What you think about your bedroom? Bedrooms are sanctuaries where we relax and re-energize. Disorder in this intensely personal space can disrupt our lives — from restless sleep to annoying searches for that favorite shirt. The key to keeping your bedroom organized is to break with convention.

The usual formula of bed table, bed, dresser, and closet is often ineffective in stopping the clutter than can accumulate in a bedroom. A nightstand without a real purpose can become another cluttered surface; you may be better without it. A closet with no thought given to how clothes are stored leads to clothes strewn about everywhere else. It might make sense to reorganize the closet and use additional shelving to store clothes elsewhere in the room. Whatever your particular solutions, they must efficiently facilitate the main purpose of the bedroom: to relax and re-energize.