No-Nonsense Nightstand Declutter: Banish Bedtime Chaos for Good

Ah, the nightstand. That sacred little table beside your bed that’s supposed to hold a lamp, a book, and maybe a glass of water. Instead? It’s housing a small Walgreens, a tech graveyard, and about five rogue hair ties plotting a coup.

Don’t worry—you’re not alone. My nightstand once looked like a magician’s junk drawer: endless cables, expired melatonin, and three half-used lip balms. You know, in case my lips dried out during REM sleep.

Grab a trash bag, a box, and your sassiest attitude. We’re going in.

Step 1: The Great Dump

Take everything off and out of the nightstand. Yes, even the drawer you haven’t opened since 2017.

You might find:

• Tangled charging cables from three phones ago
• That lotion bottle with 0.3 drops left
• Eight pens, none of which actually write
• Receipts, matchbooks, and other paper fossils
• Books that “you were totally going to finish”

Ditch the guilt, not just the junk.

Clutter is nothing more than postponed decisions.

Barbara Hemphill

If that quote hit a little too hard, good. That’s your cue to stop stashing and start deciding.

Step 2: The Nightstand Rule of Thumb

Here’s the deal: your nightstand should only hold things that actively improve your wind-down and wake-up.

Keep ONLY:

• A lamp or easy-access light
• A single current read (no, you don’t need your entire TBR pile bedside)
• A water bottle or coaster
• One lip balm or lotion
• Your glasses or sleep mask
• ONE charging cord (bonus if it’s tidy)

Let’s talk cords. Messy cables are the snakes of bedside chaos. Corral them already. I recommend using a simple cable management system to make it look intentional, not like spaghetti night at tech school.

Step 3: Drawer Detox

Oh, the drawer. It always starts out with noble intentions (“Just my journal and earbuds”) and ends up as a holding cell for who-knows-what.

Purge these culprits immediately:

• Empty pill sleeves or expired meds
• Crusty lip products (you know the ones)
• Battery packs with no charge
• Instructions/manuals for products you no longer own
• Snacks. (No judgment, just… c’mon.)

Try these expandable bamboo trays: Drawer Organizer Set. They actually make you feel like a functional adult. Weird, right?

Step 4: Say Goodbye to Bedside Book Hoarding

Book lovers, I see you. But a nightstand isn’t a bookshelf annex. Be honest: are you actually reading all those tomes piled there, or are they just putting you to sleep by proximity?

Limit yourself to one active read. The rest? Relocate or donate.

Need help deciding which books to keep forever and which to pass along? We deep-dived into this over here: Declutter Your Bookshelves: How Many Cookbooks Do You Actually Use?

Step 5: Tidy Your Tech (No, You’re Not the Geek Squad)

If your nightstand looks like it’s auditioning for a role in “Cords Gone Wild,” let’s simplify.

Here’s what you actually need:

• A simple charger for your phone
• A place for your earbuds
• Optional: Kindle or e-reader stand

Everything else—out. Including that Bluetooth speaker with the mysteriously sticky surface.

If you keep your phone nearby but don’t want to doomscroll at 2 a.m.? Try turning your screen to grayscale or using the bedtime mode features we talk about in Stop Doomscrolling: Hacks to Reclaim Your Time from Social Media Black Holes

Step 6: Routine > Rearranging

Your nightstand isn’t a museum. It’s part of your routine. So give it a nightly and morning check-in:

Nightly refresh (60 seconds):

• Return your book or glasses to their spot
• Plug your phone and put away the charging cord
• Toss any wrappers, tissues, or mystery crumbs

Weekly vibe check (5 minutes):

• Wipe down surfaces
• Edit out anything that wandered in
• Light a candle, channel your inner minimalist monk

Before and After Challenge 🎉

I want receipts. Not the ones cluttering your drawer—the image kind.

Try this:

• Declutter your nightstand using the steps above
• Snap a before + after pic
• Share it on Instagram and tag us at MySimple.life Instagram

Nightstand Nirvana Is Possible

Once the lip balm army has been discharged and the charger tangle unraveled, here’s what you’re left with:

🛏️ A calming, chaos-free corner of your home
🧠 A mind that’s not yelling at your mess while you try to sleep
🌿 A space that feels like you, not a junk drawer in disguise

Your nightstand doesn’t need to spark joy. It just needs to let you sleep in peace. So say goodbye to midnight chaos and hello to a touch of Zen, Lydia-style.

Sweet dreams—and even sweeter drawer organization.