The other day I was scrolling Facebook and saw this post from Crystal Paine: “Why I Don’t Make My Bed Every Day.” Crystal writes the most interesting posts – I always love hearing her perspective on things, and this post is no exception. I totally agree with her reasoning and respect her statement that everyone is different, having different priorities and areas that make them feel like things are put together. It did make me think, though. I make my bed every day, usually before I leave the bedroom in the morning. Why is that?
There are two reasons why I make my bed every day:
#1 I like the way my room looks when the bed is made!
It’s okay to admit that you prefer order. Our room is very small, and the king sized bed takes up almost all of the floor space. When the bed is unmade, at least half of the remaining space is taken up with discarded blankets and pillows! It just makes my life easier to have everything off the floor, and the room looks SO much better.
#2 Choosing to make the bed equals choosing not to be lazy.
Hear me out on this one – reason #2 is personal to me. I’m not saying that you’re lazy if you don’t make your bed. I’m saying that I’m lazy if I don’t make my bed. Somewhere in my past it was burned into my brain that lazy people don’t make their beds, so I feel lazy if I don’t do this chore. For me, making the bed is about more than just pulling some blankets off the floor and arranging a few pillows. It’s a choice to not be lazy!
She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Proverbs 31:27
Is there something you do just because you prefer it that way? What chore is a “must do” in your mind?
Come Home For Comfort 
I used to always make the bed but have really gotten away from it lately… I should fix that. Guess I’ll have to when we put the house on the market :P.
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I’ve been there! There was a time when I didn’t always make the bed, either. 🙂
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I have 3 boys…. so, here are my must dos… every day… a clean bathroom (towels picked up… vanity not a mess)…beds made…all 4 of them… it takes just a little time… my kitchen wiped down… dishes put away… I work part-time and my boys go to school and its just much less overwhelming NOT to come home to clutter and disarray… we “live” in our home…but, I think tidiness can show you care about the things God gave you… I DO have to be careful though not to make it an idol… some things don’t get done if there’s a sick one or a lot of back to back activity and I TRY not to let it keep me from being hospitable… if its not perfect, things can be shoved into a closet or laundry basket and dealt with later…its no excuse not to have church small group or last minute company…
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Love that! I am right there with you, taking a few minutes to tidy the house before leaving in the morning makes coming home SO much more pleasant.
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In the evening, I prefer to have my blankets just right before I go to sleep. So I’ll just have to make my bed before I get into it if I haven’t done it in the morning. And I’m tired in the evening, so it’s just easier to do it when I’m fresh in the a.m.
Getting the mail sorted right away after I get it from the mailbox is a thing I have to do. It bothers me to see it piled up, especially when I can tell there’s nothing but junk mail! I feel much better when the junk is tossed. 🙂
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Sorting the mail is a great habit! Paper clutter piles up so quickly.
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I make our bed most of the time. It’s not something that I have to do, but I prefer the way our room looks when the bed is made. I have to fluff the couch pillows, wipe off the counters and tidy up the toys with the help of the kids. I just feel better when those things are done 🙂
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Fluffing the couch pillows! Yes, I do that every day before I leave for work and again before bed (and probably a couple times in between). 🙂
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I’m not a bed maker myself, but my kitchen is always the first to get done. I believe it’s because that’s where we prepare our food. If the dishes aren’t done and the kitchen isn’t put together the way I like it’s almost like I can’t focus on anything else.
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I know what you mean! I don’t like to even start cooking in a dirty kitchen.
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Bed maker here! I just feel better with it made, I can walk in and use the room without an instant mess and I prefer getting into a made bed at night. I agree with the kitchen as well….just can’t go to sleep or leave with a sink full of mess. Everything is harder to get off later and I dread looking at it later. Life just goes easier with a little organization!
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I so agree with you! I never go to bed with dirty dishes in the sink – that’s not a sight I want to see in the morning!
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I make ours every day, too. I spend more time in bed than I’d like because of chronic illness, and I think having it start the day made up and tidy helps me feel productive and like I’m not a total invalid; like I’m not planning to spend the day in bed. I don’t know, maybe it’s not rational, but it just makes me feel more normal. 🙂
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I didn’t realize that, Stef – I’m so sorry you’re dealing with that! ❤ Love your perspective, though. It definitely makes sense!
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I too cannot leave my bedroom if my bed is unmade……and like you, I’ve never really thought about why. So when I did think about it, I realized that it was something that was ingrained in me from a very young age. I grew up very poor – but my mother was a very proud woman. She used to say, “we may not have much, but what we do have is clean and tidy.” So it just kind of always stuck with me. In addition, the thing that I can’t leave the house without doing is making sure there is NOTHING in the sink or waiting by the sink. Dishes waiting to be washed drive me crazy. So I’m a wash up as I go person. Always.
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And if I remember correctly, you wash your dishes by hand? It takes discipline (and a good pair of gloves LOL) to keep the dishes clean without using your dishwasher!
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True story: someone gave us a dishwasher last summer so Jim installed it. I used it the week Megan was here last summer and the week Melissa was here in January. I think I’m a lost cause.
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Ha! I love it, Robin. You’re true to who you are! 🙂
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As I have told you before I believe…this was a piece of marriage advice that we got as newlyweds. A couple we looked up to told us that they made their bed together every morning when they got up. It has been a blessing to us and I often share this advice with newlyweds. Most look at me as if I had two heads but oh well.:)
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I don’t remember you telling me that – but I will now! That’s very interesting. Sometimes Paul makes the bed, and I’ll go over to help him – it takes communication and team work to do that together. Great advice!
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I’m an immediate bed maker too. It’s one of those things that I feel starts my day off in “neat mode” if that makes any sense? Accomplishing that first, super simple yet big impact (on my bedroom) task puts me in the frame of mind that my home is worth caring for and gets the day off to a productive start. 🙂
xo – Brenda // ChattingOverChocolate.com
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Yes, I think that’s pretty much what I mean by making a choice to not be lazy! Love how you put it, “my home is worth caring for.” ❤
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