04/27/2020
Are y'all ready for Part 2 of the junk drawer reorg?
Yesterday, I introduced the first two steps of Julie Morgenstern's S-P-A-C-E organizing technique, "S"ort and "P"urge. Today, we are going to A-C-E the rest:
Assign a home
Containerize
Equalize
So, the next step is to assign a home (the "A" in "SPACE") in the drawer. Figure out where each group of items need to live in the drawer. Pro tip: I tend to put bulky/rarely-used items in the hard-to-reach back part of the drawer. This an important step in the S-P-A-C-E process: it not only ensures you have enough room to store things neatly, but also gives you a "shopping list" for the types of storage containers you'll need. It's like doing a rough sketch, before creating a masterpiece. Which is what your junk drawer will look like when you're through!
By this point, you should be starting to get a sense of the different types of containers you'll need -- how many, their dimensions. I highly recommend jotting down what you need. *NOW* you're ready to get your containers!
You can buy sorting containers at big box stores, the dollar store -- or you can make them yourself! Examples of repurposed containers I've used: egg cartons, cut-off cereal boxes, jewelry/gift boxes, metal tins, silverware sorters, take-out plastic containers, old checkbook and business card boxes. It's amazing what storage you already have, if you look at your stuff with a new perspective! If you want to have a theme, you can always use wrapping paper to create a unified look. Old spray paint that needs to be used up also works well. Once you've ID'ed your containers and prepped them, now it's time to load them up! A good rule of thumb: you want your containers to be only about 80% full. Otherwise, it feels too full and psychologically you won't want to use the container.
The last step, Equalize, means establish a maintenance plan. You could have the most perfectly organized, Marie Kondo'ed drawer in the world -- it will eventually "revert back" if you don't maintain it. So, pick a reasonable amount of time (i.e. 6 months) and schedule an appointment with yourself to do an organizational tune-up on your lovely "life maintenance" drawer!
[Photo credits: Erebuss Efozon, Better Homes & Gardens, Home Talk, Chasing Foxes, The Kitchn]
