I was doing some cleaning today and one of the targets was a drawer in the kitchen. Some people might refer to this as the ‘junk drawer’ and in the past I may have done also.
However, I now call this my useful drawer. Does the name make a difference? I believe that it does. This drawer contains items that are useful. It is not junk. Therefore, when I periodically clean it out it is easy to identify what should be in there. It must be useful and preferably used at least semi-regularly. Junk has no place here and it is easy to remove and discard that which could be categorised as junk.
I did not take a before photo. A few things have been removed. I discarded a piece of used plastic cling film and a couple of small pieces of brown paper that were not big enough to be useful. 2 small instruction manuals have been re-homed with the rest of the instruction manuals.
This small pile of bread tags will be taken to a recycling drop-off point next time I am in town.
The main purpose of the exercise was to have a general clean, as this, like all other kitchen drawers and cupboards, do get grubby over time.
Here is the result of about 15 minutes work.
Back to the matter of words making a difference when decluttering or organising your home. The other phrase I often hear is “getting rid of stuff”. This is particularly unhelpful when dealing with items to which you have a sentimental attachment. It is more than ‘stuff’ and getting rid of it implies that it is worthless rubbish.
If you are dealing with grandma’s tea set, you are unlikely to just get rid of that stuff. But if you believe that you really are not going to use it, there are better ways to consider removing it from your life. You could try ‘letting it go’ which promotes the feeling of setting it free. How good would it be to let it go to someone who will cherish and use it rather than being shut up in the china cabinet?
Your mindset and internal language can make a huge difference when reviewing your possessions and decluttering.
I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.
organised castle 
Yes, words are so incredibly important, especially if they’re coming from outside of yourself. It is one thing to decide for yourself to declutter, quite another to be told you ‘have to’ ‘get rid of’ ‘that old junk’.
We are most of the way through a particularly difficult clearing project, which I’ve chosen to label ‘re-assessment’. Our loft—for the first time ever. Previously, I would do this every time I moved house (not less than every 4 years). We have been here for 19 years next month.
Without going into detail, I can say that we now have a much more appealing space, and the boxes that remain (downstairs at the moment), are densest with memories, so are taking longer to deal with.
Some things we are not ready to ‘let go’, and that’s fine. But we are BOTH ready to make decisions about why, how and where things are being kept.
It feels good.
Thank you for sharing your story. I do like the ‘re-assessment’ label. I think I could use that in future projects. You have also identified the importance of mutual agreement where it involves joint possessions/decisions. I am so glad you are seeing the benefit of your endeavours. Best wishes. xxx
I was interested to see a string tin in your drawer. I still have and use mine, made for me by my son 52 years ago at kindergarten.