10 Men's Bedroom Essentials That Are Actually Useful

Perhaps men are detail-oriented at work (because employers won’t hire us if we don’t claim to be), but in our personal lives, we prefer to focus on the big picture, sometimes at the cost of neglecting important aspects like style, tidiness, and, unfortunately, hygiene? Yeah, just step into a men’s bathroom anywhere in the world. I feel bad for us.  

But there is also elegance to the manly way of life. We are simple beings; practical creatures that care about the functionality of things rather than their aesthetics. We don’t care about how things look, we care about getting things done. 

The bedroom embodies these manly traits the best. On the one hand, it may be messy and, depending on the man, smelly. On the other hand, it is the place where we recharge our batteries, so the next day we are ready to keep hustling. But it can be much more than that. It can become the place that enables you to chase your dreams, achieve success, and become an effective, functional and vigorous individual.

These 10 bedroom essentials are not just designed to add personality to your room, they are designed to give you the edge you need to succeed as a man in this day and age. That is why in this list you won’t find vanity items such as candles, rugs, or love seats. No, here you will find items that are meant to help you get things done and add structure to your life.

1. Designate a Phone Charger to Your Room

Here’s a scenario. You are rushing in the morning, late for that 8 a.m. class or client meeting (hey, it happens). You grab everything that you need for the day: phone, bag, wallet, and an overnight slice of pizza to replace breakfast. Then you start your commute in your car, bus, or bike and take out your phone to play some tunes that will pump you up for the day, or relax you from that frenzy of a morning you just had...only you can’t play your music because you forgot to charge your phone the night before.

How to avoid all this? Get a second charger and designate it specifically to your bedroom; hopefully, a wireless one that is clearly visible and effortless to use. If you use your phone as an alarm, place the charger and phone on the dresser, desk, or bookshelf across the room. It will prevent you from hitting the snooze button and be late in the first place.  

It infuriated me to witness my phone die right in the palm of my hand as I was halfway through my commute. With a charger designated to my bedroom, It became easy to remember to charge my phone at night, especially because the cable was visible immediately as I walked into the room. Now, not a day goes by where my phone dies on me in the morning. It dies in the middle of the day, but I'll blame Apple for that one, not myself. 

2. Place A Full-body Mirror on The Wall

Here’s a vanity item that I was compelled to leave out from this list. However, after some consideration, it is definitely essential for the color-uncoordinated person out there. Sometimes our mind’s eye can play a trick on us and tell us that stripes and checkers go well together. Do they? Maybe they work with the outfit you have on, but you won’t know until you see it in its entirety from head to toe.

So invest in a full-body mirror if you want to stop climbing on the edge of the bathtub to get a look at how your shoes match your outfit. If you are interviewing for jobs or attending meetings of a black-tie nature, one last glance at your full-body mirror can prevent you from walking out the door with stains, an unzipped fly, or the wrong belt color.

I was convinced to acquire a full-body mirror after a visit to my friend's new apartment. He showed me his room, and though the setup was eye-pleasing, what stood out to me the most was the full-body mirror. It was placed in the corner and it covered all of it. It was ginormous. He is a big guy, so I guess it makes sense.

Nevertheless, I appreciated the mirror's functionality right away because I saw my outfit from a new perspective. My clothes were working for me that day, but I wondered how many times I had gotten them completely wrong just because I couldn't see myself from top to bottom. 

3. Bring A Bookshelf Into Your BedRoom

If you are going to skip this item because “I don’t read, so I don’t need a bookshelf,” well, my friend, you better start.

Reading is one of the best things you can do before going to sleep. It gives your eyes a break from the strenuous light of your digital devices and it grants your day a change of pace. Not to mention you go to bed having learned something new and you stimulate your brain instead of mindlessly scrolling through the news feed on your phone. It’s the final productive blow your brain needs to shut down.

If you live alone, chances are your bookshelf won’t be inside your bedroom. There’s lots of space and you don’t need to clutter your room with more furniture. However, If you share your living space with other people, the rest of the house is filled with their stuff; their own books.

A bookshelf in your room, reserved just for you, is a tribute to your passions, your interests, and a record of everything you have learned. You can look back at those books and reminisce about what you learned. Not to mention they are easily accessible and won’t get mixed in with your wife’s copy of “What to Expect When You’re Expecting.”

I have a small bookshelf, but it is filled to the teeth with books of different genres, sizes, and languages. When I am ready to go to bed, I grab my bedtime book and wrap myself in the warmth and comfort of my bedsheets. In addition, my phone is already across the room so there are no distractions. Then, I read for thirty minutes; fifteen if it’s late at night, but I always prioritize it.

Having a bookshelf in my room guarantees that I won’t lose the motivation to read before I go to sleep. Just looking at the books I’ve read makes me want to read more...I may have to upgrade to a bigger bookshelf soon.  

4. Buy an Actual Alarm Clock

I recommend that you get your hands on an Amazon Echo or a Google Nest and place one in your bedroom. I know, Amazon is spying on us, I get it. But to the non-paranoid person, it is a very useful gadget.

You can tell Alexa to set an alarm and it will ring whenever you want it to, without you lifting a finger. You can also ask her what the forecast is for the day and set reminders, making her your personal assistant in the morning as you prepare for the day.

My only advice is as with your phone alarm to leave it across the room, perhaps on your new bookshelf or desk, to prevent yourself from hitting the off button on the alarm. If you want to snooze, you will have to tell Alexa directly, and I don’t know about you, but the only sound that I can muster out in the morning is “ughhhh.” It’s your best bet for getting up early in the morning.  

