Drop at the Door, Grab and Go

At first I just thought this organizational tip from Design blogger Benita Larsson in June’s Real Simple was just another form of divide and conquer…”divvy up a galvanized tub into discrete compartments (using ‘walls’ of foam core) for all the unfindables. In summer: sunscreen, goggles, and bug spray; in winter: mittens, gloves, and hats. Zippered nylon pouches offer grab-and-go convenience for different activities.” Everything has a home and that galvanized tub is cheap, but the heart of this tip is in the location of this organizational solution — the entryway, where stuff seems to collect like shells after the tide has gone in, only it’s not a pretty sight.

This solution goes to the heart of one of the Pixies core advice — formalize what you already tend to do naturally. And keeping things you need outside at the door or dropping them the minute you walk in? Ingenious. But if this system is unformalized — ie. without that partitioned, galvanized tub, or a set of matching baskets — the result is more haphazard and messy.

We usually give this tip to the more “visual” Organics (NFs) and Smarts (NTs) who also tend to have a harder time with the details of bug spray, tanning lotion, gloves and scarves, etc. The partitioned tub is perfect for them, because all these little details are all in one place, and all those little things they might forget? They’re reminded to grab them, because they can SEE them. When the stuff is kept behind closed doors, Organics and Smarts are burned and bitten in the summer; cold and wind chapped in the winter.

It will be harder for Classics (SJs) to deviate from the norm and try out this new fangled system and even harder for Funs (SPs) to stand all the “clutter” out-in-the-open. For these types we suggest going slower with keeping this stuff so close to the door. Maybe don’t start out with an organized tub, but a covered entranceway table where all the stuff is hidden by a swath of attractive fabric. And even though your sun tan lotion and bug spray has a perfectly good home in the medicine cabinet, think about shaking things up, just for the summer. And just see your life doesn’t get just a little bit easier.