Must Have Items for Home Drop Zone Organization

A place for everything, and everything in its place. That’s the key to good home organization, right? I hear it all the time. Just put your stuff away, every day, and you’ll live in a tidy space. Pretty easy, right? But oh so hard in reality, at least for me. I swear I am reforming – one of these days I will have organized spaces, but until I do, I’m sharing before and after plans and my reality with you.  I’m starting with home drop zone organization because I am sick and tired of being greeted by the mess the instant I walk into my house – it does nothing but put me in a bad mood right away.

My Current Drop Zone – The Entrance to Our Home

After two years of living in a messy barn while we built our #passiveaggressivehouse (that was supposed to be organized, streamlined, and efficient from the beginning), we’re finally in the house and have been since mid September! Yay for that! But, the reality—> the house is not finished and I’ve been massively frustrated by the lack of closets and organizational areas which is why I haven’t shared much since the move-in. Imagine having no place to put away anything – your clothes, your toiletries, your laundry detergent. No place to hang your coats or put your shoes.  

That’s my reality right now, as I wait on Dan to build the closets to finish the house. It’s one of those stories you might well know: the cobblers kids have no shoes – the builder’s wife has no finished home. That’s been my life for ever. My husband the builder is a great project finisher for other people. He just doesn’t have the time right now to focus on our home.

So, this is me, sharing my reality with you! This is my current drop zone! This is what I come home to and what you will see if you walk into my house. I’ve got a front door with no trim. I’ve got an armoire in my entrance, along with tables of tools, random drawers that didn’t work in the kitchen, bags of cabinet pulls from Ikea. See the stack of wood in the corner? That’s the remaining trim. This space makes me angry and frustrated. I can’t wait around for Dan to built the permanent cabinets for this area because we have no closets in any of the bedrooms either, and they take priority. So, I’m not waiting around. I’m just doing something different. Here’s my new plan and the things I think I need to make an efficient and organized Home Drop Zone area. It may be Plan B, but I think it’s a good one!

Must Have Items for Home Drop Zone Organization

1. Multi Device Docking Station –

I’ve blogged before about my trouble limiting screen time for my kids. One of my tips for gaining control of their electronics is having a central docking station where all electronics are kept. This device is much handier than the wooden letter organizer I used before. It keeps cords manageable and is super handy. And my letter organizer is once again able to be used for mail! If you don’t have a docking station, I definitely recommend adding one to your drop zone.

2. Essential Oil Diffuser –

Scents can help calm me and keep germs at bay. I used to use candles but they aren’t very natural and they’re a fire hazard. I prefer essential oils – a much more natural way to enjoy nice scents. Diffusers are an easy way for me to add calm to my life, and let me tell you, I desperately need calm. 😀

3. Calendar –

I’m so over kids asking me what day it is, what the next day will be, or what activities they have. A calendar in my drop area should help keep everyone on task- at least that’s my thought.

4. Lockers –

I really need some place to hang purses and  backpacks. A place to hang coats and store mittens, hats, and scarves. Dan’s eventual plan for my drop zone is to build custom cabinetry – but that’s a ways off. I need this organization now. Did you see my before picture above? It’s a mess! And it’s only going to get worse as winter sets in and we add coats, mittens, hats, and scarves to the mess. I’m excited to re-do this retro school locker set we picked up on Craigslist and show you the after. It’s an integral part of my drop zone organization plan.

5. Place to keep shoes –

With 6 people in the family, you can image we have a lot of shoes. They can’t all stay down here, but I do need a spot for some. I like these shoe trays and look forward to organizing a little bit better on the other side of my entry way – over by the lockers.

6. Chair or bench –

Some place to sit to take shoes on and off will help keep shoes {and dirt} in the drop zone area – so people stop walking over to my table and messing up my floor as they walk. I’m pretty sure I can find a bench, but if not, I definitely have a chair I can put out there.

7. Floor mat –

As you can see from the above picture, we have a lot of dirt come in our house so a nice floor mat to trap dirt on the way in is essential. I think I need a longer mat than this – we’ll see what I end up with after I get all the components of the new drop zone in place!

8. Basket for library books –

As I look around and see random library books on my floor and table, I think perhaps a basket for library books is also a necessary element of my drop zone!

MY MESSY REALITY

I’m sharing with you embarrassing pictures of my house today and explaining a bit about why you haven’t seen any passiveaggressivehouse updates lately. People often tell me they don’t know how I do it all – garden, homeschool, blog, teach online college classes, and cook from scratch. Well, something’s gotta give, friends, and it’s most often my house! A huge part of the allure of the new #passiveaggressivehouse was instant organization and cleanliness. As you can see, that hasn’t happened, but I am seriously on a mission to make organization my reality. Stay tuned next week to see how we transform this messy entrance into a functional, clean, and fun new drop zone for my family. I can’t wait to show you what we’ve done with those old lockers!!

What are your helpful hints for home drop zone organization? What should I consider as we rework this space? Stay tuned for Part 2 and the transformation reveal!