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• Do you want this area
to be one where family members or even unexpected drop-in guests
can gather for a chat?
• Would you like a place
for all the family to be able to eat meals together without the
hassle every day of clearing a space, thereby cluttering up another
place in the kitchen or dining room?
• Is this space you would
like to use between meals as a place to work on hobbies?
After you decide what your goal
is for your table then develop a strategy.
• Have a designated basket
for mail. Take a moment to sort it and file it as it comes in.
If you don't have time right then it can stay in the basket until
you do make the time to sort it. This basket does not go on the
table or counter.
• Set up strategic baskets
in the home for newspapers, magazines, books and other printed
material that in the past came in contact with the table. Do
not set something down where it doesn't belong thinking you will
leave it there just for a second. All too often it takes root
and lives there. If you don't have a place for the item, take
a moment and make a place and take it to its home.
• Develop an area for children
to call their own. Each child has her/his own place for backpack,
lunch box, school work etc. Each child is responsible for making
sure things are put there and stay neat and tidy. If you have
to remove anything of their's from the table then they have to
do a chore to earn it back. (Including the all important backpack
and school work).
• A chalk board, magnetic
board, or cork board can be used to contain memos, phone messages
and invitations, displaying items everyone needs to see. For
invitations I like to record the date in my planner and then
file the invitation in my FreedomFiler system by date so I can
refer back to it when needed and not clutter up space on a board.
• Have a pencil/paper box
near the phone to write down messages and then put them on the
message board or fridge (if you must) with a decorative magnet.
• If you use your table
to do scrapbooking, working on collections etc., use a rolling
file cabinet or cart to put projects on and 40 minutes before
meal time whisk everything onto the cart or into storage bins,
the ones with wheels are nice as they can be easily retrieved
when necessary. This way you can still have projects out and
handy but not cluttering the table. Teach children to clean up
after craft time.
• Have a designated drawer
as a resource drawer AKA junk drawer to hold rubber bands, bag
ties, candle lighters etc. As you take off the twist ties from
grocery items put them away immediately, don't place on the counter.
These do not live on the table or counter.
• Every family member needs
to know the expectation is to hang up coats, jackets, and to
put away gloves and scarves in a basket in the coat closet. The
same goes for sports assessories/equiptment. They go in their
designated areas, not on the table or counter.
• Have a designated place
for keys. A cup hook inside a kitchen cabinet is handy and practical.
• Designate a separate
location for home-office needs. Even if you don't have an office,
keep files and important papers in a separate area of the house.
Keeping the dining room, kitchen
or the kitchen bar eating area free of clutter is a lifestyle.
Set your goals, have containers available and assign items for
different baskets, train family members and remember this is
not a one time task. It is a system that is used daily or things
take on a life of their own and quickly can pile up.
Bon a petit |
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