Summary

The author discusses their personal decision to stop making their bed, citing time efficiency, health benefits, and cognitive load reduction as reasons for this choice.

Abstract

The article titled "Why I Don’t Make my Bed" reflects the author's shift from making their bed daily to abandoning the practice altogether. Initially inspired by Admiral William H. McRaven's viral speech, the author adopted the habit but later reconsidered its value. The author argues that not making the bed saves time, approximately 30 hours a year, and aids in reducing dust mites by allowing the bed to air out, which is beneficial for allergy sufferers. Additionally, the author suggests that the habit of bed-making occupies unnecessary cognitive space and detracts from more significant tasks. The article also introduces the concept of "messy productivity," which emphasizes focusing on core values rather than perfection in aesthetics. The author concludes by mentioning a device that has saved them even more time and announces their participation in a 100-day writing challenge.

Opinions

Making the bed is considered a small daily win and a source of momentum, but the author no longer finds these benefits compelling enough to continue the habit.
The author believes that the time spent making the bed could be better utilized, equating to nearly two days of awake time annually.
The article cites Dr. Stephen Pretlove's research, suggesting that leaving a bed unmade can help reduce dust mites and allergies.
The author argues that bed-making is an additional chore that contributes to an already long list of tasks, occupying cognitive space that could be used for more meaningful activities.
The concept of "messy productivity" is presented as a preferable alternative to spending excessive time on aesthetics, allowing for deeper focus on creating value.
The author values the time saved by not making the bed, which they have invested in writing and other passions.

HABITS

Why I Don’t Make my Bed

Like… never!

5 years ago, I wrote a piece about the habit of making your bed.

I had been inspired by a 2014’s speech that went viral by Admiral William H. McRaven. And I started making my bed every morning.

What’s the situation five years later? Well, I don’t make my bed anymore. The habit lasted a couple of weeks, then I stopped doing it.

Here’s how my bedroom looks like now:

Ugly, right?

It might not be your cup of tea. But I think it has some merits.

Let’s explore why.

The pros of making your bed

First, let’s see the advantages of this habit. McRaven has exposed multiple arguments:

It’s a small win for your day.
It gives you momentum.
And if you’ve had a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made!

Obviously, it also looks nicer. And knowing that a bed takes a meaningful space in your room, having your bed made gives you a nice sensation of tidiness.

Lastly, Psychology Today cites a survey of 68,000 people where those who made their bed were happier (71% for bed makers vs 62% for non-bed-makers).

This study went viral on the internet. But let’s remind it’s a survey, not a study, which means data might be inaccurate. For example, some people might say they are happy just because it is more coherent with their previous answer.

The merits of not making your bed

Now let’s see the arguments for *not* making your bed.

The most obvious reason is time. If you spend 5 minutes each day making your bed, that makes about 30 hours per year. This means you lose 1 full day each year doing your bed, or almost two days of awaken time.

Another problem is that you need to air your bed to lower the number of dust mites in your bed, which causes asthma and other allergies. Dr Stephen Pretlove from Kingston University has made studies to back it up. And he advises to leave your bed unmade to banish those house dust mites.

Lastly, here’s another argument that underlines how wasteful this habit can be…

Wasted cognitive space

I just said earlier that you lose almost two days of awaken time a year when doing your bed each day. But it gets even worse.

Each day, you not only spend 5 minutes to do your bed. You also think about doing it when you are not doing it.

It’s another thing in your life that you must manage. Another chore added to the endless inventory of chores you already have, like doing the washing up and sweeping the floors.

Given all this wasted cognitive space, I think we really need to think again about this habit’s return on investment.

Messy productivity

This leads me to the concept of “messy productivity” that I also spoke about yesterday when I explained why I created an embarrassingly messy blog.

Sometimes, to make things happen, we need to deeply focus on the core value of what we produce and forget the rest.

Yes, aesthetics are pleasant. Yes, it can feel good to do a simple task as making your bed. But we can’t spend our life on making sure everything looks perfect.

That’s why I got accustomed to my messy bed. And how I saved hundreds of hours to do what I love to do, such as writing this article.

In my next article, I’ll speak about a device that helped me save hundreds of hours, if not thousands in the past 4 years.

In 1st february 2022, I’ve embarked in a 100 days writing challenge. This is post number 4.

Originally published at https://alexphili.com on February 4, 2022.