Most of us are familiar with the clutter merry-go-round. You clean off whatever spot that is in your house that is the "place" where everything lands. It could be the kitchen table, the office, the island, the laundry room. It's generally just inside the house, and the place where everyone seems to drop off their day on the way in the house. The kids school papers, the mail, whatever else got used and not put away. When you do clean it off, it feels amazing! You promise yourself it will never again look like it did before you cleared it off. Then...it happens. It starts with one thing...then a corner, and suddenly, it is full again. Clutter creep!
It happens to the best of us...but below are a few different strategies that might work for you. I actually oscillate between them as I find that I can only stick with one of them for a period of time before I start to slip.
1) Nightly reset. Before you go to bed, make sure you are back to zero items. You'll find that not only do you straighten up the problem area, but you'll generally pick up other areas as well. While a pain in the moment, it is well worth the effort when you wake up in the morning. There is nothing like starting the day with the zen of a clean space.
2) Redirect the traffic. Sometimes simply moving the place solves the problem. By putting the kabosh on just dumping things as soon as you walk in the door, you may find that things actually find their proper home. There is some change management that comes with this approach and you'll have to lead the way through example, but done well, this can actually provide a more long term solution through changing the behavior.
3) Give in and organize the space. Realizing that you aren't going to be able to redirect, and depending on where this place is in your house...is there a way to organize the area so that when things are dropped there, they can be done so in a way that isn't just piling it on top of each other. For example, if the laundry room or office are the spot, can you add a set of baskets that are designated for incoming mail, school papers, etc. A set of hooks for keys. Place the paper shredder right there, so that junk mail can be quickly disposed of. If this is your kitchen table or kitchen counter like it is for me, this isn't a very viable option, but worth some consideration otherwise.
Whichever works for you, or even if none seem to, keep fighting the good fight. I find that when I have a handle on this key area, everything else seems to fall in line as well.
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