it has worked!
If you get an entry table, you could get one that is tiered (with shelves on the bottom). Extra storage is always a plus - but having containers/baskets on those shelves will help keep things looking tidy and to contain all of those loose items. Again, labels are your friend!
5. Be Patient & Persistant
The reason I say be patient is because it is going to take some time for your family, and yourself, to get used to these new systems you put in place. Not everyone is going to hang things, or put their shoes in the shoe tray right away, because they aren’t used to it. It is definitely going to take practice and lots of reminding. But be patient and keep reminding, and just like any other habit, it will form and just because routine for everyone!
Remember, when setting up your entryway, you have to set it up in a way that works for you and your family. These are just some suggestions on things I’ve done before in different homes. Whether you have a mudroom, a garage, or just the foyer where you enter the home, there are solutions you could try. Sometimes, you just have to get creative!
If you are saying to yourself, “Yeah, I’m so NOT creative” or, “I’ve tried this and this and this and NOTHING has worked” then book a complimentary consultation with me and we can discuss different ways I can help you achieve your goals!
Talk soon, friend!