“It’s messy, not dirty. That’s an important distinction: It’s dust, not dirt.” – Louis to Joe (Angels in America, 1985)
That’s a fairly accurate description of my approach to my room; it’s not dirty, my clothes just need to be packed away. At least that was my attitude towards the organized chaos that was my room.
But since my last entry on ‘decluttering’ inspired by attn: and Jessica Alba, I’ve started organizing the other elements in my messy cocoon.
The chairdrobe has been clear for nearly two weeks thanks to the declutter mantra, and an even bigger deal, is that I’ve made my bed every morning (even on the weekends) since the wardrobe clean up.
For as long as I’ve been old enough to make my bed, I’ve found reasons not to. I used the obvious excuses:
- What’s the point, I’m just going to sleep in it again
- I’ve gotten the pillows at just the right indentation to suit my head
- Who’s going to see or care that I haven’t made the bed?
All valid and true for many people, but then you find the neat freaks who quote U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McCraven who said, “If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”
I remember thinking, “what a load…” with rolling eyes for added effect. How self-righteous, what utter bilge.
Yet here I am, telling anyone who would listen, that I have reached a milestone in my life.
I am now a bed maker.
Why did I start?
- I needed a clear space to put the mountain of clothes during the cupboard declutter of 2018, and I did not need a bumpy duvet making the mountain bigger.
- It was a nice feeling to get into a neat bed at the end of the arduous task of purging some of my clothes.
- I made my bed the next morning, which made my room look a lot less like a messy nest, and more like a spacious haven.
- The last perk, which I’m just beginning to appreciate, is that I’m more likely to read while lounging on a made bed, than on an unmade one. Strange, but there it is. I enjoy propping my pillows up against the wall, and treating my made bed as a make-shift reading nook.
- It’s nice to nap on a made bed; there’s just something about the crispness of the cotton duvet
So have I begun my Pinky and the Brain scheme of taking over the world?
Not yet.
But I do have a sense of accomplishment at the start of my day. I still have the small battle with myself in the mornings; the lazy me warning that I would be late for work if I took on this two minute task. And yet I haven’t been, and the waves of procrastination that used to weigh me down daily are slowly becoming less.