Last 12 months, I had a small reworking mission that bought a bit out of hand. It finally led to me reworking my complete kitchen. That’s a narrative for an additional day and one other weblog put up. However, I’m actually grateful for a number of the adjustments that got here from this rework, particularly our new DIY charging drawer.
I added much more drawers within the backside cupboards as a result of they’re a lot extra sensible and usable. And by doing so, freed up loads of area. For the primary time, I used to be left with drawers I didn’t have a objective for. I remembered one thing I’d seen years in the past on Pinterest about making a charging drawer or docking drawer.
This has now develop into certainly one of our most-used drawers (most likely proper after the silverware and spice drawers). I really like that it’s led to more healthy tech habits too.
In this put up, I’ll stroll you thru how I created a charging drawer with a drawer I already had. I’ll additionally clarify why it’s so necessary to maintain our gadgets out of the bed room. Plus I’ll share how this small change has made a huge impact on our household’s tech habits.
Why It’s Important to Keep Devices Out of the Bedroom
First, let’s speak about why having a charging drawer within the kitchen—or one other widespread space—is a game-changer. Especially relating to your sleep hygiene and total well being. Many of us are responsible of bringing our telephones into the bed room, whether or not it’s to test social media, reply emails, or (let’s be sincere) scroll by countless reels. But there are some necessary the reason why this may not be the healthiest alternative.
The Impact of Blue Light on Sleep
One of the obvious causes to keep away from having gadgets close to your mattress is the impact of blue mild on sleep. The screens of telephones, tablets, and different digital gadgets emit blue mild. This can intrude with melatonin manufacturing, the hormone that regulates our sleep-wake cycle. Studies have proven publicity to blue mild earlier than mattress can delay sleep onset, cut back sleep high quality, and make it tougher to fall right into a deep, restorative sleep.
By retaining your gadgets out of the bed room, you may assist your physique wind down naturally, with out the interference of synthetic mild. If you’ve ever discovered your self scrolling mindlessly in your cellphone earlier than mattress after which having hassle falling asleep, you’ve skilled this firsthand. The answer? Keep your telephones, tablets, and different gadgets in a devoted charging area exterior the bed room. Like the charging drawer I’ve created.
If you aren’t prepared to do this, there are issues we will do. Examples embody placing a pink mild filter on the cellphone, carrying blue-light blocking glasses. You may also swap to one thing just like the Daylight Computer (I really like this for journaling and writing at night time).
Reduce Late-Night Distractions
Another problem with having gadgets close to your mattress is the fixed temptation to test them. Whether it’s an pressing work e-mail, a textual content from a pal, or the newest information replace. This fixed connectivity can result in late-night distractions, leaving you feeling wired and anxious as an alternative of relaxed and prepared for relaxation.
With a charging drawer, you may create a wholesome boundary between your bed room and the skin world. By setting a agency rule that gadgets should be charged within the kitchen or one other designated area, you’ll be much less prone to test them throughout the night time. This easy behavior can enhance your sleep high quality and make it easier to be extra current with your loved ones throughout the day.
Improved Focus and Connection
When your gadgets are tucked away in a drawer, it’s simpler to deal with the current second. For households, this implies extra high quality time spent collectively with out the distractions of texting, gaming, or scrolling. By having a delegated space for charging gadgets, we encourage everybody to be extra intentional about when and the way they use know-how.
Now, let’s speak about how I created this charging drawer and why it’s been such a game-changer in our house.
How I Created My DIY Charging Drawer
Creating a charging drawer in my kitchen was a comparatively easy mission, and it didn’t require loads of fancy instruments or abilities. I began with a drawer I already had in my kitchen, and with a couple of small changes, turned it right into a purposeful and arranged area for charging gadgets. Here’s how I did it!
Step 1: Find the Right Drawer
I had a drawer in my kitchen that was underused and a bit disorganized, so I made a decision to repurpose it for this mission. Ideally, the drawer needs to be in an area that’s simply accessible to the entire household however not in a heavy-traffic space the place it might be a distraction. Our kitchen labored completely as a result of it’s near our household’s day by day actions, however it’s not the place the place we go to unwind at night time.
