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Post by thedreadedknock on Sept 20, 2014 9:15:09 GMT -5
I laugh because this ONE DRAWER could take me a couple of hours. If not more. The top drawer of one of our chest of drawers. It's so full of "stuff" that it creaks when I pull it out... so I can add more. Ultrasound photos, random p.c. discs, wire connectors, i dont know what else. Somehow the ominous creaking hasn't stopped me from adding to it. I'm stalling because this is my "Where do i put this? Here's good for right now." spot.
Any advice on how you've dealt with your catch all drawers would be appreciated. But this thread is mostly to make me get up NOW and stop avoiding it.
Okay... going now. Big. Deep. Breath.
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Post by turkeyhill on Sept 20, 2014 9:23:42 GMT -5
Only advice is to get an "important papers box" and get the papers out of it. I always have a junk drawer and it seems like when I start to use the utensil drawer for stuff I will clear out some space in the junk drawer. There just isn't a place for everything I feel is important to save - from rent receipts to phone numbers to the mailing from a gov office to the broke at first use ear buds well past the return date..  |
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Post by dtesposito on Sept 20, 2014 9:24:30 GMT -5
If it really has a variety of things in it, you might want to do a pre-sort first, instead of trying to make piles for each category--you'll end up with a hundred piles. So you might do "toss", "keep in this room" "keep but in a different room". Or any other smaller number of categories--then you could just get three boxes or baskets so you keep the stuff contained rather than all around the room. Or if you start and find it really overwhelming, get a small box, take out just enough random stuff to fit in the small box, then completely sort and put away just what's in the box--all the way to the items' eventual homes. That will contain the mess even more, and you can do one small box of stuff at a time. If you're the kind of person who has doesn't work until there's a crisis, you could always empty the whole thing onto your bed--that way you'll be forced to deal with it or you won't be able to sleep tonight!  I think the first two ways will create less mess, though. Diane |
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Post by ohblondie on Sept 20, 2014 10:29:35 GMT -5
I will probably be chastised for saying this, but sometimes it's important to have a junk drawer. Sometimes when you're in a hurry, it's nice to have a drawer you can toss something into. Until you can find out what it belong to where it should go if it's a piece of the game at cetera.
But what is important is to go through it on a regular basis I'm not saying every day or every week but maybe once a month sort through it and put stuff away. I agree that you should do a quick pre sort. Grab like items, or grab 5 items and put them away then go back and grab 5 more items and put them away, etc.
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Post by thedreadedknock on Sept 20, 2014 11:27:08 GMT -5
Thank you guys so much for the encouragement and advice! I appreciate it. I just now finished sorting and throwing out the things I don't need. I did get sidetracked by dh for about 20 mins. He needed me to find one specific card that hasn't been seen in about half a yr. That's just laughable but I looked anyway. Then got back to it and sorted into 3 little piles. I threw alot of stuff away. Yay! So that was my presort. The things I have left could fill a corner of the drawer now. Not that i will leave them there!  Sure feels nice to see some clear space. Now into finding homes for the few things that are staying.  |
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Post by thedreadedknock on Sept 20, 2014 15:48:01 GMT -5
Finished at 3. That last bit I started getting distracted but Wow. I'm suprised it took me that long to find so few things a home. This last 45 I've been purging photos and keep-sakes.
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Post by dtesposito on Sept 20, 2014 16:30:43 GMT -5
Oh wow, you did great!  Diane |
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Post by lostchild on Sept 20, 2014 16:59:41 GMT -5
Terrific Job!!!
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Post by thedreadedknock on Sept 20, 2014 20:11:35 GMT -5
Thanks Dtesposito and Lostchild. This group is so great for support in every little step.  |
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Joined: January 1970
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Post by Deleted on Sept 21, 2014 6:53:48 GMT -5
all my drawers are junk drawers some times
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Post by lyerin on Sept 24, 2014 8:42:58 GMT -5
I have a major "junk" drawer in the kitchen that I need to tackle. I think I may make that my project for tonight. We keep tools in there, and that's fine, but I *know* there is some junk in there that needs to go.
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Post by lyerin on Sept 24, 2014 21:30:53 GMT -5
I did it! I tackled not only our one "official" junk drawer but also the three drawers below it that collected random stuff. I tossed a bunch of stuff, put a few things in the donate bin and rehomed some other stuff that really didn't belong in those drawers. They can now all be opened and everything is organized pretty well. Thanks for starting this thread and inspiring me to just get it done!
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Post by lyerin on Sept 25, 2014 8:26:39 GMT -5
I should add that I thought the project would take an hour at least for all four drawers. The top drawer, which was the worst, took me about 15 minutes total. I had the others done and organized in less than 20 minutes. So total of about 30-35 minutes to put all four drawers into usable shape. Crazy how sometimes the "big" jobs get built up in our minds but aren't that bad in practice.
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Post by boyswillbeboys on Sept 25, 2014 9:18:24 GMT -5
Great job lyerin.
My tip for junk drawers and areas that you have gotten used to seeing these things in is to throw it all in a box, take it to another room, and sort it there, so these things are out of their element, and it's easier to see them for what they are.
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Post by thedreadedknock on Sept 26, 2014 6:26:29 GMT -5
Lyerin, I'm so sorry. My sOoS thingy didn't notify me of any new posts! That is wonderful about doing FOUR DRAWERS. Always love it when a project isn't as much stress as we thought it would be. Congrats you did a great job.  Great advice Boyswillbeboys. Thank you. |
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