My mission: Make my bedroom as peaceful and relaxing as possible. And my first target: my nightstand, the home of an array of serums and hand creams, a stack of books, and an assortment of other random items (why is that eyelash curler there?) that leave it looking cluttered and not so serene.
If your nightstand also quickly becomes cluttered with everything from the stuff in your pockets to a tangle of necklaces to a used tissue (ew!), this may be the sign you need to take a few minutes to clear away the clutter. (It took me just 10 minutes!)
Ready to tackle this quick-and-easy decluttering project? Take these items off your nightstand right now.
Extra Books
If you enjoy a chapter or two to unwind before bed, you may have a stack of books sitting on your nightstand, from your current favorite to the next one (or five) in line. But before you turn your nightstand into a mini-library, consider sticking with a single tome for now, and keep the extras on your bookshelf until you’re ready to keep your clutter at bay.
Your Smartphone
Controversial opinion here, but time and again sleep experts say that looking at your smartphone late at night and keeping it near your bed is bad for your sleep. I did retire my own alarm clock and still plan to use my smartphone for my wakeup call. But I set my smartphone on a dresser away from my bed—and set up a sleep focus to minimize the buzzing notifications while I’m sleeping.
Another plus to keeping it away from your bed? If you’re a serial snooze button pusher, having to get up to silence the alarm can stop that behavior fast.
Your Laptop
The smartphone may have some utilitarian uses, but the only thing the laptop is good for is keeping you awake with its glowing light and stressing you out with work or other to-dos. Keep it as far away from your bed as possible—ideally in another room.
Dirty Glasses or Dishes
If you’re the type who likes a midnight snack or has some water by the bedside for a middle-of-the-night sip or a first-thing-in-the-morning drink, you should make sure that the dirty dishes make their way to the sink ASAP. (I may have, ahem, had four different water glasses on my nightstand.)
Unnecessary Beauty Products
It’s probably best to apply any face serums or other products elsewhere, since you don’t have a mirror to make sure you don’t miss a spot—and the same goes for tools like hairbrushes and nail files. Yes, I still keep a tube of hand moisturizer and a lip balm bedside. But I’ve moved the rest of my beauty products into the bathroom or my dresser drawer.
Jewelry
Plopping that pair of earrings or necklace on your nightstand—even if it’s in a jewelry dish—poses a potential risk for it getting lost if you accidentally knock against the nightstand in the middle of the night. And I don’t know how many times I’ve had to search around when my watch ended up under the bed.
Your best solution: Have a jewelry organizer elsewhere in your bedroom, where you can drop your jewelry before you head to bed.
Excess Decor
Don’t turn your bedside table into a mini photo gallery or a cluttered collection of tchotchkes. A small plant or vase with flowers and a single framed photo will do.
Candles
I adore a good scented candle but it feels a little iffy to have that so close to all those bed linens—I definitely don’t want to lose my favorite duvet to my sage candle! Consider placing the candle on a nearby dresser instead.
Extra Hair Ties and Clips
Hair ties seem to reproduce like bunnies—and if you have a small army of them on your bedside table, this is your signal to stop the madness and pare down your collection. (Stash the rest elsewhere!)
Tips for Reducing the Amount of Stuff on Your Nightstand
Choose a nightstand with a drawer or door
If you’re the kind of person who likes to keep a lot of stuff close at hand when you’re in bed, a drawer or door can help keep everything but the bare essentials under wraps.
Add some closed storage
I invested in a pretty storage box to help corral my beauty products and other small items and keep them (beautifully) stashed out of sight.
Keep a trash can close at hand
Dirty tissues and other trash can collect on your nightstand and make it a cluttered mess. Opt to keep a wastebasket nearby—especially if you’re spending a lot of time in bed when you’re sick—to help keep that icky clutter at bay.
