Final yr, I had a small reworking mission that acquired somewhat out of hand. It will definitely led to me reworking my entire kitchen. That’s a narrative for one more day and one other weblog publish. Nevertheless, I’m actually grateful for among the adjustments that got here from this transform, 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 plenty of house. 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 turn into one in every of our most-used drawers (in all probability proper after the silverware and spice drawers). I like that it’s led to more healthy tech habits too.
On this publish, 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 essential to maintain our units out of the bed room. Plus I’ll share how this small change has made a big effect on our household’s tech habits.
Why It’s Essential to Hold Units Out of the Bed room
First, let’s discuss why having a charging drawer within the kitchen—or one other widespread space—is a game-changer. Particularly with regards to your sleep hygiene and total well being. Many people are responsible of bringing our telephones into the bed room, whether or not it’s to verify social media, reply emails, or (let’s be trustworthy) scroll by infinite reels. However there are some essential the reason why this may not be the healthiest alternative.
The Impression of Blue Mild on Sleep
Probably the most apparent causes to keep away from having units close to your mattress is the impact of blue mild on sleep. The screens of telephones, tablets, and different digital units emit blue mild. This will intrude with melatonin manufacturing, the hormone that regulates our sleep-wake cycle. Research have proven publicity to blue mild earlier than mattress can delay sleep onset, cut back sleep high quality, and make it more durable to fall right into a deep, restorative sleep.
By protecting your units out of the bed room, you possibly can assist your physique wind down naturally, with out the interference of synthetic mild. In the event you’ve ever discovered your self scrolling mindlessly in your cellphone earlier than mattress after which having bother falling asleep, you’ve skilled this firsthand. The answer? Hold your telephones, tablets, and different units in a devoted charging house outdoors the bed room. Just like the charging drawer I’ve created.
In the event you aren’t prepared to try this, there are issues we are able to do. Examples embrace placing a pink mild filter on the cellphone, sporting blue-light blocking glasses. It’s also possible to swap to one thing just like the Daylight Computer (I like this for journaling and writing at evening).
Scale back Late-Evening Distractions
One other concern with having units close to your mattress is the fixed temptation to verify them. Whether or not it’s an pressing work e mail, a textual content from a buddy, or the most recent 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 possibly can create a wholesome boundary between your bed room and the surface world. By setting a agency rule that units have to be charged within the kitchen or one other designated house, you’ll be much less more likely to verify them through the evening. This straightforward behavior can enhance your sleep high quality and make it easier to be extra current with your loved ones through the day.
Improved Focus and Connection
When your units 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 chosen space for charging units, we encourage everybody to be extra intentional about when and the way they use know-how.
Now, let’s discuss how I created this charging drawer and why it’s been such a game-changer in our dwelling.
How I Created My DIY Charging Drawer
Making a charging drawer in my kitchen was a comparatively easy mission, and it didn’t require plenty of fancy instruments or expertise. I began with a drawer I already had in my kitchen, and with just a few small changes, turned it right into a purposeful and arranged house for charging units. Right here’s how I did it!
Step 1: Discover the Proper Drawer
I had a drawer in my kitchen that was underused and somewhat 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 could possibly be a distraction. Our kitchen labored completely as a result of it’s near our household’s every day actions, nevertheless it’s not the place the place we go to unwind at evening.
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 just too small or shallow, you would possibly need to think about swapping it for a deeper one that may accommodate a number of units.
Step 2: Set up a Energy Strip Contained in the Drawer
That is the place the magic occurs! The important thing to creating a charging drawer work is including an influence strip or surge protector contained in the drawer. This lets you plug in all of your units in a single place, protecting all the pieces 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 units directly. It’s essential to pick an influence strip that has an extended sufficient twine to achieve your nearest outlet. You additionally need one with surge safety to make sure the security of your units. Be sure the ability strip is positioned in a method that permits airflow to forestall overheating. To perform this, I re-wired a plug that was once exterior going through on the facet of a cupboard to be inside going through. This left the cupboard under largely open. It now shops rubbish luggage and enormous containers for the kitchen.
It’s also possible to add charging cords which are lengthy sufficient to comfortably attain from the ability strip to your units. I like to recommend protecting quite a lot of cords for various units—some for iPhones, some for Androids, and others for iPads or tablets.
I did discover energy strips particularly designed for this. However at nearly $300 every, I needed to attempt a DIY possibility and am glad I did.
Step 3: Add a Silicone Mat to Shield the Drawer
As soon as the ability strip was put in, I added a silicone mat to the underside of the drawer. This protects the floor and prevents any units from slipping round. Silicone mats are heat-resistant, non-slip, and straightforward to wash, making them excellent for this sort of mission. Additionally they add a pleasant contact of group, protecting all the pieces in place and looking out tidy.
Step 4: Manage the Cords and Units
Now comes the enjoyable half: organizing the cords and units. I made certain to maintain all the pieces neat and accessible. This concerned coiling the cords and utilizing small clips to maintain them from tangling. I additionally made certain to depart sufficient room for every system to relaxation comfortably whereas charging.
For our household, the charging drawer has turn into the go-to spot for telephones, iPads, and another units that want a cost. Everybody is aware of the place to plug of their units. There’s additionally no must seek for chargers or battle over who will get to plug in first.
Our Household’s Charging Routine and Display screen Time Habits
Since we added the charging drawer to our kitchen, it’s actually helped us set up wholesome habits round our system use. Right here’s how we use it:
- Units are charged in a single day within the kitchen: We’ve made it a rule that telephones, iPads, and different units have to be charged within the drawer in a single day. This ensures nobody is tempted to verify their units late at evening. And we get up with absolutely charged units, 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 units out of attain and out of thoughts throughout this time. This behavior has helped enhance our sleep high quality, particularly for the youngsters.
- Household-wide tech detox: We’ve additionally made it a behavior to maintain screens off throughout household meals. This has made supper time a extra related expertise. We use this time to catch up, chat about our day, and deal with one another with out distractions.
Conclusion: The Advantages of a DIY Charging Drawer
Including a DIY charging drawer to our kitchen has been top-of-the-line issues we’ve completed for our household’s tech habits. It’s a easy answer that promotes more healthy sleep, reduces distractions, and encourages extra aware use of our units. By protecting our telephones and tablets in a devoted house, we’ve created higher boundaries between know-how and leisure. It’s additionally improved our total well-being.
In the event you’re on the lookout for a easy solution to make your property extra organized and tech-friendly, I extremely suggest establishing a DIY charging drawer. It doesn’t take a lot time, and the advantages are completely price it!
Joyful charging, and right here’s to more healthy tech habits for the entire household!
What are your loved ones’s guidelines and habits round units? Go away a remark and tell us!