The Junk Drawer

The infamous Junk Drawer. We all have (had) one. I no longer do. I will tell you why later.

For now, let's talk about the junk drawer and hear its woeful tale.

I am the Junk Drawer

pray listen to my woes

they put stuff inside of me

when they don't know where it goes

there's many a useful thing in me

rattling for some space

why they call it junk

is something I can't trace

the hammer the tape

the clips the maps

the keys the coins

the pens the stamps

matchboxes staplers

buttons and scissors

scrunchies and munchies

and nail clippers

not really junk

the truth let's face

so why not respect each item

and assign a space?

Accept it, we are all guilty of burdening a poor drawer with untamed miscellany and to add insult to injury call it the junk drawer, implying that everything in there is junk. Many a self respecting item in there serves a useful purpose in our life and yet we show no respect or gratitude for their service and toss them into the 'junk' drawer. The reason most homes have a junk drawer is because

• we have never really been taught to tidy and organize in a mindful way.

• we struggle with excess.

• our stuff increases in volume over the years.

• we are not equipped with the organizing skills it takes to mindfully discern what to keep and what to let go of and create assigned spaces for what we have.

Many of us make efforts, off an on, to get our things organized but without a systematic approach our one off efforts rebound in no time. When there is no clarity in the mind about where a thing belongs our things become nomads living in different spaces with no steady home, leading to regular scavenger hunts to 'find' them when needed. Many of these items are tossed into drawers, cabinets and available flat surfaces. When we tidy in a hurry, as we often do, we stow things away randomly so they are not visible, to create an illusion of order. Things make their way into the junk drawer, struggling for space and dignity.

Unlike traditional organizing methods, the KonMari® Method advocates tidying by category not by location. That is the key difference and the secret to long lasting success in organizing and maintenance, and also why I no longer have a junk drawer.

Happy to help you in your tidying quest!

Sincerely,

Meera

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