When organizing our clients’ homes, we teach people there are some common “stations” that virtually every home should have. Here are the seven that we feel are most important:

1. Destination Station – This station belongs where you come in and out of the house. It’s where you put all of your things down when you come in, such as purses, keys, and backpacks. We often drill a hole in the back of a drawer and run a power cord through the back of it for cell phone chargers. You can use simple shelving, you can convert an existing coat closet, or you can use a piece of “mud room” or entryway furniture like this one shown from Pottery Barn.

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2. Communication Station – This station is for the family calendar, messages, mail, and other communications that help the house run smoothly. One thing that we encourage is having a Family Binder that will contain all of the frequently-used information such as contacts, medical records, school handouts and lists, and sports team rosters and schedules.

3. Donation Station – Every home should have a designated place to collect items for donation, and when it’s full, the items can be taken to your favorite charity drop-off location. It’s also helpful to keep a clipboard here for listing the items you add to the pile, so that when it’s tax time, you will be better able to value your donations.

4. Gift and Shipping Station – You may not have a permanent station set up for this one, but at least gather all of these items together in a bin or drawer for easy retrieval when you need them. You should have gift wrap, scissors, tape, and all of the other items needed for wrapping and mailing.

5. Education Station – This station is the homework and reference area, mostly for the kids. You’ll need a comfortable flat surface, preferably a desk, where the kids can do their work. There should be good lighting, good chairs, plenty of office supplies, paper, a dictionary, a thesaurus, and probably a computer in this area. And don’t forget peace and quiet!

6. Creation Station – Homes with children and/or other artists need to have a place to paint, draw, sew, or pursue other creative outlets. Craft and art supplies can be stored here, nearby an available surface to work with plenty of light. Like the Gift & Shipping Station, you may not have this station set up permanently. We like using rolling plastic drawer carts for a mobile version of this station that fits easily in a coat closet.

7. Administration Station – Also known as the home office, this station is where the bills get paid, forms get filled out, medical claims are filed, and phone calls are made. Here you’ll need a desk, storage for all office supplies, a computer and printer, a filing cabinet and filing supplies, and a comfortable, functional chair. This station is where all of your basic office systems are centralized.

Lorie Marrero is a Professional Organizer and creator of The Clutter Diet, an innovative, affordable online program for home organization. Lorie’s site helps members lose “Clutter-Pounds” from their home by providing online access to her team of organizers. Lorie writes something useful, funny, interesting, and/or insanely practical every few days or so in the Clutter Diet Blog. She lives in Austin, TX, where her company has provided hands-on organizing services to clients since 2000.