Adapt spaces to meet your needs.  You have places where things tend to pile up for a reason, so don’t fight it.  If you empty your pockets onto the dresser each night, buy a decorative bowl and place it in that spot.  If you unload at the kitchen counter, pick a drawer near the door to store items.
Assign every family member a cub by.  Whether it is a plastic container in a closet or a built in shelf near an entry way, assigned spaces let them know where their belongings belong.  An inexpensive, space saving solution. Handle mail every day.
File what you need to access in the near future.
Store things where you use them.
Group like things together.  This enables you to keep inventory, so that you don’t end up with nothing.
Put short items in front of tall things.  Most people are visually oriented, if they don’t see something, it may as well not exist.