Welcome to Day 16 of the 30 Days to Less of a Hot Mess Challenge! Today we focus on a small but powerful task: decluttering and organizing your junk drawer so it actually helps you instead of stressing you out. If you’re new here, you may want to start at the beginning. Affiliate links used for your convenience.
Hello! We’re at day 16—halfway through the challenge—and it’s the perfect time for a quick win. This task is simple, fast, and highly satisfying. You can finish it in about 15 minutes, and the payoff is immediate: every time you open that drawer you’ll feel a little calmer and more in control.
We all have one: the junk drawer. Some of us have a whole junk cabinet. Either way, this challenge is about turning that chaotic catch-all into a functional “command center drawer” that holds the few everyday essentials you actually use.
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My own junk drawer hadn’t been cleaned in years. I pulled everything out, washed the organizer, and discovered things so old they could be antiques. The transformation felt so good that I’ve started calling it a “command center drawer” instead of a junk drawer—just renaming it helps change how I treat it.
Here’s a straightforward plan you can follow right now. Set a timer for 15 minutes and work quickly—short, focused bursts make decluttering less overwhelming and more likely to get done.
Step-by-step: Organize your junk drawer in 15 minutes
1. Set your timer for 15 minutes.
2. Remove everything from the drawer and spread items out so you can see them all.
3. Group like items together: pens and pencils, tape and scissors, batteries, rubber bands, receipts, sticky notes, and so on. Decide what to keep, what belongs elsewhere, and what to discard or donate. I found I had far more pens and paper clips than I needed—some of that went to my office supply box, and some went to donation.
3b. Use a drawer organizer. If you don’t have one, consider investing in a simple tray or adjustable organizer—something with compartments so small items don’t jumble together. I’ve used the same style of organizer in different homes for years; it keeps things neat and easy to find. You can find organizers at many home stores or online retailers if you don’t already have one.
4. Return only the items you use daily or almost daily. Less is more: keep essentials like a few pens, a small notepad, scissors, a flashlight, and a couple of chargers. Keep specialty items—like spare screws, rare batteries, or receipts—in labeled boxes or a storage closet instead of the drawer.
Quick tips to make the drawer last:
- Label compartments so everyone in the household knows where things belong.
- Limit the number of each item you keep: two or three pens, one small tape, a handful of rubber bands.
- Schedule a five-minute tidy-up every month to remove things that have accumulated.
- Donate duplicates or items you never use to keep clutter from creeping back.
And that’s it—you’re done! In just 15 minutes you’ll have turned chaos into order. Opening that drawer will no longer be a moment of dread; it will be a small convenience that makes your day smoother.
The Messy Work: Complete the junk drawer challenge. If you have a deep cabinet or more than one junk drawer, schedule a time to tackle those as well—either in another 15-minute session or a longer block if needed.
In the mess with you, Laura
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