We can’t be the only ones who wrestle between making ourselves look presentable for the day and leaving the house in a half respectable manner. Generally speaking, we win, and shut the door behind us hoping to the good lord above that no one needs to enter our abode before we’ve got a chance to restore it from its warzone state.
The time for looking good is over though (apologies in advance to our office fellows), because we’ve heard that making your bed every morning, is brilliant for one’s mental clarity, and a great kickstart for a fabulous day ahead. I mean, we could always get up 10 minutes earlier to make time for both, but we are also well aware of the importance of sleep, so that’s a sacrifice we just aren’t willing to make.
Now, if you aren’t privy to the 2014 commencement address made by Admiral William H. McRaven, let us get you up to speed.
From a tough battle-hardened Navy SEAL, his first piece of advice to the crowd was to make your bed every morning. Why? Because:
“If you make your bed every morning you will have accomplished the first task of the day. It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.”
Fast forward through to 4:45 of this video. It’s worth a watch if you haven’t seen it already and if you have, well a little refresher certainly won’t go astray.
On the back of his advice, further research also reiterates the importance of bed making as a morning priority.
We must digress quickly first. There are plenty articles out there that will argue not making your bed has its hygienic benefits and gives your sheets some well-deserved airtime. And to that, we would say that if you’re keen to research that argument, have at it – if it shows up more pros for a better day ahead, well you’ve earned yourself longer lie-in.
Alas, this blog sits on the side of the fence in support of bed making so let us divulge a few more perks of this forenoon formality.
1. Bed making encourages you to keep the rest of your room tidy.
It doesn’t make much sense to have a neatly manicured bed and absolute squalor all around it, now does it? Plus, looking at your perfectly crease free linen instils a sense of pride which is only going to encourage you to extend the attention to the rest of your space.
Image via @tanna_tribe
2. Bed making gives you something to look forward to.
There’s nothing quite as inviting as a deliciously made bed, especially after a long day of being an adult (or even a kid for that matter). Those plushy sheets and fluffy doona are only made all the more enticing if your day wasn’t quite as fabulous as you would have liked. Coming home to a bed that is made is a small cure to a bad day, and serves as a gentle reminder that tomorrow will be better.
Image via @gdotnancy
3. Bed making begets productivity.
This point lends itself to the advice of Admiral William h. McRaven but is further supported by the book, ‘The Power of Habit’ by Charles Duhigg. Duhigg suggests that:
“Daily bed-making becomes a keystone habit, something that kickstarts a chain of other good decisions throughout the day, and gives you a sense of taking charge.
4. Bed making it proven to lower stress levels and improve your mood
We will admit, it seems odd that something so minor has the ability to improve your daily disposition, but the research suggests that making your bed of a morning can do exactly that. How? Well making your bed is a sign of care for yourself and your home and it’s this feeling of being cared for that is naturally proven to lift your mood. It’s also very hard to feel calm and content if the place you spend a third of your life in isn’t a space you feel grounded in.
Image via @clairecollected
5. Bed making simply makes your space look and feel better
You wouldn’t walk into a hotel room and be satisfied with an unmade bed so why should your space at home be any different? A freshly made bed has the ability to make or break the way you view your room and the way you feel when you’re in it. You can’t have a bedroom without a bed, so it makes sense that as the main focal point of the space, a neatly made bed is going to lend itself to a better-looking, better-feeling room as a whole.
So there you have it! After our very careful analysis we have come to the conclusion that a fluff of the pillows and tug of the sheets really doesn’t take much time out of your morning and given all the perks outlined here, it’s definitely time well spent.
