If you watched my FaceBook (Professional Mom FB Page) Video Tip today, here’s my reference material to back up my tip!

*From a little book I picked up at a truck stop, “What If God Wrote Your To-Do List?” by Jay Payleitner, I thoroughly enjoyed this tip, as well as the 52 others in this neat collection. I copied it verbatim as I could not improve it. Enjoy!

Is it controversial? Perhaps. When, who, how, and why seem to be legitimate concerns in some homes regarding the topic of making the bed.

I am not a bed-making expert, and I assume neither are you, Still, I believe we can come to reasonable conclusions on these four one-word questions.

The question of when is easy. Do it soon after waking up. Perhaps immediately, as soon as your feet hit the floor. Or within minutes after your shower. Once you pour your coffee or grab breakfast, your day has begun. At some point, you want any bedmaking duties behind you.

The question of who may be tricky, but it needn’t be. Because I speak at marriage conferences, I have learned that “who makes the bed” is quite a point of conflict and concern. Some guys actually think it is “woman’s work.” I’ve actually heard men shout that from the audience. (Yikes.) Wives sometimes put “making the bed” on the list of household chores to be divided equally and meticulously.  Keeping score on minor housekeeping duties is a formula for finger-pointing and rancor. There’s a better way.

Let me put that who question to rest forever. The answer is “whoever gets up last!” If an early rising spouse does choose to circle back and make the bed, that gesture should be considered a gift, and a sincere “thanks for making the bed” would be quite appropriate.

If it’s your own bed, the how is totally up to you. But for married couples, it can also be a point of conflict.  She might have a half dozen throw pillows that need to be arranged just so.  He doesn’t do that very well. On the other hand, he might have a preferred method of sheet and comforter tucking and smoothing that she doesn’t do exactly right. I recommend that whoever does the bed making gets to decide on the how.

Which brings us to the question of why?   Which is the real point of this chapter. And perhaps the real point of this book.

You may be asking, why even get our to bed in the morning?  How do you start your day in a way that leads to completing relevant tasks? What’s the strategy for hitting your pillow at night with a satisfaction that life is not just passing you by?

First, you need to get out of bed so you can fulfill the plan God has for your life. You may not know what it is, but you won’t find it laying down on the job. “We are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (Ephesians 2:10 NLT). In other words, at some point you have to stop dreaming and start doing.. Once your bed is made, you are less likely to jump back in.

Second, making your bed begins your day with an achievement. US Navy Admiral William H. McRaven, the commander of the US Special Operations Command who oversaw the raid to capture and kill Osama bin Laden, included this in his remarks to the graduates of his alma mater:

“Make your bed every morning…It will give you a small sense of pride, and it will encourage you to do another task, and another, and another. And by the end of the day that one task completed  will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that little thinks in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right.

And if by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made–that you made–and a made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better.

If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”

• There is a little more to this chapter, to read it you must get the book. While you’re at it, Jay Payleitner wrote “What If God Wrote Your Bucket List?” Another good read! Thanks, PM
• Don’t forget to “make your bed!”