I don't like going to bed. Nor do I like getting out of it. It's a conundrum.
My office desk is exactly 7 feet away from my bedroom. Every time I leave my office to go downstairs or outside this is what I see. Comfortable bed, napping cat, linen bedding, fluffy duvet ...
It's not that much of a temptation in the summer, but in this gutter of a season we call late winter - it's as persuasive as a late night infomercial to an insomniac. I've only succumbed to the temptation once or twice and the main reason for that is not my military-like discipline. It's the fact that my bed is already made.
If it were all a jumble of sheets and pillowy down I might be more likely to swan dive into it. But it's made, so I continue on with my day instead of curling up to sleep. Pulling back the covers and getting into an already made bed in the middle of the day is pathetic. Whereas falling into one that's still an unmade mess is just practical. Smartly taking advantage of a situation, really - I mean when you think about it.
That's reason number 1 to make your bed in the morning. The other billion reasons all lead to happiness.
According to a study by Hunch.com only 27% of people make their bed. Which is too bad because
70% of people who make their beds consider themselves to be happy.
Happiness expert, Gretchen Rubin; The Power of Habit author Charles Duhigg; and US Navy Admiral William H. McRaven all believe in the POWER of making your bed.
Gretchen Rubin says making your bed is also one of the most effective and easiest triggers of happiness.
Charles Duhigg describes making your bed every morning as a "keystone habit". A way to kick start a pattern of good behaviour for the rest of the your day, week, month, life.
But most impressive is US Navy Admiral William H. McRaven's commencement speech. Here's just a little bit of it ...
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Sharon
As a nurse I was trained in bed making and still make all those tight hospital corners. I always make my bed and I consider myself overworked, underpaid but basically happy. As a researcher I need to point out the fatal flaw of your survey - if only happy people read your posts (which in order to enjoy your brand of humour I suspect is the case) the sample is bias and not generalizable to the all of the general public out there who don't have the happiness index to read you every day
Karen
That's true! Anyone who doesn't like my brand of humour immediately emails to tell me so (often suggesting that I should be arrested or locked up) and then never returns. THIS SURVEY IS A FARCE!!! LOL! ~ karen
Sue in Fairfax
I make my bed everyday as soon as I get up, dust mites be damned! Even when I went through a serious health issue, the bed had to be made.
Linda
Almost never make the bed, in fact i’ve snuggled back into it after my morning shower today. I hear my mother’s voice in my head telling me to do it, and naw, I don’t listen. Leave laundry on the floor too.
Suzanne Reith
Yes, a lifetime habit, TWICE a day. At 71, I take a brief afternoon nap, but could NEVER get into an unmade bed. Sooooooooooooo happy. Rock on.
Linda Sieve
Yes, I make my bed, because I feel I deserve tight sheets when I go to bed at night. And I am happy 😃
Janet
Yes last one up always make the bed, which is usually my husband. Unless the cat is particularly cute, then it's made a bit later. In the winter he likes to sleep under the covers with his head on a shoulder or pillow depending what is available. Also in the winter we pre-warm the bed with a heated mattress pad which is shut off when we go to bed. Warm and snuggly under the duvet. 😊
Robert
This has been a wonderful read, finding out about people’s early morning habits. I’m one of the lucky ones. I am an early riser, and my wife likes to “doze” - which means she goes back to sleep. She, therefore, gets to make the bed and I get the fresh coffee!
We do share the bed making after the sheets get their weekly wash, to make sure that each one of us gets their fair share of the sheets and blankets, which in reality is pointless, as by morning she has most of them anyway. Probably because I run hot and like to sleep with the window open - even in a Saskatchewan winter.
Am I happy though? You bet - after almost fifty years with her, we must be doing something right!
Sachi
I only make my bed about four times a week. I also suffer from depression. Oh no! :(
Miriam Mc Nally
I'm also in the 'don't like going to bed, don't like getting out of bed' camp. Exceptions are if I've something new to wear (bit expensive to do this on a daily basis!) or somewhere exciting to go to.
However, my bed making is, I think, different. I shake out the duvet (comforter?), then fold it back so half of the bed is exposed to the air, and then I open the window, all seasons. That's a habit I developed when my young daughter had asthma, and it was one of the things that hugely contributed to keeping dust mite population at a minimum, and keeping her off steroid medication. I'm glad to say it worked, she is 26 now and still no sign of asthma returning. I must check if she acquired my bed-making habit!
