In my article: Simplify to Run Smoothly: Creating an Organised Home, we worked up to the point of creating task zones. To recap, a ‘task zone’ refers to any cabinet, drawer, basket, shelf, or nook that serves a very specific purpose. And they all should.
With that in mind, let’s talk about how you can make your storage spaces, aka task zones, work harder for you in 3 simple steps…
Step 1: Home Organisation, Find the Problems
Before approaching the reorganisation of any storage places, I like to think about what would streamline the daily routine. One recurring irritation in our family’s life was that it would take ages to prepare for a sunny day out. Our scattered essentials were to blame. Sunscreens in the bathroom, beach toys in my son’s bedroom on the next level, and the picnic blanket lost somewhere in the back of a cupboard to name just a few.
By the time we made it out, I’d sprinted up and down stairs so many times I wanted to lie down, and I was too overheated to enjoy the sunshine. Fine-tuning this chaos was essential to my sanity and our family schedule. Distinguishing these problems meant that I could then create a solution.
Step 2: Create the Solutions
I start each task zone by choosing a storage option that’s nearest the source of the action. Seek an existing storage place where possible because purchasing new options can lead to increased retention of clutter.
Our sunny day packing problem, caused by scattered kit, resulted from a hallway that’s too narrow for practical storage. I needed to squeeze a pushchair through back then; now it’s a circus of pirouetting coats and flying shoes. Oh how I dream of marvellous mud rooms.
Our hallway wasn’t going to offer the storage space we needed. Instead, stored the items in a rarely used kitchen cabinet. This way, everything was downstairs, in the room where I prepared the picnic to come with us.
Step 3: Streamline Storage
Spacious storage furniture becomes far more useful when combined with smaller storage containers. These will prevent random bits from rolling around in your new task zone. Going the extra mile to keep these helpful zones in order will keep your routine in order too.
Use containers that are neither too large nor too small. Oversized bins cause miscellaneous items to accumulate. Undersized containers force you to arrange and fit everything perfectly each time you tidy up. You’ll lose patience or be in a rush, then the task zone will go to pieces.
I try to utilise containers that are relevant to the task at hand where possible. I used two of my son’s sandcastle buckets to stash smaller beach toys, bottles of sunscreen, and his tiny backpack.
This single task zone saved me so much time and energy. My only gripe was that I wished I’d done it sooner. What areas of your life could you improve with task zones?
