We’ve all been there in the morning. Fights over the bathroom, unfinished soggy cereal, missing shoes, “Mom, where’s the…?” and so on. Sometimes it seems like getting everyone moving in the morning is reason enough to just turn right around and go back to bed, but it doesn’t have to be that bad! A lot of homes lately have been trying out the new concept of the “launch pad”, sort of a streamlined entryway that offers a quick way to get to all of the stuff you need in the morning as well as a place for things like mail and paperwork to wind up. If your morning rush needs to feel a little less...rushed, and you’re willing to do a little re-organizing, why not consider setting up a launch pad to get going even faster? Step 1: Corral & Contain The best way to set up a launch pad is to give everything its own discrete space. Got some room in your entryway for some wire shelves or some entryway furniture? Set up a shelving unit or storage area where everyone gets their own individual plastic storage bins to keep things like car keys, important mail, permission slips, and the like. Once everyone is in the habit of using these bins, you’ll have a much easier time finding important documents and the small, easy-to lose things everyone tends to lose in the morning. Step 2: Figure Out What Can Go Where Depending on the age of your kids and the stuff they need to take to school, everyone’s launch pad might be a little different. The important thing is to focus on giving everyone a section where items can be found easily. Do you have a lunch box that needs to be hung up? Where are all the backpacks going? Is there a shoe rack anywhere? Planning this sort of thing ahead of time can make your launch pad even more effective than it might have been otherwise. Step 3: What About The Adults? A lot of these tips have been more kid-centric, but a launch pad can be really helpful for the parents in the morning too. Try to get in the habit of keeping things like your keys, phone/phone charger, and wallet in the same place every morning, preferably on the same shelf by the kids’ stuff, and watch how much easier your mornings become. This can also be a great place to start sorting your mail so you know which ones are the bills and which ones just want you to switch your cable subscription, and even something like dry cleaning or laptop bags can work very well here. Step 4: Remember To Get Creative Sure, the entryway is a pretty good (and obvious) spot for a launch pad, but if you don’t have much room to work with in the entryway, or if you’re lucky enough to not have a lot that needs to be taken in the morning, why not branch out into other rooms? Try getting everyone to hang their backpacks/purses/messenger bags on their seat at the dinner table as a fun and easy way to make a launch pad for the morning and keep all of your paperwork close at hand. Or if you want to get decorative, try hanging some ropes or small chains across a wall or ceiling with clips on them for everyone’s school assignments, permission slips, and so on. If you’re the crafty type, the sky’s the limit - or at least the ceiling is - just make sure everyone has room for their stuff!