It was the location in which I was rummaging through to find the tiny tool that initiated my deliberation. Enter the junk drawer. For those of you who are unaware of the formal meaning of such a term, I invite you to climb out from under the rock from which you certainly must reside and take a peek at the formal definition via Wikipedia: “A junk drawer is a drawer used for storing small, miscellaneous, occasionally useful objects of little to no monetary value.” This is primarily an American cultural phenomenon that can be traced back to the early 1900s.

Most people’s junk drawers are located in the kitchen area, but I have been a witness to many a secondary junk drawer existing in home offices, workshops or even businesses. (I have one both to the right and the left of the very keyboard I am typing on right now in my office.) Such drawers often contain unrelated and unorganized objects. This can include keys to nothing, loose change, paper clips, birthday candles, tape measures, batteries, chargers to old electronics and orphaned game pieces. While this list is not anything close to exhaustive, you get the idea. Essentially, this is all stuff that we don’t need right now but may need someday. Perhaps someone will come to your house who needs a charger for an old 2006 Nokia flip phone and you can save the day, or maybe a neighborhood kid’s birthday party treasure hunt calls for a bottle cap and bazingo … you happen to have one.

Is it possible, however, that the junk drawer serves as a metaphor. Not just for the junk and clutter throughout our homes, but the clutter and chaos that may exist in our heads as well. Perhaps we can ask ourselves what is the fear behind throwing something away we haven’t used in the last year? Is it really a source of pride to be the neighbor everyone can count on if they need a used bag tie?

Three years ago, I was just completing my final (fingers crossed) move into my current home. While I was packing up the kitchen, I came across the junk drawer. Lacking time, energy, and space in my head for creating an organization plan for the items, I took the drawer out and dumped it in the trash. Ironically, I haven’t missed one of those “needful” items since. Frankly, I couldn’t have even told you what was in there.

There is something so cathartic, energizing and life-giving about cleaning out our proverbial junk. I highly recommend it. Besides, as a Realtor, I can assure you that an uncluttered home looks bigger, smells better, appears cleaner, and sells faster and for more money. However, an uncluttered head is invaluable. My motto for 2023? When in doubt, throw it out, both proverbially and literally.

Jen Fischer is an associate broker and Realtor. She can be reached at 801-645-2134 or jen@jen-fischer.com.