You don’t want to purchase a brand new drawer—simply discover one which you have already got in your kitchen, workplace, or front room that’s not serving a lot of a objective. If the drawer is simply too small or shallow, you would possibly need to contemplate swapping it for a deeper one that may accommodate a number of gadgets.
Step 2: Install a Power Strip Inside the Drawer
This is the place the magic occurs! The key to creating a charging drawer work is including an influence strip or surge protector contained in the drawer. This means that you can plug in all of your gadgets in a single place, retaining all the things organized and out of sight.
I selected an influence strip that match completely contained in the drawer, with sufficient retailers to cost a number of gadgets directly. It’s necessary to pick an influence strip that has a protracted sufficient twine to succeed in your nearest outlet. You additionally need one with surge safety to make sure the security of your gadgets. Make certain the facility strip is positioned in a means that enables airflow to forestall overheating. To accomplish this, I re-wired a plug that was exterior going through on the aspect of a cupboard to be inside going through. This left the cupboard beneath largely open. It now shops rubbish baggage and huge containers for the kitchen.
You may also add charging cords which are lengthy sufficient to comfortably attain from the facility strip to your gadgets. I like to recommend retaining quite a lot of cords for various gadgets—some for iPhones, some for Androids, and others for iPads or tablets.
I did discover energy strips particularly designed for this. But at nearly $300 every, I needed to attempt a DIY choice and am glad I did.
Step 3: Add a Silicone Mat to Protect the Drawer
Once the facility strip was put in, I added a silicone mat to the underside of the drawer. This protects the floor and prevents any gadgets from slipping round. Silicone mats are heat-resistant, non-slip, and straightforward to scrub, making them excellent for this sort of mission. They additionally add a pleasant contact of group, retaining all the things in place and searching tidy.
Step 4: Organize the Cords and Devices
Now comes the enjoyable half: organizing the cords and gadgets. I made certain to maintain all the things neat and accessible. This concerned coiling the cords and utilizing small clips to maintain them from tangling. I additionally made certain to go away sufficient room for every machine to relaxation comfortably whereas charging.
For our household, the charging drawer has develop into the go-to spot for telephones, iPads, and some other gadgets that want a cost. Everyone is aware of the place to plug of their gadgets. There’s additionally no have to seek for chargers or battle over who will get to plug in first.
Our Family’s Charging Routine and Screen Time Habits
Since we added the charging drawer to our kitchen, it’s actually helped us set up wholesome habits round our machine use. Here’s how we use it:
- Devices are charged in a single day within the kitchen: We’ve made it a rule that telephones, iPads, and different gadgets should be charged within the drawer in a single day. This ensures nobody is tempted to test their gadgets late at night time. And we get up with absolutely charged gadgets, prepared for the day forward.
- No screens after darkish: We attempt to keep away from utilizing screens after darkish, particularly within the hour or two main as much as bedtime. With the charging drawer, it’s a lot simpler to maintain gadgets out of attain and out of thoughts throughout this time. This behavior has helped enhance our sleep high quality, particularly for the youngsters.
- Family-wide tech detox: We’ve additionally made it a behavior to maintain screens off throughout household meals. This has made time for dinner a extra linked expertise. We use this time to catch up, chat about our day, and deal with one another with out distractions.
Conclusion: The Benefits of a DIY Charging Drawer
Adding a DIY charging drawer to our kitchen has been probably the greatest issues we’ve completed for our family’s tech habits. It’s a easy answer that promotes more healthy sleep, reduces distractions, and encourages extra aware use of our gadgets. By retaining our telephones and tablets in a devoted area, we’ve created higher boundaries between know-how and rest. It’s additionally improved our total well-being.
If you’re on the lookout for a easy option to make your house extra organized and tech-friendly, I extremely suggest organising a DIY charging drawer. It doesn’t take a lot time, and the advantages are completely value it!
Happy charging, and right here’s to more healthy tech habits for the entire household!
What are your loved ones’s guidelines and habits round gadgets? Leave a remark and tell us!