diff --git a/include/kernel.h b/include/kernel.h
index faa03f6a3cfd5..5c28cf73cfcf1 100644
--- a/include/kernel.h
+++ b/include/kernel.h
@@ -389,7 +389,7 @@ struct _thread_base {
 
 	/* this thread's entry in a ready/wait queue */
 	union {
-		sys_dlist_t qnode_dlist;
+		sys_dnode_t qnode_dlist;
 		struct rbnode qnode_rb;
 	};
 
@@ -874,9 +874,6 @@ __syscall void k_thread_start(k_tid_t thread);
 /* timeout has timed out and is not on _timeout_q anymore */
 #define _EXPIRED (-2)
 
-/* timeout is not in use */
-#define _INACTIVE (-1)
-
 struct _static_thread_data {
 	struct k_thread *init_thread;
 	k_thread_stack_t *init_stack;
@@ -1335,7 +1332,7 @@ struct k_timer {
 
 #define _K_TIMER_INITIALIZER(obj, expiry, stop) \
 	{ \
-	.timeout.dticks = _INACTIVE, \
+	.timeout.dticks = 0, \
 	.timeout.fn = _timer_expiration_handler, \
 	.wait_q = _WAIT_Q_INIT(&obj.wait_q), \
 	.expiry_fn = expiry, \
diff --git a/include/misc/dlist.h b/include/misc/dlist.h
index 937a55c28f18b..ba0795233edc1 100644
--- a/include/misc/dlist.h
+++ b/include/misc/dlist.h
@@ -181,7 +181,7 @@ typedef struct _dnode sys_dnode_t;
 	     __cns = SYS_DLIST_PEEK_NEXT_CONTAINER(__dl, __cn, __n))
 
 /**
- * @brief initialize list
+ * @brief initialize list to its empty state
  *
  * @param list the doubly-linked list
  *
@@ -196,6 +196,33 @@ static inline void sys_dlist_init(sys_dlist_t *list)
 
 #define SYS_DLIST_STATIC_INIT(ptr_to_list) { {(ptr_to_list)}, {(ptr_to_list)} }
 
+/**
+ * @brief initialize node to its state when not in a list
+ *
+ * @param node the node
+ *
+ * @return N/A
+ */
+
+static inline void sys_dnode_init(sys_dnode_t *node)
+{
+	node->next = NULL;
+	node->prev = NULL;
+}
+
+/**
+ * @brief check if a node is a member of any list
+ *
+ * @param node the node
+ *
+ * @return true if node is linked into a list, false if it is not
+ */
+
+static inline bool sys_dnode_is_linked(const sys_dnode_t *node)
+{
+	return node->next != NULL;
+}
+
 /**
  * @brief check if a node is the list's head
  *
@@ -500,6 +527,7 @@ static inline void sys_dlist_remove(sys_dnode_t *node)
 {
 	node->prev->next = node->next;
 	node->next->prev = node->prev;
+	sys_dnode_init(node);
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/kernel/include/ksched.h b/kernel/include/ksched.h
index f44e88da2708f..f44df94894d77 100644
--- a/kernel/include/ksched.h
+++ b/kernel/include/ksched.h
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 #define ZEPHYR_KERNEL_INCLUDE_KSCHED_H_
 
 #include <kernel_structs.h>
+#include <timeout_q.h>
 #include <tracing.h>
 #include <stdbool.h>
 
@@ -83,11 +84,7 @@ static inline int _is_thread_prevented_from_running(struct k_thread *thread)
 
 static inline bool _is_thread_timeout_active(struct k_thread *thread)
 {
-#ifdef CONFIG_SYS_CLOCK_EXISTS
-	return thread->base.timeout.dticks != _INACTIVE;
-#else
-	return false;
-#endif
+	return !_is_inactive_timeout(&thread->base.timeout);
 }
 
 static inline bool _is_thread_ready(struct k_thread *thread)
diff --git a/kernel/include/timeout_q.h b/kernel/include/timeout_q.h
index a8d6428c91f10..3438957f0ff7d 100644
--- a/kernel/include/timeout_q.h
+++ b/kernel/include/timeout_q.h
@@ -22,13 +22,18 @@ extern "C" {
 
 static inline void _init_timeout(struct _timeout *t, _timeout_func_t fn)
 {
-	t->dticks = _INACTIVE;
+	sys_dnode_init(&t->node);
 }
 
 void _add_timeout(struct _timeout *to, _timeout_func_t fn, s32_t ticks);
 
 int _abort_timeout(struct _timeout *to);
 
