Organizing the Dining Table

Perhaps this image of the turkey with the place settings is the type of picture that comes to mind when you think “dining table,” but more often than not, there is a different reality.  Does your dining table become a depository for things like mail, schoolwork, knick-knacks, holiday décor, and craft projects? The dining table is often the model of disorganization, but it can be a model for organization. Here’s how.
surface worship

The first step is to recognize just how important maintaining a clear surface is, to staying organized. It is as important as keeping the runway clear at FedEx’s central airport in Memphis. Forget all those organizing gadgets, a clear work surface is your number one organizing tool.  The key to keeping it that way is to create easy homes and follow easy habits for items that end up there regularly.

easy homes

Often the dining table is the only space big enough to do crafts on, but they should never take up residence there.  I love those towers of clear plastic drawers on wheels.  They are easy to access, easy to  clean up with, and easy to roll into a closet or just a corner.  Finished artwork, particularly larger pieces often need a simple portfolio to keep them under control.  Kids knick-knacks often turn out to be keepsakes, a category that may not have a home, but should.  A simple box that rolls under the bed can do the trick.

easy habits

Perhaps the most important organizing habit is to sort the daily mail daily.  Don’t get hung up on processing all the mail.  Just focus on sorting it.  Sorting the mail should take less than two minutes and knowing that it will take less than two minutes means that it is something you are less likely to postpone, and just do.  With easy homes for everything, clearing the other items that land on the table will also become an easier habit.

lead by example

The dining table doesn’t get cluttered without help, so it won’t stay uncluttered without help.  Your family probably won’t welcome another rule, but always keeping the table clear between uses, is a rule that will ultimately make everyone happier. It may take a while for this rule to take hold, but it starts with you leading the way by example.  When you’ve got easy homes for everything that lands there, it can actually be fun seeing just how fast you can get everything into their homes.  Uncertainty is a burden, but fun is contagious.

The dining table is a frequent target for clutter because it is so easily accessible and because it’s location is central to a lot of activity.  Its central location is precisely why it should be reserved as a processing tool, not as a storage unit.  The key to creating easy homes and habits is to make them as easy as dumping items on the table.  Getting to that point may not be so easy, but the rewards are worth it, to solve a problem that is staring at you every day.

Need help with this and other organizing challenges? Consider hiring a professional organizer.  I can recommend a great one;-)