To quote Real Simple magazine,
“Having a disorganized mess at your bedside is more nightmare than night table.”
Well I have been waking up to a bedside table nightmare for a few months! Warning-no staging ahead!
I enjoy reading before bed but when it’s time for shut eye I dump my books anywhere and hope they don’t topple over before I turn out the light. I would love to be able to say that I will start vertically stacking my books before I fall asleep but that is not realistic. Yes, I am that lazy!
Clutter Problem
Solution
Baskets!
10 minutes is not enough to conquer the bedside table drawer that has become a major catch-all so today I am only focusing on the top of the nightstand and the open shelf beneath it.
Just like last week’s 10 minute Tuesday, I collected a few supplies before starting the timer, including a dust rag.
I set the timer, and with 10 minutes to go, I began the purging and dusting! As I sorted, I made a pile of items that belonged elsewhere. When the dust finally cleared my current bedside books, magazines, pens and post-its were all that remained.
I have to be honest, I might have cheated a little on this particular 10 minute Tuesday. With 2 minutes left I paused the timer. I had planned to containerize all my note taking supplies in the small basket that was there before.
But it just wasn’t working, there were too many baskets. I tried a white pot to lighten up the cave-like space.
I liked it but I imagined how it would quickly returning to the previous state of disarray. With 2 minutes left, I walked away to work on something else while I considering my options.
I looked around the house and that’s when I remembered a favorite box my sister gave me years ago. I decided it would be perfect for post-its and other bedside note taking must haves. I restarted my timer.
I kept the white pot since it was now less cluttered by only housing pens and hand lotion.
With 30 seconds to spare (not counting my mini pause) my finished nightstand became a pleasant sight that I was happy to have greet me when I went to bed each night and when I woke up bright and early to the sounds of a 2 and 4 year old!
What I love
I love having everything at arms length! I can easily reach into the basket from a reclined position, I tested it!
What a difference 10 minutes plus a little thinking time can do!
How is your night table looking? What can you conquer in 10 minutes?
[…] free. Place your storage where you’ll use it. I was always finding pens roaming free on my nightstand, until I added a decorative pot to corral pens and hand […]