5 Reasons why you should be making your bed

There's a surprising amount of debate over making your bed. Here are 5 reasons why it's important for you to do every day:

1. It makes the whole room look neater and cleaner instantly. Conversely, if the bed is rumpled then even the most organized bedroom will look like a mess.
   
   
   
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2. It establishes a habit. Do this for 30 days and it will become automatic; then you can add another simple habit, and so on.

You're skeptical? Here's an example of why this works!

Think about when you first learned to drive. Remember how many things you had to remember all at once – check the side mirrors, signal, check the rearview mirror, watch for traffic signs, watch that guy getting out of the parked car, keep an eye on your speed.......overwhelming but I bet now you do all those things without even thinking about them.

You can do the same for cleaning – learn to set it on autopilot and free your mind for those great DIY inspirations and blog planning.

3. It's nicer to get into bed if you don't have to wrestle the sheets first! Sliding in at the end of a long day feels really, really good.

I don't buy the “but it's just going to get messed up again” excuse, either. That's like saying you never do laundry because you'll just have to wash the clothes again. It doesn't have to get complicated and you don't necessarily need hospital corners– straighten the sheets, neaten the comforter and dump any decorative pillows back on.

4. It gives you a small but tangible element of control when your life is stressful. Your kids may have been a screaming, arguing nightmare all day and the water heater may have died, but your bedroom is peaceful and tidy when you finally get in there at night.
   
   

5. You're setting an example. You may not think that your kids or your packrat significant other is watching, but they are. Do it without comment for 30 days and by the end of it they may just surprise you by doing it themselves!
   
   
   Think how much more streamlined your life would be if everyone began making their beds, returning shoes to closets, and putting their dirty clothes in the hamper. It's like that old TV commercial: “You tell 2 friends, then they tell two friends.....” The effects multiply exponentially with every habit.

What habit are you working on?