How to Declutter a Bedroom

If you are frustrated with the room you are sleeping in, then these tips on How to declutter a bedroom are just what you need. Get ready for the easy way to declutter your bedroom so you can create a space that is peaceful and pleasant to be in and sleep in. 

They say if you want to be healthy and happy it all begins with a good night’s sleep. But for some people, this can be easier said than done. If you are struggling a bit with sleeping, you may want to take a look at where you are sleeping. You just might be surprised that the space you are sleeping in is a pretty significant factor in how when you are actually sleeping.

Let’s take some time to create a space that you can more easily fall asleep in but also a space where you will wake up refreshed and renewed and in a calm and happy state.

I know this might sound borderline woo-woo, but hear me out. If you go to sleep in a chaotic, messy, and cluttered space it only stands to reason that your sleep with be the same. Chaotic and messy.

The same is true when you wake up in the morning. Wake up in a neat, tidy, and pleasant space and you will feel renewed, refreshed, and ready to start the day.

Let’s back up just a bit so I can ask you one question.

Is your bedroom an easy place to sleep in?

Take a few minutes and go into your bedroom. Sit on your bed and look around. Are there things on the floor?

Are your dresser tops neat and tidy and are the drawers closed?

If you have other furniture in your room are they covered in bags, clothes, or other things?

Is the bed made and does it draw you in? What I mean is, do you like the look of your bed?

How does your room smell? Is it stuffy and stale or does it have a soft and subtle pleasant scent that doesn’t overpower you?

Yes, all these things matter. And before we can dive in and start removing the clutter. The things that do not belong in this space you first must decide what happens here.

You need to decide what the goal of this room will be. And sure it may seem pretty obvious when you first think about it but after we look a bit deeper you might just be surprised at what you find.

What is the goal of your bedroom? 

It’s true that most bedrooms are meant to for sleeping but when you look closer, more activities happen in your bedroom then you may realize.

• Exercise
• Meditation
• Reading
• Dressing
• Office work

And when you have a space where multiple activities take place, you will want to set up an area for each activity so you can give more direction to the room.

I call these zones and they are the guideline you will follow when decluttering and organizing your bedroom.

A zone is simply an area where an activity occurs and once you chose the location of the zone you will be better able to determine what things can go there and what things need to find another home. The place where those things (tools) will be more commonly used.

Let’s look at an example.

You like to sew and you have a small sewing area set up in the family room. But the other night you took your sewing to bed with you to finish up a project. The problem was that project is still in your bedroom now buried under a few other items that ended up there.

Choosing a location for certain activities it will make it easier to put things away where they belong. AKA where they are used.

READ: HOW TO DO A ROOM RESET

I know the thought of setting up zones sounds like extra work and maybe you are thinking, I just want to declutter my bedroom why do I have to do this extra stuff?

Because our goal is to do this once and not have to do it again and again and again. And in order to do that we need to see our home as an organized space where activities take place. And the things inside of our home are simply the tools we use to complete each activity.

Okay, back to the bedroom.

How to Set up Zones in the Bedroom

1. Take a piece of paper, a clipboard, and a pen. Go into your room and take a look around. Write down all the activities you do in this space. Don’t’ worry about what they are and if they belong in this room, just write down the activities you are doing NOW in that space.
2. Circle the activities you want to keep doing here. If you pay your household bills in your bedroom maybe now is a good time to find a new area to do this activity? Our goal is to create a space where sleeping is better and to do that we need to only include extra activities that are calm and pleasant to do.
3. Once you have finalized a “short” list of bedroom zones you can now decide on the location for each. This will not be used until you are organizing your bedroom but doing the prework now while you are in “zone mode” will give you a headstart when you are organizing later.

Now that you have your zones pretty much mapped out you can then start to remove the things that no longer belong.

Yes, it’s time to get busy and start decluttering. But I have an easier way to declutter that might just surprise you. It’s simple, painless, and incredibly effective. Let’s map it out.

