If Home-Ec 101 were a magazine, there would be a photo gallery of entryway tables and adorable mail sorters with chalkboards to write your inspirational quotes on.
I’m not that person. If you are, I probably drool over your inspirational Pinterest pictures.
I’ve also lived in apartments with no foyer, just hello, welcome to the living room.
Home-Ec 101 isn’t a magazine. It’s a site written by people with a track record of being scattered and generally disorganized.
I have been getting better by setting myself up for success.
When I walk in the door, I hang my keys and put my purse in a specific spot. This prevents the frazzled, hectic, where is my [x]?! When it is time to go. (This is on top of the usual mess that is getting kids out the door.)
However, if I’m being honest, getting out of the door was hectic even before I had kids to blame it on.
Your mission this week:
Identify what you can do when you walk into your home that will simplify your life when you leave.
If you have an entry table or mail sorter filled with bills, keys, and other things, clear it. Make it very easy to spot your keys, wallet/purse, and sunglasses as you head out that door.
Wipe your slate clean.
Simply paying attention each time you walk in the door will reduce the stress the next time you walk out.
For what it is worth, after learning what ADHD looks like in adult women, I pursued a diagnosis in late 2022 and received one in early 2023. This certainly explains a lot about my life, but I was laughing as the neuropsychologist, and I were going over his lifestyle suggestions. They were all things I mention in this series, along with the How to Menu Plan, The Deep Clean Cycle and the overwhelmed posts. (He is pretty young, so maybe he’ll find some more over the course of his career 🙃 ).
Send your domestic questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.
My life got so much better when I bought an old lobby-ashtray (you know, the kind they used to have in banks and movie theatres back in the dark ages) to put next to the front door. It doesn’t take up much space, and is the perfect place for us to drop our keys as we come in. Once I eliminated that mad scramble of ‘Where are the dratted keys!!!!???!!!” every morning, I was able to tag on other, arguably more important habits too. Life got better having a place for the keys. Who’da thunk it?
It is amazing how that one little success can prevent the frazzle spiral. Also, a lobby ashtray? That is a fabulous idea!
My house is such a “generational” mess that I’ve started with the “set aside what I actually use” and sort the rest. The “table by the front door” is perfect for this, thank you!