It’s OK to Own Duplicate Items

Last Updated on July 17, 2017 by lydiaf1963

Minimalists and organizing gurus will tell you to get rid of duplicate items. In some cases it’s true. You probably don’t need 10 sets of bed sheets for your guest bedroom, but you might want to make sure you keep extras of frequently used objects around. If only to keep your sanity.

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Improve Efficiency

My mother found digging in the dirt to be very soothing. She had several flower beds around the yard and every single one of them had an old steak knife shoved into the ground. When I asked her why she explained she liked the freedom to work in her beds as soon as she saw a flower that needed to be de-headed or a pesky dandelion than needed to be dug up yet again. It was more efficient for her to store her tools where she used them rather than walk to the garage to retrieve them. That’s what this post is about today. I want you to think about your frequently used items and how much time you waste searching for them when you need them.

Don’t Add to the Stress!

Oh, we have plenty of pens and pencils, just not where we need them. How frustrating it is to have to chase down a pen to sign a permission slip or jot a note? If this sounds familiar, it may be worthwhile to buy a pen on a leash and stop worrying about it walking away. There was a woman in my office who used those pens. I started doing it at work, too, and eventually at home. Problem solved. At least as far as looking for a pen goes.

Identify A Challenging Area

Scotch tape always disappears on me, too, and I really don’t use it that often. It can be a challenge, especially when I can’t easily get a replacement. I have a roll in my office desk, one with the wrapping paper and another in my craft supplies, just in case. I’ve learned over the years not to buy a pack and store them all together because they will ALL disappear!

Stop searching for frequently used objects. Buy extras & store where needed. #organizeClick To Tweet

Put Them Where You Need Them

Scissors are another tool that sometimes has to be tracked down. We have multiples in just about every room. Some are single purpose, like the pair Rick uses to trim his beard and mustache, the foldable pair of embroidery scissors I keep with my knitting tools and the heavy duty kitchen shears that do everything from debone chicken to chopping herbs. Others are multi use and handy to have around. There’s a pair in the first aid kit, another in my desk and a third pair with the tools.

Like the scissors, I had ended up buying a pack of cute readers and stashing them around the house…for me it was pretty much every room except my children’s bedrooms! Reading glasses can be kitschy and come in patterns and colors that allow you to express your inner diva. Nowadays I wear bifocals and Rick is the one with multiple pairs.

Mobile phones were around when I had a pair of reading glasses in every room, but I didn’t have one at the time. Today I have a phone, a tablet and a plain old Kindle. They all need power to operate so I have a charger in the bedroom, next to my chair in the living room and in my crafting room. It saves me from settling into bed for a good read only to find out I need to plug in my e-reader and the charger is in the living room. The only thing worse is settling in and realizing I have to pee!

As you can see, there are cases where duplication is a good thing! Would it help your day go more smoothly if you had multiples of a few items? How many do you need? Of course, there can be too much of a good thing, but only you can determine the number that’s best for your situation. Can you think of another example where it would be handy to have extras? Tell me about it in the comments!

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Photo credits:

Scissors: By Za – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link

Scotch tape: Amazon link

Pens, glasses and charger: Pixabay