Where do you keep that “key” that opens interior doors in your house, or extra buttons, or other miscellaneous items that just don’t seem to fit in anywhere? You made be tempted to throw it all in a junk drawer or a caught-all room but you’ll have trouble finding it again.
For my purposes, I am going to call miscellaneous items anything that is small, doesn’t have a defined category but is still an important household item.
Step one follow these “rules”:
- Stop using miscellaneous as a category altogether. It isn’t a category. The word category suggests that the items in that group go together.
- Use containers – they limit the amount of items to a reasonable amount.
- Use labels – just about everyone will honor a label!
- A big part of organizing is location, location, location. Try to put items in the room where you use them most whenever possible.
- When sorting your “formerly known as miscellaneous items”, throw way/donate what you know you don’t need or will not use. Then create new categories. Here is an example: let’s say you have an extra set of earbuds, some batteries, a current converter, an eye glass repair kit, superglue, a flashlight, a lint roller, buttons, hand lotion, a nail file, thread, and bobby pins all in a drawer you now want to use for a dedicated purpose. What categories do to you see?
I tend to see categories as activities I do in specific locations, so for I would put these items together:
Home Office: earbuds, eye glass repair kit (that’s where I use my reading glasses most)
Master bedroom/bathroom: Hand lotion, nail file, lint roller, bobby pins
Laundry room or kitchen drawer: batteries, superglue, flashlight
In my luggage: current converter (maybe the earbuds too)
Craft room: thread (maybe the superglue too)
But someone else may see other categories like electrical, craft, practical, clothing and personal care. The idea is that the categories make sense to you so you can find your items.
- You may need to use some items in more than one location or have limited storage space so instead you could make a household tool kit that would be contained and portable. One way to do this it to put everything into an actual tool box, or a craft tote. If you are extremely tight on storage space; try using a back of door shoe holder to store items.
- Not living alone? Try a central location for items everyone who needs to use some items but keep in mind tips 1-4.
