A Place For Keys, Coats, Bags: How To Create A Chic Habit

Do you really need a set place for keys? Isn’t that uptight, the opposite of effortless chic?

Picture this…

A chic woman in a stylish and flattering ensemble is about to leave home to attend an elegant soiree where she will no doubt charm the room with her warmth, wit, and intelligence. Her taxi has arrived, and she places her hand on the door handle – but then stops and frowns to herself. Where are her keys?

She looks in her black Lady Dior – not there. She checks beneath mail on the kitchen counter – uh, no. The taxi beeps and she rushes from room to room, searching behind sofa cushions, under discarded sweaters, inside coat pockets. The scene soon devolves into an orgy of expletives, bitten-off lipstick, and hurled shoes.

Frantic and oath-laden searching for keys is not chic. Arriving late, flustered, and dishevelled from 20 minutes’ searching for keys, is also not chic.

In the same way, coats, shoes, and bags discarded upon arriving home and left strewn over furniture and the floor is visual clutter, detrimental to inner poise and peace. And not chic!

The solution to maintaining a chic life and a sense of order is both simple and elegant. And it starts with deciding where things should go. With having a place for keys.

Set A Place For Keys, Coats, Bags

Well duh, you may say, of course I’ve set a place for keys. Naturally, I know where to put my coat and bag when I get home.

Yet when I ask habitual key-losing and clutter-bemoaning friends where their place for keys is, or where their coat and bag clutter is supposed to live, they look at me as if an eyeball has just fallen out of my head.

The perfect spot for your keys is one that’s easy and natural. Avoid barriers to placing your keys in their home. Remove obstacles like having to open a drawer or walk to the other end of the room. If key-losing is your personal nemesis, then I suggest installing a hook or placing an attractive bowl on a shelf or table right by the door. Your process should be to enter, close the door, drop keys.

As for bags and coats, choose a spot that’s out of sight but easy to access. Again, don’t add unnecessary barriers by choosing ideal but inconvenient locations that require extension ladders and safe combinations. A hallway closet near the front door is ideal, or an easily accessed spot in each person’s room.

Creating A Chic Habit

Now be prepared – it takes a little discipline at first to set the habit. The first few times you come home you may feel overwhelmed by the onerous challenge of placing your keys into the bowl or holding on to your cardigan an extra 5 seconds to get to your bedroom.

The good news is that our brains are drama queens about starting new things, throwing tantrums over tiny changes. But they adjust quickly and pay scant notice once we become accustomed. So the discomfort will be short-lived and the reward will be well worth it. Soon you’ll barely notice any extra effort, yet you’ll feel très chic, with reduced clutter, a lovely sense of order, and greater simplicity in your life.

Reprise

A chic woman in a stylish and flattering ensemble is about to leave home to attend an elegant soiree where she will no doubt charm the room with her warmth, wit, and intelligence. Her taxi has arrived, and she places her hand on the door handle – but then stops and smiles to herself. It’s going to be a lovely evening.

Your Chic Life Assignment For Week 8

1. Choose where you will place your keys when you get home. If you already have a place for keys, let’s review – is this still an ideal location for keys?
2. Choose where you will put coats and bags on coming home. If you are including family then remember to make it easy for everyone to stick to the new plan.

This post is part of my 12-Week Series: 12 Ways To Live A Chic Life.
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