I Eat in Bed, and It Actually Helps Me Create Less Mess (I’ll Never Stop Doing It!)

I commit a cardinal sin of cleanliness almost daily: I eat in my bed. And not just snacks — my pillows see breakfast, lunch, and dinner. 

Because I work remotely, I spend a lot of time inside my apartment during working hours. And although I sit at my desk for meetings, I do most other things from the comfort of my bed. When I’m in the middle of a writing assignment, I find it counterproductive to get out of bed to eat when I could instead multitask, so I stay there. I leave a few packaged snacks on my nightstand for midday solace, and my “snack corner” and bed are surprisingly my perfect pairing for productivity.

And while it may seem dirty, I find that this actually helps me create less mess elsewhere in my bedroom and apartment. Here’s why.

I justify my cluttered snack corner because it’s just one space in my living quarters. At the moment, my nightstand is housing a Cheez-It box, a bag of Reese’s Minis, a bag of orange slice candies I won at a drag queen bingo event, a partial glass of Poppi, and, of course, my emotional support water bottle. It also always has my Carmex, a tissue box, and a candle — to be a little classy.

And while my desk isn’t always spotless, everything on it has a place and is what you’d typically find at a desk: no food in sight. My nightstand snacks are easily accessible from my bed so I don’t need things elsewhere, even if the kitchen is only 15 steps away.

It may come as a surprise, given my eating habits, but I cannot stand when dishes pile up. I don’t let them live on my nightstand, and when I’m working I don’t want a chore looming over my head to do later, so they don’t stay in the sink for long, either. 

Washing dishes is my least favorite chore, so I try to clean them as soon as they get dirty to avoid stress later. I know this makes my future self happy!

If I’m eating in my bedroom, I have to be diligent about little crumbs or drips, as I don’t want any unwelcome pests. I do laundry and sweep my floors more often than I did when I ate most of my meals at my dinner table. 

I also don’t want it to smell like leftover takeout all day, so my candles and wall fragrances tag-team clearing the air. Most days, you wouldn’t even know I ate a full buffet from bed.

Sometimes getting out of bed seems like the hardest, heaviest thing you can do. Whatever the reason is that keeps you from leaving, giving yourself the grace to stay in bed when you need to can do wonders. It helps me make sure there’s less of a mental mess, too.

Staying indoors and eating comfort food (that I’ve had delivered) from bed in sweatpants and a ratty T-shirt are some of my favorite days — especially when my social battery is running on empty.

I used to only eat in bed on days when I wasn’t feeling the best. I’d surround myself with stuffed animals and more pillows than one person should need, plug in my multi-colored string lights, and watch reality TV reruns with a pint of ice cream as emotional support. 

But I realized the sensation of being surrounded by the things that make me feel safe and comforted shouldn’t only be reserved for bad mental health days. 

When I’m nearing a deadline and need to lock into the workflow, I work in my bed distraction-free. And I’ve had plenty of Dance Moms marathons in my bed with a homemade three-course meal and wine. 

Doing things from bed is often looked at as lazy, but to me it’s about the ease of being in an environment that I’ve created just for me. Plus, what’s so bad about being “lazy” if I’m getting my chores and work done, eating enough, and recharging my battery?

If you think this dining routine may work for you, I suggest giving it a try — but maybe don’t start with soup.

We’re spotlighting the link between how we feel on the inside and how our spaces look and feel in our Mind, Body & Home collection. This content was presented by a sponsor; it was created independently by our editorial team.