I’ve never been a fan of making my bed. It just seemed like a time-wasting ritual to me. Make the bed, mess up the bed, repeat. Now, I would do enough to not look like a total slob. Just pull up the sheets, then a bedspread, but, that’s about it. No tucking, fussing, or finishing touches for me. And certainly, no extra pillows. At least that’s what I used to do.
Side note: I do love, love, love to sleep in freshly laundered, comfy sheets, my current favorite are these very affordable sheets from CGK linens.
According to a survey of 68,000 people done by Hunch.com, only 27% of people make their beds while 59% of people don’t make their beds, and 12% pay for a housekeeper to do it for them.
While doing some research on this topic, I found studies have shown that folks who make their bed every morning have better productivity throughout the day, and are generally happier. These studies refer to correlation, not causation. Therefore the act of making your bed does not guarantee instant happiness or extra productivity, but rather a larger percentage of happy, productive people tend to make their beds.
Hmm, I wasn’t sure about the idea of adding another task to my busy life. But then again, I am a firm believer in the benefits of promoting good habits. So, the idea of starting the day off with something organized, orderly, and attractive started to become more appealing.
The blogs, surveys, and articles out there pretty much all lead to the same conclusion: You should make your bed every day. I was most persuaded by Admiral McRaven’s powerful speech which begins “If You Want to Change the World, Start Off by Making Your Bed.”
So, I decided to give it a try. Surprisingly it only took me a minute and a half to make my bed. (Though I’m still not putting on extra decorative pillows.) And you know what, I did feel good. Something accomplished in the first few minutes of my day. Since I work from home, there are several times throughout the day when I might go into my bedroom. Guess what? I noticed my first accomplishment of the day and again felt gratified. Now that the bed was made, perhaps organizing the nightstand is the next step. Wow, no telling where all this might lead.
Will it make me a more productive person in the long run? Time will tell. Test it for yourself, let me know what you think.