a peek inside the fishbowl

I’ve written a lot about habits in past blog posts. Some of you already know that I have a small collection of daily habits that I’ve tweaked over time. I know what works for me. I know they work because if I drop the ball, I feel it. My daily routines include a 30-45 minute power walk (which I’ve now moved to the treadmill because of lousy weather), a blast of S.A.D. light, and a mix of vitamins (doctor’s orders). Of course, eating well and not going overboard with sugar, beer, and coffee, figures into that as well, but admittedly, that is harder to moderate.

My daily habits work well when I’m feeling good, but they become especially important during down days. The irony is that when I need my habits the most, it’s precisely the time they are hardest to keep.

I’ve added two other tiny habits to my life that have been making a difference, especially on those down days. Don’t laugh, but I’ve realized that the simple act of making the bed, and cleaning the bathroom sinks on a daily basis (!) makes me happier.

I’ve thought a lot about WHY these things make me happier and it’s because both of these things come with a distinct feeling of accomplishment even though they’re quick and easy. In a way, I’m tricking myself. As I’m doing these things, part of me tells myself: “SELF, if you can do these two things today, YOU CAN DO ANYTHING.” Strangely, it works.

Making the bed every day never used to be a priority for me. I’d happily leave it exactly the way we left it in the morning. After all, we’re just going to mess it up again, right? But the feeling of sliding into a nicely made bed at the end of a long day is so satisfying that I decided to take two minutes every morning so I can be guaranteed that good feeling when it was time to hit the hay.

As you can see, I’m not fussy about HOW the bed is made, it’s just made. (Please just don’t look under the bed because the dust bunnies might shock you.)

As for cleaning the bathroom sinks every day, this is something I added to my daily routine a few weeks ago when Mark was sick with a cold. I really didn’t want to catch it so I was very motivated to clean the faucets, sinks, and counter. I always keep a spray cleaner and a microfibre cloth under the sinks anyway, so it actually isn’t much effort on my part. It really only takes me a minute to spray and wipe.

Every time I walk in there during the day I marvel at how clean the sinks are. Everything else is another story, but WOW, are my faucets shiny! I ROCK AT THIS.

I now wipe the sinks every morning, whether they need it or not. It’s a small habit, but it’s made a difference. It’s strange to say but it’s made a big difference to my mental health as well.

Perhaps this is just a case of small victories, after all, ANYONE can make the bed and wipe the sink, but small victories matter… and sometimes we have to take ’em wherever we can find ’em.

What do you think? Do you make your bed? If not, would you consider making it for seven days to see how it feels?