Tidy in Ten – Week 2: Drop Zone (Coats)


These next few weeks we’re going to look at your drop zone. Most of us have one, even if it isn’t well defined. Perhaps it’s an entryway, mudroom, basement or garage steps…You may identify your own drop zone as the location where most of your ‘gear’ lands when you get home; where you drop your coats, shoes, bags, etc.

What


Since we are limiting our time to ten minutes, we also want to limit our scope. This week we address coats, etc. For example:

  • Jackets
  • Sweatshirts
  • Hoodies
  • Vests

When


When you choose to address this task may be dependent upon the location of your drop zone and what is most convenient for you. Some examples:

  • Between loads of laundry if your drop zone and laundry are located together
  • While watching TV if your drop zone coincides with a main living space
  • While dinner is cooking if your drop zone is next to your kitchen entrance

How


Set a timer to keep yourself time boxed. Do your best to address only coats, jackets, etc. and not get distracted by other items in your drop zone, it will slow you down and possibly derail progress despite your best intentions.

The objective is for the drop zone to be reserved for frequent, quick access items.

  • Remove all out of season coats. Perhaps you have a separate closet for storage, section off a section of the current drop zone closet, or bag/contain in another storage area. These out of season items are otherwise clutter in your drop zone and make it harder to use and maintain.
  • Reduce any multiples per person. For example, pull aside just two jackets, one sweatshirt, etc. per person and then relocate all others into a separate easily accessible area. The exact number of items and style you choose to keep in the drop zone is highly dependent upon your use case and amount of space.
  • Lastly, rehang/store all remaining coats, sweatshirts, etc. in the drop zone. Keep the floor clear. Any coats, sweaters, etc. sitting on the floor create a breeding ground for lost clutter and subconsciously encourage further items on the floor.

Maintain


Maintenance is a key step to keeping tidy and organized. The goal is to revisit this task weekly to tidy up any coats that may have gotten out of place (reduce multiples and relocate, get them off the floor). The more often you do this the easier it should become, both in routine and effort as the amount to do should lessen with time.


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