You are not alone. Don’t beat yourself up for having a junk drawer, everybody has one. But fess up, how many do you actually have? You know that drawer. It’s the infamous miscellaneous drawer filled with random stuff. It’s the drawer you throw everything into that doesn’t have a home. It might be where you keep your collection of pens, batteries, flashlights, spare keys, matches, instruction manuals, bills, receipts, and much more.
No doubt, there are endless categories but the problem is, there is not endless space.
It happens so organically, doesn’t it? An overlycluttered drawer that barely closes leads you to shove new things into other drawers. And before you know it, like creeping crud, the junk is spreading like wildfire into multiple drawers!
Your intentions were good initially, I’m sure. You probably started out monitoring the junk drawer, but eventually it was invaded with random loose change, crumpled post-it notes with scribbled phone #’s on them, newspaper clippings, coupons, phone chargers, Tylenol, and all sorts of new junk. With no free time, and little regard for designated landing places for these things, you were doomed.
I know life is hectic and it’s much easier to just tuck the clutter away inside a drawer. Everything “appears” neat on the outside.
But unfortunately, this only results in time wasting consequences. You’ll likely be spending valuable time opening too many drawers, digging through all the clutter and not finding what you need, when you need it. This would be the wake-up call time to organize and get some control back.
Sort through the junk and consolidate items into “like” categories. Create designated spaces and consistent homes for items. No need to tangle your rubber bands with band-aids, paper clips, or old pieces of chewing gum.
When you sort like with like items, you will be able to retrieve and return them with greater ease, efficiently evaluate your inventory, thereby minimizing duplicate purchases. Separate office supplies, clip receipts together, and store medications in a safe and exclusice space. Create a grab and go area for sunglasses and keys.
Stay on top of that drawer and weed often. Don’t let the junk takeover. If you let it, it can potentially live in every drawer. Uh-oh, T-R-O-U-B-L-E.
You can reclaim order in your home by starting small, one drawer at a time. 🙂