Organizing That Messy Junk Drawer
Be honest: this drawer looks familiar, doesn't it? Who doesn't have that drawer that just has EVERYTHING in it with no rhyme or reason.
Receipts, your stapler, glue sticks, errant pens and pencils, that screwdriver, mangled postage stamps... you know, EVERYTHING.
And then when you need those items the most, it becomes nothing short of a mining expedition through that melange of items.
It's frustrating! So what can you do about it?
Well, the answer is obvious: Clear Your Path and organize it!
First pull everything out of that drawer. I mean really empty that thing out! Lay out the items on a table or other surface that will have enough room to have it all viewable.
Then put like items together. How you do this is up to you. For example: I like to organize items by use, so I keep my stapler, paperclips, pens, and other paper related items together.
If there are items that really don't belong in that drawer, use this opportunity to put them where they actually go.
Alright everything's organized, time to put it back in the drawer, right?
NO!
If you just put it back in the drawer like this, it's just going to be a giant mess again in no time. We need some S E P A R A T I O N !
My favorite tool for this are those short, long plastic bins. Like these:
Take those like-items and place them in the bins. Then put those bins in the drawer... but do it thoughtfully! Are there some items you use all the time? Place those near the front of the drawer while letting lesser-used items go to the back.
Most importantly, stick to your system! It can be tempting after a long day to just throw more junk into that drawer and worry about it later. DON'T DO IT! Take that extra 3 seconds and put it where it goes. You'll thank yourself later!