DESIDERATA

Aka the junk drawer. But I’ve always hated that term – it implies that everyhing in there is junk and if that’s the case, then why do we have it?!

So let’s change that. Less “junk”, more “home management”. Don’t think of it as a space where items go when they have no other home. That space is the home for items you need readily available and it should be curated just as intentionally as the rest of your spaces.

If you don’t have a junk drawer (I’m an over achiever and have two), then pick the space that you use as a catch-all or home management. Bin for keys by the door? Office desk? Dining room table?

The non-negotiables:

• Take everything out. If you haven’t realized by now, that’s usually step one for just about everything.
• Wipe down all the surfaces. Feels better already!
• Toss what you can. For me, this is the 87 twist ties I always save and never ever once in my life have I used one of the saved ones. So, it is time to break that habit. Even if they are excellent twist ties.
• Sort everything else. Decide what truly belongs in your home management drawer and what belongs elsewhere.
• Put the items that are staying into organizers. This is one of the rare cases when I say that investing in organizer bins is necessary. You’ll end up right back where you started very quickly without them.
• Fit the bins back into the drawer and breathe a sigh of relief.

The maybe negotiables:

• Leave empty space. If this is really your home management zone, then maybe some additional items belong in there that you’ll find in other spaces. Truly think about what are your go-to things and stock those there.

My inventory:

• Scissors
• Tape (caveat on this one: my youngest has a thing for tape so mine lives in a bin in the cabinet above the drawer, out of his immediate reach)
• Batteries – I keep all basics stocked at all times because I loathe running out of batteries
• Pens/markers (limited supply)
• Command Strips & hooks
• Hand sanitizer
• Essential Oils

Your turn:

What do you have in your home management space?

Go enjoy that refreshed space.