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Master the chaos by the door
Create a “landing zone” by the exterior door you use the most, whether that’s the front, kitchen or garage door. Use it to hold all the things you put down as you come in the door (keys, wallet, purse, car door opener… ) and the stuff waiting to go out next time you go (library books, video rentals, dry cleaning, thrift store donations…).
Size and type depends on your family and lifestyle: it could be anything from a single shelf to a set of cubbies, hooks, bins and shelves for each family member.
Security tip: make sure keys and wallet are not visible or reachable through a window or mail slot.
There’s a great article on this subject in the Jan 2007 issue of Fine Homebuilding magazine, which you can probably find at your local library (unfortunately this particular article is not online). “The Drop-Off Zone” on page 122 covers building several kinds of landing zones, especially oriented to households with lots of electronic devices which need homes and recharging areas.