I don't drink coffee, but sometimes I feel like I drank a whole pot when my morning gets derailed and my nerves are shot. It's those mornings that I go to start my car and realize I forgot the key upstairs. Or the kids get a late start so we're behind when the bus rolls up and the backpack is still being packed.

We all have those mornings. You're searching for your phone, lunch bag, wallet and your own sanity, all in the same five minutes.

Something that keeps me sane is having a launch zone near the door. It's one of the things I love to implement with my clients because it has a big impact and it's relatively easy to carry out. Everything that's leaving the house with you lives there and nowhere else, so you're not searching the whole house at 7:23. A hook for keys, right where you can't miss it on your way out. A wall pocket for the school flyers that multiply on the counter every week. A shoe rack so nobody's hunting for a left sneaker two minutes before the bus.

When the bus comes a few minutes earlier than we thought, we have everything staged by the door so there isn't a big rush to the living room to grab the Chromebook from last night's homework session. The key is hanging on the hook in the coat closet so I can run back up from the garage and grab it easily because I know just where it is.

If you have "pot of coffee nerves" most mornings and your systems feel stuck, let's talk. Sometimes a fresh perspective can shed light on options you'd never think of on your own.