Let’s be honest. Many people have that proverbial junk drawer, the one in which they put everything that they don’t know what to do with yet can’t seem to throw away.
The drawer is usually in the kitchen but can be just about anywhere and it contains, well, just about anything. Incomplete decks of cards, stubs of candles, memo pads with three sheets of paper remaining …
… expired coupons, lots and lots of pens, a broken tape measure, the extra pair of glasses with only one lens …
… and the list goes on and on.
The junk drawer exists simply because we don’t know where to put this stuff and rather than take the time trying to figure out the right place for it to be stored, or if it should be stored at all, the items get placed in the junk drawer often never to be looked at again.
Shouldn’t organizing the junk drawer be on your immediate to-do list? Of course, getting the junk drawer organized once and for all is important, but I’m going to go one step further. I’m suggesting that you don’t spend time organizing the junk drawer — but rather get rid of it! But, first …
Here’s how to organize your junk drawer
- Schedule it. Set aside a suitable amount of time to work your way through the drawer. Too short a time allotment and you will wind up completing half of the job and that means the junk drawer will still remain in existence.
- Take everything out. Dump out the contents of the drawer. Yes, dump everything out on a table on which you have placed a cloth or towel so that things don’t go rolling around and the table doesn’t get damaged.
- Decide what to keep. Sort through every single item carefully evaluating it for its value and usefulness. Not certain? Throw it out. Really, out it goes because once you start to question whether or not you actually need the items, they are probably going to find their way back into the drawer. Be ruthless!
- Categorize items. Make separate piles of the items that you plan to retain and know (yes, really know) where you are going to put these things. Not certain where they will wind up? Not sure if they are worth being kept? Throw them out. Once again, this shouldn’t take too long. They’re in the junk drawer for a reason and that reason is that you don’t really have a use for these things. If you did, you’d be using them or they would be in a different place such as your sewing kit, desk drawer, closet, etc.
You do have other options, as I alluded to before.
You could ignore my advice, skip the steps I just mentioned, and …
Simply throw everything out. That means you’d spend little to no time examining the contents of the drawer. What do you think?
This method isn’t for everyone. For those bold enough to proceed, you will save yourself the time and stress of indecision. Keep in mind that if you haven’t used these items in months, if not years, they are likely of no value to you.
Lastly, if you’re not ready to get rid of your junk drawer (or at least not yet), then think of it as a utility drawer instead — a space that is helpful and deserving of being organized and uncluttered with only specific and needed items.
Keep it in pristine condition so that it will be a source of pleasure rather than not frustration every time you open the drawer.
Final steps
Once you have discarded some of the items that you KNOW will never see the light of day and started to organize the drawer for easier access, give thought to purchasing expandable drawer organizers (affiliate link).
As all items will have a home, the organized utility drawer will no longer have space for any additional “junk” in the future. Be sure to select drawer organizers that fit into your drawer and will accommodate the items that you must keep.
One last thing! Take a picture right after you have finished organizing the utility drawer and have everything is in its rightful place. Put the picture right on top of everything in the drawer so that every time you are about to throw a random item in, you’ll see the picture and think twice. Here’s to bidding your junk drawer goodbye forever!
The post A Simple and Ruthless Way to Organize Your Junk Drawer appeared first on Organize to Revitalize!.