The 5-Minute Trick to Declutter Any Drawer Without Tears

Let’s talk about the infamous junk drawer. You know the one—pens that may or may not work, batteries of mysterious age, birthday candles from three birthdays ago, and about 17 rubber bands that have fused into a new life form. Opening it feels like staring into the abyss. And the abyss stares back.

But here’s the trick: you don’t need an entire Saturday, a label maker, or the emotional strength of a decluttering guru to tackle it. You just need five minutes.

Here’s how to do it without tears (or at least without ugly crying):

Step 1: Set a Timer. Seriously. Five minutes. That’s it. This makes it feel like a game, not a life sentence.

Step 2: Grab Five Things. Don’t dump the whole drawer out like a reality TV makeover show. Just pick five random items. Decide: keep, toss, or relocate. If you can’t decide, ask yourself: “Will future me actually thank me for holding onto this?”

Step 3: Celebrate the Win. Yes, even if you only cleared out a handful of batteries and an expired coupon. Progress is progress, and the drawer monster just got a little smaller.

Do this every time you open that drawer and—boom—within a week, you’ll have transformed chaos into something that actually closes without brute force.

The beauty of the five-minute trick is that it lowers the bar so you’ll actually start. And once you start, you’re halfway to done.

So go on—set your timer. Future you will love present you for finally taming the junk drawer without the drama.