Ah, the entrance to your home. You'd think this area should be the tidiest since it's the first thing you see when you enter the door. It's literally the zone that greets you and it may as well be a microcosm for the rest of your home. Or life. That being said, it should be super clean and organized, with systems streamlined and everything in its place. It should feel damn good and you should know it every time you walk in and out of that door. Your guests should be telling you what an oh-so-lovely front doorway you've got under your belt. But, it can be tough. You get home holding an assortment of what-nots and instantly dump them on the first surface you see. A pile quickly forms: mail, books, trinkets, toiletry items, you name it. And before you know it, you're not proud of your entryway and you feel sad. Wa. 

But wait! There's hope! Keep these things in mind and you'll be polishing surfaces in no time:

1) DO NOT BRING JUNK MAIL INTO YOUR HOME. Why? Because it lands by your front door and adds to the chaos. Go through your mail outside and immediately put all junk straight into the recycling bin. Any paperwork that needs attention gets put into a to-do zone and anything that needs to be filed goes straight into an accordion folder or whatever you use. Nothing hits surfaces. Ever!

2) Make sure you have a proper "outbox." If you don't have a designated area for items that need to leave the home...you guessed it. They'll end up on your entrance console. Keep returns, donations, or anything that's on its way out, at the bottom of your coat closet or on a shelf of a closet by your front door. Refer to it often and get those things where they need to belong - out the door! Nothing feels better than an empty outbox. 

3) Invest in a valet tray for your essentials. Contain your keys, wallet, headphones and work ID (if it's like that) in an attractive valet tray. The options are endless but make sure it's big enough to house everything but not too big and will become a dumping ground. I've got this one from the Moma Design Shop and love it.

4) Don't be lazy. If items fall onto your entrance table and you know they really belong in your bedroom or bathroom, put them away. Laziness will get your nowhere!

5) Get a table with a couple of small drawers if you want to cheat. If you can, invest in a console table that has a drawer or two. They can be treated as junk drawers and house the random items that need to live by the front door but shouldn't be dumped there. You're welcome.