Remember that time you had to do army service? Well some of us old ducks do… Can’t say much for the younger generation! You were forced to rise at 4h30 and first thing you did was make your bed, and heaven help you if there was a crease in the sheets or the folds were not to the Sergeant’s satisfaction. “Get down and give me 50, son!”
Even as a kid most parents would insist on you making your bed. And as kids you thought they were just being difficult, so we would be difficult right back, right? Something that could take 30 seconds seemed such a task.
Does your parent or your wife still nag you to make the bed every morning? Or are you one of those very organized folk who can’t imagine leaving the house with an unmade bed? An argument could be made for the non-bed makers that they don’t have the time.
So we decided to do a little reading, and it turns out bed makers are happier and more successful than those who don’t. Here’s why.
Curious, we old ducks decided to ask trusty Google “who makes their bed?” and found some rather interesting results. In a survey of 68,000 people by Hunch.com, 59 percent of people don’t make their beds. 27 percent do, while 12 percent pay a housekeeper to make it for them. Here’s what surprising: 71 percent of bed makers consider themselves happy; while 62 percent of non-bed-makers admit to being unhappy. Bed makers are also more likely to enjoy their jobs, own a home, exercise regularly, and feel well rested, whereas non-bed makers dislike their jobs, rent apartments, avoid the gym, and wake up tired. All in all, bed makers are happier and more successful than their couldn’t-be-asked counterparts.
Since these results show correlation but not causation, this does not mean that non-bed makers can’t be happy and successful, but based on this survey, the odds seem to be outweighed. And it makes sense, since an organized environment can positively impact our mental state – and given it only takes 30 seconds, it could create a sense of accomplishment at the very start of the day Especially for those work-from-home entrepreneurs who tend to live in their pj’s until lunch time before they shoot off to do the school runs.
Our verdict: it doesn’t cost anything to take those 30 seconds to make your bed and begin the day with a clear and organized approach. Who knows how amazing your day unfolds!