No More ‘Miscellaneous’

You’re at the end of your organizing project and you find that you’re left with some random items that you don’t know what to do with or how to organize them. You decide that it’s just easier to grab a bin and/or file and label it miscellaneous and add your random items to it. Before you know it, this bin or file will become a clutter drop spot of things that you don’t know what to do with. Wait, stop. Let’s think of a category that these items will fit into or are these items so random, you haven’t used them in a while, and in fact,you have no use for them at all.Can you group and categorize withina sub-category of similar items? 

When I see the word miscellaneous on a label, it’s like fingernails on a chalkboard.Miscellaneous doesn’t tell you anything specific about what you’ve just filed away or contained. It’s an easy way to label odds and ends. It’s like stepping into a black hole of random items. 

You’re immediately inviting chaos into your life by using this word. Most of the time when this word is used, it’s because a clearer, more precise category couldn’t be found. Creating categories is essential for effective organization and efficiency. Using more descriptive labels helps you locate what you need, when you need it, without giving it much thought.  

There are five things that can happen when a bin or file is labeled using ‘miscellaneous’: 

Lack of clarity. You’re not being clear about what’s being contained. There could be anything in that bin or file. Who knows? You might forget what you put there, leading to frustration when you try to find it! 

Procrastination and Delayed Decision Making. You’re not sure where to put an item or a piece of paper,and you don’t want to think about it, so you immediately throw it into a miscellaneous file, hoping you’ll be able to find it when you need it. Or you may never need it, so it ends up in the black hole of the miscellaneous items. 

You’re missing out on an opportunity. By using ‘miscellaneous’ you just missed an opportunity to create a more meaningful category. Streamlining allows you to find things more easily when you need them. You may also miss something important that you added to the file, forgot you put it there and just missed out. 

Psychological Impact. Even though you think you’re being organized by filing or storing in a miscellaneous bin/file, you’re creating a sense of randomness and disorder.  

Convenience. You may think it’s just easier to file in a miscellaneous folder because in your mind, you’re still handling it, but there is a better way. Trust me.  

Next time you’re working on an organizing project, take an extra minute to figure out what you want to do with the random items that you find. Can you associate this item with another category, can you create a new, more specific category or do you really need these items? 

Let’s say bye-bye to miscellaneous and embrace the power of a precise label!