Where Do Your Keys Go?

When I first became a Professional Organizer and began working from home, I discovered that my husband often left for work and then returned a few minutes later because he had forgotten his keys, his wallet, his work ID, or his transit card. I set up a tray for him in the entryway closet so that he could place his items there when he got home at night and then easily refill his pockets again in the morning.

This tray has a tendency to get cluttered, as his pockets sometimes contain business cards, receipts, visitor passes, meeting badges, prescriptions, etc. This has the effect of obscuring the things he needs to put back in his pockets the next morning, and when that happens, he forgets to take stuff with him. I remind him every few months to clean out the tray and remove any extraneous items.

I decided recently that there were two things we could do to help ameliorate this problem. The first was to make sure that the tray was at his eye level. He’s a lot taller than I am, and I suspected that he was not able to see it as well as I could. So I rearranged a few items in the closet and moved the tray up to a higher shelf.

The second solution was to get a new tray that has dedicated spaces for his various items. The current tray was just one big flat space. I measured the existing tray, as well as the size of his different items, and then combed the internet for a tray the right size with adjustable sections. I found one on Amazon that fit the bill.

Here’s what the original tray looked like in the closet:

And here’s a bird’s eye view of the new tray, with a place for each item:

He has rearranged the layout a few times to better position the things he uses at home, such as his iPhone and his glasses. But it’s much easier for him to find what he’s looking for. And if he encounters an empty section while he’s loading up to go outside, it’s easier to realize that something is missing.

Do you spend too much time looking for your keys when you are trying to leave the house? If so, then I recommend setting up a solution near the front door, whether it’s a tray, a drawer, a hook, or a wall organizer.