I've always had trouble getting out of bed in the morning. I could not summon the strength to get the sheets off of me unless I had an important meeting, event, or compromise. It's like they gained a hundred pounds overnight.

Until I invested in an Amazon Alexa.

I placed it across the room and used its alarm function to wake me up at the same time every weekday. Now it is much easier to start my day early because I have to get up to turn the alarm off. Once I'm up, the rest is light work. 

5. Place a Desk in Your Bedroom

In his best-selling book, “On Writing,” Stephen King recommends to the aspiring writer to find a space free of distractions where they can write. It must also have one other thing: a door which you can close. “The closed-door is your way of telling the world that you mean business,” King writes.

As with a bookshelf, if you live alone, your desk may not be inside your room and there may be a designated space for work, like an office. That is great, but If you live with others, having a small desk inside your room where you can get to work and close the door to any distractions is heaven-sent. This desk is yours and it is filled with YOUR notes, YOUR writing, and YOUR tools, nobody else’s.

A desk in my bedroom was essential when I attended university and commuted from my mom’s house. My mom is tiny, but she can be loud, and working in the doorless study room was an invitation for her to ask me questions, give me a hug, or tell me about her day.

I’m a mama’s boy, so I’m ok with that, but not when I am trying to focus or have a ten-page paper due. So I packed my things and told her “it’s not you, It’s me...I need a fresh start,” and I did. I moved over to my room's desk, closed the door, and, magically, the distractions stopped. 

So do your life a favor and buy a desk for your room, close the door, and get to work.   

6. Invest in Quality Sheets, Mattress, and A Bed Frame

Sleep is important, especially in the stressful world we live in. Quality of life and life expectancy has increased, yet we feel more anxious. The stress of the status race has gotten a hold of us, but we cannot let it filter into our sleep. One way to do this is to make sure you have quality sheets and a comfortable mattress.

You can use the website sleepfoundation.org to find the mattress that is right for you. Here you can compare mattresses depending on what you are looking for. For example, you can search by price, quality, top-rated, and even by your preferred sleeping position.  

The bed frame is useful if you can set up a reading light that you can reach with ease to turn on and off. It is easier on the eyes and more convenient. A bed frame also provides you with support so you can sit up straight, rather than slouching off in bed. Lastly, a bed frame can keep your mattress in place and prevent it from sliding off.  

7. Keep A Safe or Cash Box

This item can fall into the house essentials category as well. I confess that for everyday use it is not essential, but in case of emergencies, it can come in handy. In a safe you can store money, passports, sensitive documentation, and sentimental items you would hate to see stolen or destroyed. It doesn't have to be as big as the picture above, but it illustrates my point. Protect your stuff. 

8.   Create A Goal or Vision Board

You need to visualize your goals and keep track of where you are in relation to the finish line. Keep the goal board updated every week, or every day if you can, and judge your progress.

This is also a great way to do some manifesting exercises. Cut and paste pictures of the things you want and use them to visualize yourself attaining them. Remember, you must keep track of where you have been and where you are going. If you don’t, you will get stuck.

My girlfriend went a step further and made half of the bedroom wall her vision board (vision wall?). She noticed that it was easier to know where she was and where she was heading in regards to her goals if they were physically in front of her, staring back at her with judgy eyes if she stopped working on them.

For her, the vision board works as a reminder and a blueprint of who she wants to be and where she wants to go. They motivate her and when she steps out the door, she is ready to take action.

9. Hang Artwork

Decorate your room with some artwork, but for the love of God, hang paintings that actually mean something to you and not ones you think will impress your date or family members. Be deep, mysterious, and edgy on your own terms, not somebody else’s.

Perhaps you can hang posters and paintings of your favorite shows, movies, or role models. Maybe some inspirational quotes or relaxing landscapes that can transport you to your happy place. Whatever it is, be deliberate and honest with it and make sure it matches the rest of the room. We can be ourselves, but that doesn't mean we should throw aesthetics out the window.

I’m a nerd and a soccer fanatic, so my room’s artwork consists of sci-fi posters and club banners. However, I am classy and conservative with them. There is a Star Wars jigsaw puzzle that I glued together and hung in a nice frame, and on the opposite wall, there is a Chelsea F.C. flag. That is all.

The colors of the poster go well with the rainbow color of books displayed on the bookshelf, and the frame matches the color of the bed. The Chelsea F.C banner is blue, so it doesn't match, but it is a symbol of my interests and passions, and nobody can take that away from me. 

10. Install Functional Decorations

Lastly, we have “functional decorations.” In other words, decorations that serve a purpose and add some style to your room. For example, you can add hanging shelves to the bedroom walls where you can store important books or folders. You can also add a stylish erase board to jot down quick notes and reminders. This way you incorporate some personality into your bedroom while remaining purposeful and efficient.

My bedroom walls are precisely decorated with hanging bookshelves. I also have a dry-erase board to keep track of tasks and jot down reminders. Applying these items gave my bedroom style and it gave me a way to make the most out of my bedroom's space. Now that is what I call being resourceful.

The items on this list are guaranteed to add more structure, direction, and purpose to the place you spend a good chunk of your life in your bedroom.

I recommend staying towards the cheaper options if you don't already own these items.

There is no need to break the bank for everyday things that have existed for decades, even centuries.

Nevertheless, whichever store you choose to buy these items from, just remember that you are investing in your productivity, maturity, and well-being.