How’s your staging area? When you hear the word “staging” you might think of getting your home in order, ready for sale. A home that is clear of clutter, with everything in its place, will sell more quickly than one that is not. This concept can be extended to daily living, where we focus on getting our supplies in order so that we can best handle whatever we need to do. A staging area is a designated location where you place everything you will need for the following day. By establishing and then utilizing this area, you maximize your efficiency and minimize stress.
Establishing a Staging Area
A successful staging area should have a few key characteristics.
- A separate zone for each family member. Mom’s zone may be in the dining room, an elderly parent’s might be on her dresser, a teen’s is probably in his room.
- Be “safe.” It should be a place where no one is likely to set down food or drinks and where pets or little hands won’t disturb it.
- Dedicated. This space should be set aside for this purpose alone, rather than a surface where you perform other tasks. If you need to, put up a sign or a label to keep others from dumping things in your staging area.
- Adequate in size. Staging areas don’t need to be large, but they should accommodate whatever supplies are typically needed, such as a briefcase, backpack, phone, or purse.
- Eye-catching. Ideally, your staging area should be somewhere you will walk past on your way out the door. For example, the ledge near the door to the garage is better than upstairs on your desk. You want it to be easy to “grab and go” as you leave. Additionally, it should be visible so you remember to take whatever you have put there. If helpful, you can use brightly colored notes or put things at odd angles to attract your attention.
- Space-efficient. In some cases, you might be able to use a horizontal space, like a counter or dresser. If you lack such a surface, get creative. Consider installing some hooks with hanging racks, wall-mounted pockets, or a couple of floating shelves.
Using Your Staging Area
Once your staging area is set up, you can start training yourself to use it. Here are a few things to practice.
- Whenever you think of something you might need when heading out the door, place it here. The magic of the staging area is that you can use it whenever a thought pops into your mind, rather than pressing yourself to remember what you need at your exact moment of departure.
- Place reminders for yourself here. For example, “Grab lunch out of the fridge” or “Bring my phone charger today.”
- Check it before bed to make sure it has everything you need.
Once you get in the habit, you will be able to rely on this space to hold all the essentials. This can be a lifesaver for those days when you wake up to the “unexpected,” such as a sick child, no electricity, a broken hairdryer, etc.
Additional Staging Area Options
The daily staging area concept can be expanded to help when you are planning a big event, such as a vacation or a party.
Set up a designated staging location a couple of weeks before the special event. You may need a larger space, such as the corner of the dining room, in the garage, or on the bed in the guest room. Whenever random thoughts come to you about what you need for the event (e.g., “I need to bring the towel clips for the beach chairs”), act while the idea is fresh by putting it in this set-aside spot. You can either retrieve the actual item or leave yourself a note in the staging area for later.
Using a staging area this way is helpful because we often remember things we’ll need at unexpected moments, perhaps after seeing a TV commercial or a social media post.
Staging areas are also helpful at work. For instance, if you are responsible for bringing detailed backup materials to meetings, you may wish to create staging areas for various upcoming meetings. Again, whenever you come across items you need to bring (e.g., the interview transcript, trade show brochures, or model assumptions), you will have a predictable, dedicated place in which to keep them until it is time to go. You can also establish electronic staging areas on your computer, where you temporarily store files associated with a specific project, upcoming event, meeting, or client.
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A staging area is an easy way to bring order to a complex and/or chaotic schedule, and to minimize the regret of showing up unprepared. Need more tips for getting out the door in the morning? You can see more here.
Do you have a staging area in your home or office? Where is it?
I absolutely love this idea Seana! I am pretty good with knowing and remembering what I need for the day but my husband isn’t so I’m gonna do this for him and I’ll let you know what happens! Haha. He’s often running late because he doesn’t prepare his stuff during the night, like today when he was looking for his money and I found it for him. Awww husbands! Hehe 🙂
Sounds like he is a lucky guy to have you, Rea! It’s all about the night before, right?
I pile all my stuff on the dog kennel right next our door out the garage… it’s not pretty but it works! And for things that can get cold, I try to go ahead and put them in my car as soon as I think of them. (Like… library books to return, package of diapers for the babysitter, etc.)
I love the dog kennel, Sarah. It’s exactly the right kind of space — safe, convenient, easy! I also put things in the car – so much easier to remember and then its right there when you need it!
I love that idea of a staging area for vacation! I usually think of things and then put them on a post-it note! Eventually I learned to put them on a staging area – which is this papasan chair we my husband always threatens to get rid of because it only acts as a staging area! No one ever sits in it!
Personally, I can’t think of a better use for the papasan chair than a staging area! Just call yourself creative, Tamara, finding an innovative way to use an item most people would only think to sit on:)
Great idea. My husband was in the military and he’s always talking about staging areas. I never thought to take it a step further and have a staging area for each family member. That makes more sense. Thanks for the info.
That’s so interesting about your husband, Carla. Makes total sense that the military would have perfected this idea! Thanks for stopping by – hope it works out for you:)
I love this idea. I have something similar for my children but we definitely aren’t using it the way we should. That may be my mission this long weekend…get it in order and teach them to use it!
So glad you found it helpful, Stephanie! I’ve had a lot of comments about people using staging areas in other venus, but not necessarily for themselves at home. Good luck this weekend setting it up -I love a long weekend for tackling a project:)
I love this idea Seana. I sort of currently do this. I’ve been thinking about how I use spaces in my home lately. I like to blog in my hearth room and I have a basket I can move around with all of my notebooks, pens and blog related things. When we go on vacation I usually set things in my spare room until I’m ready to pack. I’ve never really thought of this as staging areas, but your post has given me a new perspective.
