Dealing with Clutter Hot Spots

Let's talk about hotspots. The surfaces in your home that ALWAYS seem to collect a bunch of papers and other random objects, no matter what you do. This will usually be a flat surface like a table or a counter—but it could be your closet floor, a couch, or the corner of your bedroom.

In my house, the living room radiators are my hottest hotspots. Everyone just sets everything down on them because they are so conveniently located. One is right next to the front door, and the other is right next to the stairway.

Ideally, I'd deal with them on a daily basis--and I do try. It often depends on my level of busyness that day, though. On the days that I work I am much less likely to clean up the radiator mess than I am on the days I don't work.

When my children are assigned the living room as their zone, cleaning off the radiators is part of that. Unfortunately, their usual M.O. is to take things off the radiators, walk into my office, and set them on the table in there. So, technically, the table in the office is the hottest hotspot in the entire house, I stand corrected.

And now you know that my children are very, very good at not actually putting anything away (remember how they stuff things in bags, too?).

So, I'm sure you can see all of my failings where my hotspots are concerned, and you don't actually need the very helpful list that I am about to write. But I need the very helpful list that I am about to write, so please indulge me.

1. Resist the urge to set things down where they do not belong.

Instead, take the extra 30 seconds to put it away. This will not only help keep your hotspots clear of stuff, but it will help you to actually find the item again when you need it.

2. Don't let the clutter build up--deal with it as soon as you can.

If things do start piling up on your hotspot area, clean it up immediately! Put the items away where they belong as soon as you notice there is a problem.

3. Make clearing the hotspot part of your daily routine.

This is basically #2, I realize. If it is a part of your regular cleaning routine to clear the hotspot, you will not need to worry about it becoming unmanageable.

A couple of other ideas:

The Maestro is a pile maker. I don't feel I can put his stuff away, because I don't usually know what is important to keep (most of the piles are papers). Early on in our marriage, I finally got him a basket to put his paper piles in. When it gets too full, it is his job to go through it and file things or throw them out or whatever. I don't touch his papers.

It's obviously getting to be time to clean it out.

And unfortunately (I am noticing that I use that word a lot regarding the state of my clutter), he has ANOTHER REALLY BIG basket in the dining room corner now. This one is there because he sort of started using the dining room as his home office, and more piles began to appear.

I want to take this basket away from him, though, and start using it for something else. And I also want him to start using the office table as his home office, since we actually have a home office, even though it's mostly mine. I think the majority of the stuff in this gigantic basket can be taken to his office on campus, anyway.

All of the other photos in this post are of my hotspots. My two living room radiators, anyway. They aren't the only hotspots in the house. And, unfortunately (there's that dang word again!), as I'm writing this they are still looking just about the same. Why? Well, because I went to work, drove children all over the world for music lessons and such, taught a class for church, and sewed Halloween costumes instead of clearing my clutter.

But I promise that I will clean it today. Especially since we are hosting a Halloween party here on Friday night! (Ack! That's tomorrow.)(FYI, I have a LOT more to get this house ready for guests than just cleaning off the radiators.)(Unfortunately.)

Today's assignment:

• Locate your hotspots.
• Clean them off--put everything where it goes.
• Add the hotspots to your daily routine.

Find all of the posts in this 31 Day Challenge here: A Place for Everything: 31 Days to Less Clutter and More Peace.

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