Tweak: Make the Bed
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When I was a kid, nobody ever made me make the bed — ever! So it’s probably not an exaggeration to say that my bed was made perhaps 30 times in my childhood. As a kid I never really saw the point of making the bed — after all, as my kids sometimes point out to me nowadays, it’s just going to get slept in again in a few hours.
However, if you were forced to make your bed as a child and you don’t do it now as an adult, you may feel resistance to starting. Maybe the idea of having to make your bed makes you feel a little bit rebellious. But perhaps you feel like you “should” make the bed. If this describes you: Back away from the Make the Bed Tweak now and go find a Tweak that sings to you! Come back to this Tweak when you feel in your heart that a bed-making habit would be an expression of the nurturing and care you’d like to show yourself. The Tweaks are not about “shoulds” and I want you to choose Tweaks that give you a sense of joyful anticipation.
Okay, that said, I have been making my bed in the morning for perhaps four years and it now feels like a natural part of my morning routine. My husband and I usually wake together and so we make the bed together most mornings, but sometimes one of us gets sidetracked and the other one just goes ahead and makes it alone. Either way, to me the chore always feels like a little ritual that reminds me of the gratitude I have for our happy marriage. If you are single, making the bed can be a way to show yourself how much you care about making yourself comfortable and happy.
Making the bed was not the easiest routine to establish. Sometimes I dropped the habit for a day or two or a week or two, but every time I recommitted to the bed-making it became a little more ingrained and easy to maintain the routine until it finally stuck.
These days, I love having the bed made. It really helps the bedroom to seem peaceful, neat and uncluttered. I don’t mind having the bedroom door open when there is company in our home when the bed is made. The surface of the tidy bed makes a great place to sort and fold clean laundry (and having the laundry on the bed prompts me to make sure it’s folded and put away before the end of the day). At night, it still makes me feel a little bit special to fold down the covers and get in between smooth, unwrinkled sheets 
It’s like a hotel or something!
Remember:
Choose no more than one tweak per month – don’t try to pile them on! Practicing a single tweak for at least a full month gives you the best chance of forming a real habit and life change. Do not try to add another tweak until the previous tweak has become a habitual part of your life (this can sometimes take longer than a month).
This is all about loving yourself and creating a joyful life! Therefore, when choosing a new tweak to practice, pick one that is appealing and gives you a sense of anticipation.
Read all the posts about the Make the Bed Tweak here.
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Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/morgui/
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I was on a cruise the first week of January with my family, and for the first time was excited that being single got me my own stateroom on the ship! It was great coming back to my room after breakfast and finding my bed made. It look so crisp and clean! But my favorite part was when they turned down the bed for me in the evening. I would walk in to a dimly lit room with the comforter pulled back, and mints on the pillows. It looked so inviting! The bed had two pillow-tops on it, so I sunk down into it. It was definitely the best sleep I have had in years! I am now home, wondering how I can scrape together enough money to make my own bed that comfortable! We all deserve to have that kind of special treatment, even if we have to do it for ourselves! This may be my next Tweak!
Bonnie
That bed sounds absolutely divine, Bonnie
I’m still dreaming of my first cruise — it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. FlyLady has a testimonial that she sends out sometimes from a woman who describes her weekend at what sounds like a beautiful bed and breakfast — but it turns out that the wonderful, comfortable bedroom and home is actually in her own house. This story helped to inspire me to make my bed for ME 
On the subject of your cruise, I love these two posts about how you practiced intuitive eating while on the cruise:
http://icecream4dinner.wordpress.com/2009/01/05/cruising-day-1/
http://icecream4dinner.wordpress.com/2009/01/09/cruising-day-5/
This is all making me want to plan a vacation LOL!