Too Many Remotes

One of my five basic organizing principles, as you may already know, is “Store things where you use them.” As a result, I was keeping my remotes neatly lined up in the same place where I keep the devices that they work with: the cable box, the TV, the DVD player, and the Apple TV device. I bring the appropriate remote(s) over to the sofa when I’m watching something, and then when I’m done, I put them back in that spot.

Recently, I was tending to something else that I keep near that space, and I noticed that some of the remotes were dusty. It was then that I realized that I only regularly use two of the four remotes: for the cable box and the Apple TV device. I never use the TV remote anymore because the cable remote includes all the basic functions that I need to control the TV, and I use the Apple TV device for streaming rather then turning on the smart functions of my TV. As for the DVD player, it rarely gets used.

I dusted the two unused remotes and then checked them to make sure the batteries still worked. One of them needed new batteries and I replaced them. Then I put those two remotes in the cabinet right underneath the TV and its peripherals. If I need either of them, I can get to them easily.

Now that spot looks a little bit neater with only the two frequently-used remotes lined up next to my TV and devices. It’s a small change, but it reduces visual clutter (and dust!)