This is part of a series on decluttering – a fantastic way to increase clarity and focus and decrease stress. Read How to Declutter Your Home: Before You Begin, How to Declutter the Bathroom, How to Declutter the Kitchen and How to Declutter Toys.

When you think about it, there’s not much that you really need in your bedroom: a cozy bed, a place to keep your clothes, and, well, that’s it.

Admittedly, it’s also nice to have a side table so you can have a lamp and place to put one book and maybe a vase jar of flowers.

Those are the current contents of our bedroom. At one point, though, we had a lot more than that. Oh my goodness.

• We had the baby crib in our room (which we only ever used as a space for our clean, but not folded, laundry).
• Our closet was overflowing with clothes, shoes, backpacks and other miscellaneous junk.
• The nightstand surface was piled high and the storage space inside was a cluttered mess.
• The dresser in our room was in a similar state as our nightstand and it made me anxious just being in my room.

Thankfully, it was a pretty easy room to declutter, once I realized that I needed so little. If you’ve reached the point where you know you need to simplify your space, but aren’t quite sure how to go about it, I’ve got some helpful tips for you.

And make sure you read this post before you get started so you’re not left wondering what to do with everything you take out.

Minimize furniture

How much furniture do you really need in your bedroom? For some, this won’t be a problem as there’s only space for the essentials. However, we had a house once with a giant master bedroom and felt the urge to fill it up. (Like with a baby crib.)

Look around your room at what you really use on a regular basis (and not just for piling stuff on). Would it be better suited in another room? Or gone?

Or does having it make your bedroom more cozy? If so, is it arranged in the best way to promote calm and relaxation in your room?

Put things in their rightful place

Somehow, our bedrooms become a dumping ground for, well, everything. Maybe you walk in with something, set it down and then forget to take it out. Or, maybe your kids take stuff in there and leave it.

Whatever the case is, make sure everything is in its proper place.

Take out stuff that doesn’t belong in your bedroom.

Think of toys, tools, excess books, the TV (more on that in a sec), outdoor gear, etc. If it doesn’t belong in your bedroom, remove it. And, if you’re just not sure where to put it, evaluate whether you really need it or not. If you do, designate a space for it in your closet or under your bed.

If it’s an ongoing problem, keep a small basket in your room to put everything in at the end of the day and make sure everyone returns their items.

Ditch the TV

I read somewhere once that bedrooms are for sleeping and sex. Amen. (And if this post is also helping with your kids rooms, lets just go with sleeping).

One reason we’ve been able to declutter so much is because we removed the excess and designated special places for certain items.

In our home, our (tiny) TV is in the living room.

Doing so removed the temptation to just lay in bed and zone out while watching TV instead of connecting with my husband. Watching it right before bed also resets your mind, making it harder for you (or kids) to fall asleep.

Clear off surfaces

It’s time to take that stack of papers, books, clothes, etc. and get them out. Treat your bedroom as your sacred space and keep out anything that detracts from that. Like bills, the ten books you’ve been trying to read at once and the mending pile that makes you more anxious than excited.

Make it a goal to keep the surfaces in your room as clear as possible.

Also, if your nightstand has a space to store extra stuff, as ours did, empty it out and keep only what must stay in your bedroom.

Either put the rest back where it should go or get rid of things you can part with.

How important is it really if it just gets shoved in a drawer and forgotten about?

Be selective

When it comes to the stuff you keep on display in your bedroom, be selective. (Hell, that applies to your whole house.)

• If you have a nightstand, maybe keep a lamp, one book, a journal and something pretty. Or just the lamp and book.
• On your dresser, you might keep a photo from your wedding and a little dish to put jewelry.
• If you keep a desk in your room, try to keep just the essentials on it and maybe something that inspires you.

Think of a relaxing retreat you’ve either been to or seen a picture of. There’s no clutter; the surfaces are clear. And whatever’s in there has been carefully chosen to help you relax.

Treat your bedroom the same way.

I know it’s cliche, but less is more.

This is your space to relax and connect intimately with your partner.

The less you have, and the more treasured the items that you keep are to you, the easier it is to make it peaceful haven.

Now go get started.