Well great, Dawn. I love it when something I write triggers a new thought – that’s the ultimate compliment! Sounds like you are having success with the idea already, so gold star! Your hearth room sounds very inviting to me:)
Hi Seana,
These are really great tips. I was not good when it comes to organizing stuff around my table and usually my wife would help in that. But with time I have really improved. Now it is still messy but I manage to reorganize in a very short time.
I like the concept of zoning and I will try to use it now to improve my desk productivity.
Thanks for sharing these tips 🙂
Thanks, Ashvini! Sounds like you are lucky to have such an organized wife! Congratulations on being able to reorganize quickly — that is truly a sign of being organized: having a way to quickly restore order. Hope you like the zone idea!
This is great advice! I put all my stuff on the TV stand the night before so I don’t forget it!
I’m having so much hearing about the various places people are using as their staging areas — on the TV stand is perfect! What a great idea, Susannah — a space that is out of the way and unlikely to be needed for another purpose. Thanks for your comment!
I love this idea Seana! I did this with my kids when they were growing up. They put their book bags in the same place every night before going to bed(they even had a check off list)…homework, lunch/lunch money, cell phone(when they got older of course), i.d., etc. That system prevented many hectic mornings for sure! Thanks for sharing…have a wonderful week!
Ah Michell, such lucky children to have an organized Mama! A checklist is a terrific idea for children… I used to have a flip chart on a key ring to show which “special” activity they had each day (e.g. gym, library, etc.) so they would bring the right supplies. Kindred spirits, right?
This is brilliant Seana. I wish my kids hadn’t picked up on all my bad habits! I can still change though!!
You can’t always tell how kids will be when they are adults: the teen years especially are fraught with chaos, so sometimes even organized people can feel disorganized at this age. But a staging area is just easy to start using – no nagging/fuss:)
I love how you always have great organization ideas. I can see how with a big family this could be extremely useful. 🙂
It’s all about having a system, Brittnei! Single person or large crew, it always feels good to have exactly what we need, right:)?
I just LOVE this idea Seana!!!! We have a few ‘staging areas’- I have a bench with all their school stuff, and then by the garage door, I have another bench with shoes and socks and that is where those ‘things’ go that need to be remembered!!
A bench is perfect, Chris! Exactly the kind of spot for putting items you don’t want to leave the house without. Thanks for this comment!
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Ahhh. I love a good staging area. It’s that visual cue or reminder to take the ‘stuff’ you’ll need for what you’re about to do.
When our kiddos were growing up, we had the designated backpacks on a hook and some bins in our entryway. I love the photo you included of the one with the extra hanging shelves below the backpacks. That’s so clever!
These days, with no more kids at home, we no longer have the backpack/school staging area. However, we have a few spots near the exits where things will collect that are needed for the next morning. I also use a spot near my desk. Like today, I have a package I need to mail, and it’s sitting on the corner of my desk (in eye view). While I also have a cue on my to-do list to “Mail package,” it’s helpful to have the visual reminder, too.
We have a designated spot near the key hook where we place outgoing mail. We used to stick it in our mailbox, but we’ve had a lot of mail theft, so now everything has to be taken and deposited into the inside mailbox. It’s a hassle, but the only way to be safe. Having that designated location, which doubles as a visual cue, has been helpful for sure.
I love this idea. I have helped many clients set staging areas at their front door space. I set up a staging area in my guest bedroom for getting ready for trips or for decorating for Christmas. What I like is that when you think of that “one more thing” you can just drop it there.
That’s exactly it, because I usually think of that “one more thing” as some really random moment, and its nice to be able to act on my thought!
Yes! I love my staging area. It is in my office. In the evening, when I’ve finished my work for the day, I reset my space and gather things that I need for the next day even if I’m just working from home. This way I know I am ready for work when I go into my office the next day.
I first got onto this idea back when I worked in an office. I set one up near the door, on the corner of my credenza. It worked so well I’ve always set one up as soon as I move into a new place. So helpful, right?
A staging area is one of those ideas that sounds simple until you realize how much it changes your whole routine. Great reminder.
It truly is a game-changer, and a great thing to teach children. A simple tool they can use their entire lives!
When we moved some of our stuff to a new house in New Mexico, our staging area was our 1 car garage. It is a clean space. It worked perfectly because it was the size of the Pod we had delivered.
My other staging area is my “command area” counter for smaller daily activities that don’t need as much space, like when I need to run errands. This area holds my purse, my shopping list, and recycling cartridges that need to be brought to the store.
The size of the event will depend on the staging area I use, so nothing is forgotten.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Seana. Always a pleasure to read.
I’m loving hearing about where everybody has set up their staging areas. It shows that it really can anywhere, as long as we use it consistently!
You are really speaking my language, Seana. In the house where I grew up, my father’s staging area was the left side of table in the utility room, so he’d see things on his way to the garage. My mother’s was her kitchen desk. Mine, however, was a bone of contention, as my mom wished I’d keep things in my room, and I wanted everything on the table at the back of the family room (when I was young) or next to the front door (when I was a teen).
My home is gloriously my own, so I have my pick. My staging area is the cart at the top of the stairs (as there’s nothing downstairs but a coat closet and the front door).
For pre-trip staging, my mother had us use the beds in the guest bedroom. As an adult, my living room has a specific area that’s idea for staging pre-vacation, especially for my 2-week European trips. For a quick weekend away, I just have packing cubes on the desk in my room.
Wherever you stage, it’s key to knowing you’ve taken care of everything and won’t miss something important. All your points are right on the money!
I use my dining room for vacations. I put things on the chairs because we rarely actually eat in that room, so I can tuck things in there and they kind of disappear. Or sometimes the corner of the room that you don’t easily see from the hallway.
My daily staging area is the counter near the keys.
Love hearing where everybody sets one up… shows that it really can anywhere, as long as we use it consistently!