Hot take: I used to think a 'junk drawer' was fine until mine ate my car keys for 2 days.

After that, I spent a Saturday building a simple plywood divider box with sections for batteries, tools, and keys, and now everything has a spot. It cost about $15 in materials from the hardware store. What's your go-to fix for a drawer that collects everything?

2 comments

2 Comments

emma7213h ago

Honestly, that's a solid fix. My question is about the long haul, though. How do you keep it from just becoming a messy box instead of a messy drawer? I built something similar once, but then I'd just toss stuff on top of the dividers when I was in a hurry. Did you make a new rule for yourself, like no loose items allowed, or does the system just work on its own now?

blake_lewis9h ago

Yeah that's the real test, right? I mean @emma72 you hit the nail on the head, the dividers are pointless if you just pile junk on top. For me, it only worked when I made the rule that if something doesn't fit in a section, it doesn't belong in the box at all. So now if I'm in a hurry and try to toss a thing on top, I stop myself because it looks wrong and forces me to deal with it. The system doesn't run itself, but the visual clutter is a good reminder.