Every Friday, I’ll feature a simple change that I am implementing to lead a more purposeful life. I hope you’ll join me or share some simple switches that you’ve made to your life.
Make your bed every day. That tip tops virtually every morning productivity list floating around on the Interwebs. So, when Mr. P and I got married we agreed. The bed would get made every morning.
Weekdays were a no brainer. I leave before Mr. P even has to roll out of bed, so he would get stuck with bed-making duty. Done deal. Weekends were another story, though. Eyes half crusted shut, hair matted down, I’d catch Mr. P slinking out of bed. After which, he’d urge me back to sleep. Then, I started to wake up before him. It was almost like we were subconsciously waking up at different times to skirt the chore. We both knew the bed needed to be made, but neither of us really wanted to be the one to do it.
Finally, about a month ago we decided that we would make the bed together. Every. Day. Now, we both get the usual one-thing-crossed-off-the-to-do-list benefit that any solo bedmaker reaps, but we also get a lot more. It turns out there are four really great reasons to make the bed together:
- 1. It saves time. It is infinitely more efficient to have someone standing on the other side of the bed ready to smooth, fold, and tuck rather than racing back and forth, maddeningly trying to even out both sides. Extra bonus? No more bruised shins.
- 2. It sparks conversation. Instead of the usual groggy monosyllabic grunt one of us would gift the other, making the bed together invites us to talk with one another in the morning. It might not be a long conversation or even totally coherent some days, but it’s a conversation nonetheless.
- It promotes–okay, forces–teamwork. If you’ve never tried making the bed with someone, you’re in for a treat. Not only is there some give-and-take required to get the sheets and comforter even on both sides, most mornings Mr. P has some colorful quip about his disdain for throw pillows.
- It reaffirms your common priorities. When we make the bed together, we start the day off on the same page. That’s not to say we always stay on the same page, but it’s a step in the right direction.
So Tell Me…Do you make your bed every day? Does the chore fall to someone else? Do you love or hate throw pillows?
Aw that’s so great that you two make the bed together! It makes it a lot quicker for sure. We usually never wake up at the same time so I tend to end up making it alone at some point later in the morning, but it’s definitely nice to do on the weekend together if we can!
It really is nice, even if we are both still half asleep. It’s turned my husband into more of a morning person. He gets to work much earlier than required and now marvels at how much he can get done!
I love the *look* of throw pillows, but I do have a Ben Stiller and Jennifer Aniston in Along Came Polly reaction to them in reality. (If you haven’t seen it, search YouTube for “Along Came Polly stabbing pillows.” It is hilarious.)
HA! This might be the very best comment on my whole blog.
I’ve heard that it’s healthier to NOT make the bed every day. It lets the sheets air out a bit and lets any sweat dry… or that’s our excuse.
On laundry day, though, we do make the bed together and it’s a good bonding experience.
As for throw pillows, they’re in the guest rooms but have been banished from our own bedroom.