How to Declutter a Bedroom

Step #1. Remove what isn’t clutter first.

I call these the core pre-steps of decluttering a few things you can do before you actually deal with the stuff in a room. You can read exactly what they are and how they work HERE, but a quick overview is this.

1. Remove the trash
2. Remove any recyclables
3. Gather up things that belong somewhere else.

Most folks are quite surprised how much these three steps change the project ahead. Usually, there is more trash and water bottles and newspaper and shopping bags than we realize, and after we do a pass or two removing those things the clutter that they have left is a fraction of what they originally thought.

Step #2.  Set up a staging area. 

I know, I know, another step you need to do before you can declutter. But this is another big one that most folks skip and because of that most of their projects are left only started but never finished.

Our goal is to help you finish them. For good.

To set up a staging area you need to gather up a few boxes, bags, and clothes baskets. Yes, clothes baskets. Label each container with the following.

1. Box – Donation
2. Bag – Trash
3. Clothes Basket – Put Away

D/M PRO TIP: Clothes baskets might be the perfect home keeper’s tool. It holds many sized items without them spilling out, has durable, and is easy to carry even when full. I like to have a few durable baskets just for clutter projects that I use to hold my other decluttering tools and supplies. 

READ: HOW TO SET UP A DECLUTTERING KIT HERE

Step #3. Get yourself ready to declutter. 

Let’s face it. Decluttering is one of those jobs that stink. It’s time consuming, miserable, and annoying all at the same time. And when you know this going in, it can be hard to get the motivation you need to get started. So, instead of telling you how to get motivated, because you and I both know that doesn’t work. I am instead going to help you get distracted and that might just be the magic you have been looking for. If you can put your mind on something else that is fun or enjoyable, you can then put your hands to work getting the job done.

Make a list of your favorite music that is upbeat and fun. Download 10-20 songs on your phone and label that new playlist, My Decluttering Playlist. This is your top music that should now be about 40-60 minutes long which is enough time to make a pretty huge dent in your bedroom decluttering project.

Or you can find a really good audiobook that you can download to your phone instead. I love to listen to audiobooks and I use them quite often as a distraction when I do jobs I am just not fond of like weeding the garden. The trick is to find a really REALLY good book so you, dare I say it, actually look forward to the work ahead simply because you get to listen to your book.

Step #4. Work in the same direction.

Yes, when it comes to decluttering, direction really does matter. You can either do this clockwise, counterclockwise or from the middle out meaning, start with your bed and work out from there.

By having direction you can more easily leave a job to grab a bite to eat then more easily come back and pick up right where you left off.

Step #5. Rinse and repeat.

Depending on the size of your bedroom and the amount of clutter inside will determine how much time you need to work on this project. When things get hard and you just want to call it quits, remember your motivator from when we first began talking.

To get a good night’s sleep every single night.

By knowing your why and visualizing it in action you will be better able to keep pushing yourself to get the job done.

Step #6. Make an appointment. 

But maybe just knowing your why isn’t enough to keep you in there. In that case you may want to actually schedule it into your weekly list.

Take a look at the overall project and give yourself an idea of how long it will take to get it all done…completely. Write that number down.

Next, grab your planner or calendar and find the days where you know you can work on this project with as few distractions as possible. Mark off some time (at least 15 minutes) to work on your bedroom decluttering project.

Be sure to pick an “end by” date. This will help you to finish this project off for good. When you have a completion date it makes the task more intentional. So rather than a project that you hope to complete someday, you will have a project that WILL be completed by a week from Tuesday.

By drawing that line in the sand you have no other option than to finish it and get if off of your to-do list for goo.

D/M PRO TIP: Take this tip one step further and set a reminder on your phone. This is your nudge to get int here and get busy. 

Learning how to declutter a bedroom may not be a top ten fun list for most people but once it’s done this might just be your number one space to be in. A great night’s sleep tomorrow really is worth the hard work today.