+static inline bool _is_inactive_timeout(struct _timeout *t)
+{
+	return !sys_dnode_is_linked(&t->node);
+}
+
 static inline void _init_thread_timeout(struct _thread_base *thread_base)
 {
 	_init_timeout(&thread_base->timeout, NULL);
@@ -58,6 +63,7 @@ s32_t z_timeout_remaining(struct _timeout *timeout);
 #define _init_thread_timeout(t) do {} while (0)
 #define _add_thread_timeout(th, to) do {} while (0 && (void *)to && (void *)th)
 #define _abort_thread_timeout(t) (0)
+#define _is_inactive_timeout(t) 0
 #define _get_next_timeout_expiry() (K_FOREVER)
 #define z_set_timeout_expiry(t, i) do {} while (0)
 
diff --git a/kernel/poll.c b/kernel/poll.c
index 4ff876e67b796..6c0dff797b079 100644
--- a/kernel/poll.c
+++ b/kernel/poll.c
@@ -133,20 +133,22 @@ static inline int register_event(struct k_poll_event *event,
 /* must be called with interrupts locked */
 static inline void clear_event_registration(struct k_poll_event *event)
 {
+	bool remove = false;
+
 	event->poller = NULL;
 
 	switch (event->type) {
 	case K_POLL_TYPE_SEM_AVAILABLE:
 		__ASSERT(event->sem != NULL, "invalid semaphore\n");
-		sys_dlist_remove(&event->_node);
+		remove = true;
 		break;
 	case K_POLL_TYPE_DATA_AVAILABLE:
 		__ASSERT(event->queue != NULL, "invalid queue\n");
-		sys_dlist_remove(&event->_node);
+		remove = true;
 		break;
 	case K_POLL_TYPE_SIGNAL:
 		__ASSERT(event->signal != NULL, "invalid poll signal\n");
-		sys_dlist_remove(&event->_node);
+		remove = true;
 		break;
 	case K_POLL_TYPE_IGNORE:
 		/* nothing to do */
@@ -155,6 +157,9 @@ static inline void clear_event_registration(struct k_poll_event *event)
 		__ASSERT(false, "invalid event type\n");
 		break;
 	}
+	if (remove && sys_dnode_is_linked(&event->_node)) {
+		sys_dlist_remove(&event->_node);
+	}
 }
 
 /* must be called with interrupts locked */
diff --git a/kernel/sched.c b/kernel/sched.c
index b3e4bd33563f7..e757624ee0eb2 100644
--- a/kernel/sched.c
+++ b/kernel/sched.c
@@ -591,9 +591,13 @@ void _priq_dumb_remove(sys_dlist_t *pq, struct k_thread *thread)
 
 struct k_thread *_priq_dumb_best(sys_dlist_t *pq)
 {
+	struct k_thread *t = NULL;
 	sys_dnode_t *n = sys_dlist_peek_head(pq);
 
-	return CONTAINER_OF(n, struct k_thread, base.qnode_dlist);
+	if (n != NULL) {
+		t = CONTAINER_OF(n, struct k_thread, base.qnode_dlist);
+	}
+	return t;
 }
 
 bool _priq_rb_lessthan(struct rbnode *a, struct rbnode *b)
@@ -648,9 +652,13 @@ void _priq_rb_remove(struct _priq_rb *pq, struct k_thread *thread)
 
 struct k_thread *_priq_rb_best(struct _priq_rb *pq)
 {
+	struct k_thread *t = NULL;
 	struct rbnode *n = rb_get_min(&pq->tree);
 
-	return CONTAINER_OF(n, struct k_thread, base.qnode_rb);
+	if (n != NULL) {
+		t = CONTAINER_OF(n, struct k_thread, base.qnode_rb);
+	}
+	return t;
 }
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_SCHED_MULTIQ
@@ -683,10 +691,14 @@ struct k_thread *_priq_mq_best(struct _priq_mq *pq)
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
+	struct k_thread *t = NULL;
 	sys_dlist_t *l = &pq->queues[__builtin_ctz(pq->bitmask)];
 	sys_dnode_t *n = sys_dlist_peek_head(l);
 
