What’s in your On-Deck Circle?
This photo shows examples of the kinds of items you might need in your “on-deck circle”, my name for a transition area from your home to someplace else.
I have no doubt that I’m much more obsessive than most people when it comes to making sure everything in my home is in the ideal location. “A place for everything and everything in its place” could be one of my personal mantras. Finding “homes” for commonly used items like silverware, socks, or soap isn’t too difficult.
But what about items that are in transition from your home to someplace else? Examples could include a book that needs to be taken back to the library, a store purchase needing to be exchanged, or an umbrella that you usually keep in the car. You might be tempted to put them inside a drawer or cabinet so you don’t have to look at them. But then they’ll get forgotten!
What’s the best place to put things like these? And what should you call this spot?
Why You Need This Area
Why am I writing an entire article about this subject? What’s the big deal? Here’s what I frequently observe in my clients’ homes. If you don’t have a designated spot, no one knows where to put these things, so they can end up just about anywhere. In an effort to remember them, the likely choice is a countertop, the top of a piece of furniture, or on the floor. Now they’re a big contributor to the overall clutter of your home. So it’s definitely in your best interest to figure this out.
Choose Your Name
In our loft, we like to use sports-related names. In the pantry, we have three zones for things depending on their usage. From most to least used, we call these zones varsity, junior varsity, and freshman areas. In keeping with the sports theme, we have designated the spot in our home for objects that need to be taken somewhere else, the on-deck circle.
Since I always take my purse with me when I leave, I decided the best location for our on-deck circle should be near my purse. My purse hangs on a dining room chair when I’m at home, so the on-deck circle is the chair it’s hanging on or the part of the dining room table closest to that chair. So far, this has worked out pretty well. As I’m grabbing my purse on the way out, I see the items that need to be returned. If I'm going in the right direction, I grab one or more of them. If not, they stay there. If they stay long enough, they start to glow and emit a buzzing sound (ok, not really). Mostly they just drive me crazy and I figure out a way to get them out.
I polled other organizers who are members of NAPO (National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals) to ask them how they refer to this area in their own home or in clients’ homes. I got some interesting answers, including return depot/station/area, shipping & receiving, staging zone (waiting on the next stage), on the go bin, launching pad, OPS (other people’s stuff), transition position, outbox, and “the place” (which seems quite vague).
While choosing a perfect name is fun and helps define the space, don’t get stuck on this step. It’s more important to choose the best location, to define what belongs there, and to use it consistently. As for us, although I love the names outbox and launching pad, we’re sticking with the on-deck circle. I like sports and consistency.
Choose Your Spot
How do you decide the best place for your on-deck circle or launching pad or whatever you’ve decided to call it? Keep these principles in mind:
It’s wise to pick a location close to the door you use to exit your home and get into your car or close to the car(s).
Make sure your chosen spot is easy to see without looking cluttered. You might consider an open container. The container will keep things “corralled” which will keep it from looking cluttered, while the open top allows you to see the contents.
Inform everyone in your home.
What about the Car?
Lots of people choose to keep stuff that needs to be taken elsewhere in their car. In some ways, this choice makes logical sense. After all, the majority of time, taking things to the proper location involves a drive. So if the item’s already in the car, you won’t have to worry about leaving it at home!
But here’s the rub: just because it’s in the car doesn’t automatically mean it will actually get delivered to its intended destination. We all know someone (or several someones) whose car is basically a mobile storage unit. For me, without a reminder of some sort, something might sit in my car for a long time before it gets transported. Before you know it, your home is less cluttered, but your car is more cluttered! If the car works for you, great! But it definitely doesn’t work for everyone.
Another tricky factor about using your car to store items to return is that many of us have more than one vehicle. What if you’re in the right place at the right time, but what you need to return is in the wrong car? Foiled again.
Tweak If Necessary
Once you’re settled on the system, use it consistently unless it’s not working for some reason. Don’t get stuck using a system that’s not working. You might want to reevaluate after a month or two. Trial and error are often necessary to a workable solution. By the way, if you change the location, make sure everyone knows about the change.
What about you? Do you have an on-deck circle? Where is it located in your home, and what do you call it? I’d love to hear from you about this topic or about any organizing challenge!