Welcome to the 30-Day Organize-athon!
In today’s 5 minutes we’re going to organize the things that need to leave your house.
Right, let’s get to it.
Day 19: Organize Your Outgoing Space
Step 1: Gather together any items that need to be taken out of your home, such as:
- DVDs to return to the video store
- Library books
- Items you’ve borrowed from friends
- Things that need to be taken somewhere for repair
- Clothes or linens that need to be dry cleaned
- A gift for an upcoming party, wedding or housewarming
- An umbrella to leave in the car
- Items for errands; etc.
Step 2: Choose a convenient spot near the door for these items. If there’s nothing already available, you could:
- Move a small table to an appropriate position near the door
- Clear a shelf in a hallway closet
- Liberate a deep drawer in a hall table.
Step 3: Place your outgoing items in their new position, so you can check one convenient place whenever you’re heading out. Make it a habit to check this spot as you leave – you’ll ‘remember’ things more often and feel much more organized.
And you’re done!
Got an Extra 5 Minutes?
Consider what else you could do to make your outgoing space an organized zone:
- Install hooks for keys?
- Add a pen and post-it pad so you can write due dates on library books and borrowed DVDs?
- Put up a checklist of things to remember when you leave – perhaps:
– Purse, phone, keys – for you?
– Schoolbag, lunch, homework – for the kids?
Now how organized is that!
The 30-Day Organize-athon Mantra
Move fast. Don’t overthink. Let it go!
Leave Your Comment Below…
Please leave your comment below to say you’ve completed today’s task.
See you tomorrow!
[Image by aussiegall]
Our outgoing space is a very tiny laundry room so no space for anything extra. Done!
Did this last night while cleaning the gameroom!
I am on top of this. Avoiding all fines to save $
cleared off a small table in our back entryway and started putting all the misc. stuff in its appropriate homes.
Hi
Basically done and brought some new hooks today and a couple of special boxes for my drawers too to organise them now
Luv Deb
Great idea to leave all outgoing things in one place. Makes it so much easier to remember things as you run out the door. Done!
Did this.
sort of done — at least started.
I am doing this regularly. We’ve got a small flat so this is essential. Besides I scanned through this one while doing the books etc. Done.
All done
This one is done. I didn’t get the message this time either so had to come in search of it. Glad I found it!
done (didn’t get the email either)
It’s a little after midnight, but I have officially completed this task. For some reason, I didn’t get the email notification that I usually get first thing in the mornings. I had to search the site this evening. I hope this doesn’t happen again- I rely on those emails to jog this very poor memory of mine!
I cleaned up the “launch pad” I keep the area very small so it doesn’t attract clutter.
Are you not e-mailing the day’s challenge? I didn’t get the e-mail today but back-tracked from an earlier post to the blog and after 3 tries got to a page that hadn’t truncated the comments.
I do want to stay with this; it’s such a positive force in my life, pulling me out of procrastination/sloth and the reluctance to move that comes with an injury.
I love Raleigh’s phrase “in my ‘one day’ world” I have one, too.
Library books and Home Depot returns in the “out” basket by the door; purse and keys hanging on the back of the door, ready to grab.
This one’s easy for me. My outgoing space is a spare chair – it hold my purse and coat, my grocery bags, anything that needs to go with me such as mail or books, etc.
Done!
Okay, I have been putting this off ALL DAY. I had no idea where I was going to make this happen and just didn’t want to do it! BUT, I’ve come this far — I can’t give up now!
I emptied a drawer in our kitchen desk area, put a big old ugly label on it that says, “Outgoing Items” and that’s that.
Phew. Now to actually use it!
X
Do.
.y.
Done things looking great “!
Day 19 done!!!!!