This morning I was riding my spin bike. At the moment and because I appreciate the inspiration, my spin bike is in my bedroom. As I rode, I looked out the window into our garden, I then scanned to the curtains, then my bedside table. My gaze lingered there for a while before I quickly looked at my husband's bedside table then back to mine, then back to his, then back to mine. My immediate thought was, 'You can tell a lot about a person from their beside table'. They say that about men and shoes too!
It got me thinking, what does my bedside table say about me? What are my priorities? What is important to me?
This is my bedside table at the moment. I have a lamp. This one actually has a plastic base because I have 4 young children and the chances of it getting tipped over or smashed is pretty high. It's quite robust. In our home, we have to consider the kids in all we do. I have a wedding photo. This photo was taken during our ring ceremony and my husband is kissing me on the cheek as we were holding hands. I really love this photo. It's hard to see here but there is a look of complete joy on my face. I also have a copy of the King James version of the bible. This book is really important to me and one which I read everyday, not only myself but also with my children. My bedside works for me because it follows the design rule of three.
After I scanned my bedside table, and identified the items on it, I felt pretty happy that this was my representation and actually surprised and relived. I felt like I really was getting my priorities right. For me, this represents my love of God, my love for my husband and my love for my children. These things are really important to me.
All of that being said, my bedside table has proven to be a pretty good thermometer for my life. It doesn't always look like this. Sometimes there are half full glasses or empty bowls, sometimes there are papers and just rubbish. When it gets like that, I often feel like my life needs a bit of a reset. When I saw my bedside table this morning I thought, 'yes, life is ok. I know what matters and I'm trying to focus on that'.
So, what does your bedside table say about you? Do you have a bedside table? Is it cluttered? Is it clear? What is on it at the moment? How does that represent you? Often people have books on their bedside table which represent their interests. They may have a lamp, showing their need for warmth and ambience. Some people, like myself have photos. I heard many years ago that when your partner travels for work they should take a family photo to put by their bed. It's a reminder of what matters most and why we do most of the things we do, even when it's hard. I thought that was good advice. Some people have fresh flowers or a candle. These appeal to our sensory profile and allow us to relax and brings calm into the space. Some people have a clock. I purchased an alarm clock for my husband at Christmas time as we were making an effort not to have our phones by our bed and be tempted to waste time on social media. Some people have nothing.
Is it time for you to do a bedside table detox? It doesn't take long and can make a world of difference to your mental health too.
First, take everything off the top of the bedside table. Wipe it all down. I like to use gumption because that takes care of the drawings my two-year old loves to create on it. Then you can dry it with a clean towel or wait for it to dry. Be selective. What are the items you need on there? Think about their purpose. For me, I need the light as it creates warmth and it's easy to turn off when I'm ready to go to sleep. I love my wedding photo on there as it is a reminder of what everything I do is really about and of course, my bible, I use it everyday so having it in an accessible place is handy for me. If you haven't used an item recently, don't put it on your bedside table. You may choose not to have anything there. Find another home for those items which you have chosen not to have on display, donate them or throw them out if they are no longer purposeful.
Some bedside tables have draws or shelves and the same method applies to them. Take everything out, wipe it down then replace those things which are important. With hidden storage you can use it for those 'less glamorous' items that you may need regularly such as medication, glasses or night guards.
Just like your bedside table can gather dust, so can your life. When decluttering your bedside table you might like to take stock of the dust buildup in your life. What can you discard, what is no longer representative of you or the life you want to live? Subtle changes everyday make a big difference. I recently heard about the 100 hour rule;
The rule of 100 states that if you spend 100 hours in a year, which is (about) 18 minutes a day, all of us, in any discipline, karate, violin, piano, whatever, if you spend 18 minutes a day, which is 100 hours a year, you'll be better than 95% of the world in that discipline. It's just the consistency.
Decluttering your beside table is a pretty simple task. It makes a big difference to creating a feeling of calm which is really important in your bedroom. So, your task this week is to declutter your beside table and think about what it says about you and those things important to you.
I'd love to hear how you go decluttering this week. Drop us a line on socials and introduce yourself using photos of your beside table. It's a great way for us to get to know each other better! Thanks for making time to be Home Centred.
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