-	return CONTAINER_OF(n, struct k_thread, base.qnode_dlist);
+	if (n != NULL) {
+		t = CONTAINER_OF(n, struct k_thread, base.qnode_dlist);
+	}
+	return t;
 }
 
 int _unpend_all(_wait_q_t *wait_q)
@@ -884,7 +896,7 @@ void _impl_k_wakeup(k_tid_t thread)
 		return;
 	}
 
-	if (_abort_thread_timeout(thread) == _INACTIVE) {
+	if (_abort_thread_timeout(thread) < 0) {
 		irq_unlock(key);
 		return;
 	}
diff --git a/kernel/timeout.c b/kernel/timeout.c
index e435acff4dc80..2ce1296a54ad3 100644
--- a/kernel/timeout.c
+++ b/kernel/timeout.c
@@ -46,15 +46,11 @@ static struct _timeout *next(struct _timeout *t)
 
 static void remove_timeout(struct _timeout *t)
 {
-	if (t->node.next != NULL && t->node.prev != NULL) {
-		if (next(t) != NULL) {
-			next(t)->dticks += t->dticks;
-		}
-
-		sys_dlist_remove(&t->node);
+	if (next(t) != NULL) {
+		next(t)->dticks += t->dticks;
 	}
-	t->node.next = t->node.prev = NULL;
-	t->dticks = _INACTIVE;
+
+	sys_dlist_remove(&t->node);
 }
 
 static s32_t elapsed(void)
@@ -64,7 +60,7 @@ static s32_t elapsed(void)
 
 void _add_timeout(struct _timeout *to, _timeout_func_t fn, s32_t ticks)
 {
-	__ASSERT(to->dticks < 0, "");
+	__ASSERT(!sys_dnode_is_linked(&to->node), "");
 	to->fn = fn;
 	ticks = max(1, ticks);
 
@@ -96,10 +92,10 @@ void _add_timeout(struct _timeout *to, _timeout_func_t fn, s32_t ticks)
 
 int _abort_timeout(struct _timeout *to)
 {
-	int ret = _INACTIVE;
+	int ret = -EINVAL;
 
 	LOCKED(&timeout_lock) {
-		if (to->dticks != _INACTIVE) {
+		if (sys_dnode_is_linked(&to->node)) {
 			remove_timeout(to);
 			ret = 0;
 		}
@@ -112,7 +108,7 @@ s32_t z_timeout_remaining(struct _timeout *timeout)
 {
 	s32_t ticks = 0;
 
-	if (timeout->dticks == _INACTIVE) {
+	if (_is_inactive_timeout(timeout)) {
 		return 0;
 	}
 
diff --git a/kernel/timer.c b/kernel/timer.c
index 544c5b1731f87..ce49859b732b5 100644
--- a/kernel/timer.c
+++ b/kernel/timer.c
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ Z_SYSCALL_HANDLER(k_timer_start, timer, duration_p, period_p)
 void _impl_k_timer_stop(struct k_timer *timer)
 {
 	unsigned int key = irq_lock();
-	bool inactive = (_abort_timeout(&timer->timeout) == _INACTIVE);
+	int inactive = _abort_timeout(&timer->timeout) != 0;
 
 	irq_unlock(key);
 
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ u32_t _impl_k_timer_status_sync(struct k_timer *timer)
 	u32_t result = timer->status;
 
 	if (result == 0) {
-		if (timer->timeout.dticks != _INACTIVE) {
+		if (!_is_inactive_timeout(&timer->timeout)) {
 			/* wait for timer to expire or stop */
 			(void)_pend_current_thread(key, &timer->wait_q, K_FOREVER);
 
diff --git a/tests/kernel/common/src/dlist.c b/tests/kernel/common/src/dlist.c
index 686f4396833f8..95ba0eaa98c62 100644
--- a/tests/kernel/common/src/dlist.c
+++ b/tests/kernel/common/src/dlist.c
@@ -189,9 +189,13 @@ void test_dlist(void)
 		     "test_list head/tail are wrong");
 
 	/* Finding and removing node 1 */
+	zassert_true(sys_dnode_is_linked(&test_node_1.node),
+		     "node1 is not linked");
 	sys_dlist_remove(&test_node_1.node);
 	zassert_true((verify_emptyness(&test_list)),
 		     "test_list should be empty");
+	zassert_false(sys_dnode_is_linked(&test_node_1.node),
+		      "node1 is still linked");
 
 	/* Prepending node 1 */
 	sys_dlist_prepend(&test_list, &test_node_1.node);