Almost everyone likes to crawl into a well-made bed at the end of the day. Not that there's necessarily anything wrong with getting into an unmade bed. But there's something about peeling the covers down off of a bed that's made and snuggling yourself down into it that makes you really feel like you're getting ready to relax. Of course, in order to do this, you have to make your bed in the morning. That's not the part most of us enjoy. |
There are two main things to overcome when it comes to making your bed. The first is that you've got to learn how to do it right. After all, you're not going to want to put in all of the effort to make your bed if it only feels half-done when you get into it at the end of the day. And the other thing to overcome is your disinterest in making your bed each morning. Here are the things that you need to do to take care of each of those problems so that you can start crawling into a nice made bed at the end of each day:
How to Correctly Make a Bed:
Unless you were in the military - or had a mother who acted as though she was - you probably don't really know how to make a bed. That's because the average person just learns that you've got to pull the sheets and blankets straight and put the pillows at the top. That's okay for a half-made bed but doesn't give you those hospital corners or comfy hotel feelings that you want from a made bed. Here are the steps that you need to take to quickly and efficiently make your bed well:
1. Take all of the sheets and blankets off of the bed. You have to start fresh.
2. Take the bottom sheet and lay it out on the bed. Hopefully you have a fitted sheet in which case you can just put it on and smooth it out. Make sure each of the corners of the sheet is actually on the corner of the mattress. If you don't have a fitted sheet, you need to make "hospital corners". To do this, take your flat sheet and place it so that the same amount of fabric hangs off of each side of the bed. Tuck the excess in at the head and foot of the bed. Then tuck the sides in. Smooth it out so it's tightly tucked.
3. Take the flat sheet and spread it out smoothly and evenly on top of the bed. Follow the directions in the step above to make hospital corners. However, this time, you should leave the head side free. (You need a place to get into your bed.) Just fold up the foot of the sheet and then the sides. Tuck and smooth.
4. Place your blanket or blankets on the bed in the same way. Whether to tuck them in ("hospital corners" style) or leave them loose is up to your preference. Make sure they're smooth and even.
5. Make sure all of your pillowcases are on their pillows tightly and plump the pillows. Put them in place at the head of the bed.
Assuming that you have the right size of sheets for the size bed that you have and that you take a little time in smoothing them out, this bed should now look nice and smooth.
How to Get in the Habit of Making your Bed
In addition to knowing how to make your bed, you need to overcome the obstacle of not really wanting to make your bed. It's just something that most people don't want to take the time and energy to do in the morning. Here are some steps for getting used to making your bed each day:
- Make it a habit. The first thing that you need to do is to establish a ritual that you use for always making your bed. Perhaps you want to do it as soon as you first wake up. Or maybe it's something that you'll do after you've showered. Find a time that works for you and make that "bed making time" every single day.
- Adjust your attitude about it. Most people actually think to themselves, "ugh, I don't want to make my bed". Say it out loud sometime and you'll realize that you sound like a petulant child. Now play your mother's role and ask yourself if making the bed is really that bad? How much time does it take? How does it hurt you? Stop thinking about how awful it is to make your bed and realize that it's just a thing to be done like dishes or getting dressed each morning. When you stop acting like it's a problem, it'll stop feeling like one.
- Use the time to do something you enjoy. No, making your bed doesn't take very long. But the few moments it takes can be used to do something that'll get your day off to a good start. Say a prayer in your head. Play a favorite song on your CD player. Spend those moments meditating on what you like in life. Whatever it is that can bring you to a place of peace and kindness in your mind should be done in this time to make the whole experience more pleasant and purposeful.
- End the bed-making with something that's going to be nice to come home to. Yes, you like just getting into a well-made bed. But you'd like making it even more if you gave yourself a gift every day. After the bed is made, place a flower from your garden on it. Or find a book on your bookshelf that you'd like to read a passage of that night. Or write down a favorite quote and leave it there for yourself when you get back. You'll begin to look forward to making your bed in no time at all.
Coming home to a well-made bed is a treat that you should offer to yourself. And if you think of it in the right way, making the bed can be a treat as well.
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