I am a happy person too!
Suz
I have good intentions. I sort of make it on good days. And we learned this pull up the duvet method to sort of straighten things out as we get out of bed...does that count? And naps are nicer when one curls up on top of the fluffy duvet with one's designated "napping blankie"!
Kathryn
I make the bed as soon as I get up, because otherwise while I'm in the bathroom the dog is snuggling himself down in my pillows and sheets. He sleeps all night on his blanket at the end of the bed, but has a compulsion to roll around in my spot if I leave it "open". Black hair on pink sheets. Ick.
Fran
Yes I make my bed every morning. It is one of my chores after my coffee and sometimes after breakfast which I don't have as soon as I get up. I don't like dirty dishes lying around and a bed not made. I guess I was brought up like that and my main reason to be truthful I don't like to get into a messy bed. My husband and I sleep together and I like my share of the covers.
I am a very happy person and always in a good mood and it does not matter what time I get up.
Stef T
I do not make my bed, yet am still happy!
Maura
I make my bed 20 % of the time but to be perfectly honest you could hardly tell if my bed is not made. Once my head hits the pillow I am dead to the world, it seems I do not move. I get up well rested and happy 😃
Rita
For your statistics: We have a beach house and invite lots of different friends and family to stay with us on the weekends. Usually, all three guest bedrooms are filled with guests times at least 8 weekends. NO ONE ever makes their beds! I am always amazed, but by now I am used to it. Just this last summer we had a family visiting , and both, the parents and their two sons in their twenties, who each had a separate bedroom, made their beds. I was delighted to see that the bedmaking runs in the family. In our family, we all make our beds. Even the 9 and 13 years old who are up at 6 am make it everyday without reminder.
KimS
My husband makes our bed every single morning. He started doing it for me (love). It made at least one room in our house feel uncluttered and “together”. On Sundays he doesn’t make it because after church we have a nice breakfast, and then he goes back to bed for his Sunday nap. Incidentally, Gretchen Rubin has a new book coming out entitled “Outer order, inner calm”.
Mary W
LOVE LOVE LOVE that book title and it immediately goes into my little journal of quotes! I believe with all my heart that is true and more relaxing than being messy and way less work. No messes to constantly scream at you to clean up.
Sherry Karr
It's a great book!
Janet
I make my bed every day. I feel better getting into a made bed at night. I also feel great getting into it in the middle of the day for a nap, if necessary, but I make it again when I get up ;)
Sam
I "pull my bed together" every day I'm up but I am prone to getting back in it halfway through the day. Rarely make it properly (fluff the duvet, etc unless I'm changing the bedding (about fortnightly at the moment). Maybe I should clarify I have ME so sleep/rest a lot and have days where I can't get out of bed so a lot of my life is lived from my bed. Part of the ME is depression and mood fluctuations and so the consequences of life mean I'm not as happy as I should be or want to be.
Maybe when my kids leave home I'll have a room just for sleeping and move from a night bedroom to a day bedroom? Oooo haven't thought of that one before, I like the sound of that 🙂
Heather
I've got to tell you, Karen: I just bought a year's subscription to Ad Remover, and it's amazing!!! Your page used to take ages to load, because of the ads. Now - bam! The whole page loads instantly and it's so pretty! I sure hope it doesn't impact your income, because I know ads pay the bills. (Do the advertisers know their ads aren't appearing?) For me, the internet just got a whole lot better and I'll be visiting The Art of Doing Stuff more and more. Love your blog!
kathryn
The advertisers pay based on views and clicks, so if you're not viewing the ad, Karen's not getting paid. You're taking money out of Karen's chickens' mouths. To save yourself a second or two.
Karen
It does of course impact my income Heather. Those ads are literally my only source of income. That's how bloggers make enough money to continue to blog. If it weren't for them there would be no blogs. Not half decent ones anyway. Many blogs are actually now not allowing access to people running Ad blockers because of that. However ... You can set the ad blocker to allow certain sites to show ads. Mine for instance. ;) ~ karen!
Sandra D
But, if you NEVER click on the ads, does it still affect you?
Karen
It doesn't make any difference really Sandra. :) The ads just need to be shown. ~ karen!
whitequeen96
I was such a good child, but now . . . I'm a grownup and I'm NOT going to make my bed, so there! ( Raspberry sounds) And I still have good credit, am a responsible citizen, and am pretty happy!