by Gina Trapani
As a computer programmer in a new apartment, I've taken the same approach to setting up my home as I would developing a software application: with a focus on usability. Like any good software package, my home should be a tool that helps me get things done, a space that's a pleasure to be in and a launch pad for daily tasks as well as my life goals.
Whether the task at hand is to relax after work, phone a family member, or keep track of a dry cleaning receipt, there are lots of simple ways to create a living space that makes getting things done a breeze.
I'm no home organization expert, but here are a few tips I've gleaned over time that can help make your house a Usable Home.
Create space for incoming stuff
Every day you walk into the house with your hands full of mail, pockets full of change and a cell phone that needs recharging. Instead of dumping that pile of bills onto the coffee table, scattering a mess of pennies and dimes on your dresser and tossing the phone onto a table, create useful places to drop off stuff without having to think. Say, a large change jar that goes to Coinstar every few months, an indoor mailbox for you and your housemates, and a phone-charging center with an easily-accessible plug. Fact is, after a long day at work, you don't want to have to think where to put stuff when you walk in the door. So make it a no-brainer.
Put items you need to remember in your path
Make it hard to forget where you put your keys, your cell phone, that check you're supposed to mail or the dry cleaning receipt. Section off space near the door where you can easily pick up items on the way out. Hang a key rack. Place a snail mail outbox nearby for letters and bills that need to get dropped at the post office. The door of my old place was metal, so I kept a few magnets stuck to it to hold receipts, mail and notes I'd be sure to see on my way out the door.
Stow away stuff you don't use; put stuff you do within easy reach
Surround yourself with the things you use and either get rid of the things you don't, or stow 'em away. For instance, if you've ripped all your CDs to MP3 and only listen to them in that format, then why line your living room walls with CDs that never get touched? Box up your CD's and put 'em up on a high shelf in the closet and make room for the things in the living room that you do use often. Or, simply enjoy the extra space. In the kitchen, if you rarely make waffles but you're on a grilled cheese kick, put the waffle-maker on the top shelf and leave the Foreman grill at eye level for easy grabbing.
Strategically place items to make tasks easy
One of my favorite life hacks ever published on this site is the a sheet-folding hack: fold up the flat and fitted sheets in a set and place them inside one pillow case. The convenient packages preclude the need to rummage through the linen closet matching up sheet sets when the time comes to make the bed.
There are lots of ways to make tasks easier with strategic placement. Keep fresh bathroom towels in or just outside the bathroom so you don't have to dash across the apartment undressed and dripping wet to find something to dry yourself off. If your telephone directory is digital, print out a copy and leave it by the phone at home so you don't have to consult your cell phone or boot up the computer to find a number. Make recycling easy by placing the bin in the area where the most paper or glass is generated - say, the home office or kitchen. If you're bleary-eyed and fumbling for the TV remote each day to check the weather, give yourself a break. Invest in a cheap thermometer and place it in the bedroom window just by your closet, so you know what kind of outfit to choose without any hassle.
Make task-based centers
As per this previous post on Lifehacker, place all the items you need to complete a task in an area sectioned off for that activity - like a computer repair center, a bill-paying center, a gift-wrapping center. Having all the tools at hand in a certain space helps you get the job done without having to work any harder.
Leave writing material everywhere
Place pens and pads all over the house: by the phone, on the kitchen counter, on the night table, in the bathroom. You never know when a thought that needs to be recorded will strike. An idea, a forgotten to-do, the solution to a problem you were having at work, a dream you want to remember, an image or drawing, a phone number. Easily available capture tools help you get anxiety-inducing pop-up thoughts from cluttering your mind and help you focus.
Set up an inbox
Make a place to put real-life items that come streaming into your day so you can process them at times you determine instead of letting them interrupt you. Snail mail, receipts, business cards, random paperwork, notes you've scribbled to yourself should all get shuttled into your inbox for later sorting and processing. I picked up a cheap metal office inbox at Staples to use as mine; any kind of box or even designated desk space can work just fine. Bonus points if you get can get your housemate or partner to get an inbox too; that way you can leave things for him/her to see without an intrusive interruption.
Collaborate with housemates
Simple tools can make sharing household tasks easy. Place a magnetic dirty/clean flippy sign on the dishwasher so everyone knows when it has to be emptied and when it has to be loaded. Stick a magnetic whiteboard to the fridge with an ongoing shopping list. You can use it to leave notes, or to-do's, too - ie, Call back plumber about the toilet! 555-3456. A magnetic whiteboard calendar is also a handy way to keep track of household schedules, as detailed in this previous Lifehacker post.
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