5 ms·

Coincidentally, I really see no point in making the bed. I wonder if I'm depressed.

carlmr 7y ago
Is there anything else where you do see a purpose that needs doing? Maybe folding laundry, cleaning the kitchen, etc. That usually makes you feel more comfortable at home. Whatever it is, you can start small. Fold one pair of socks. Clean one dish. Vacuum one room. I think a lot of people don't see any purpose in making a bed.
- derekp7 7y ago
  For that matter, is there a link between depression and feeling overwhelmed with tasks all the time? Does one cause the other, is it a two way feedback loop, or is there sometimes a separate common cause?
  - ThrowawayP 7y ago
    > "For that matter, is there a link between depression and feeling overwhelmed with tasks all the time?" If you're talking about work tasks, that seems more likely to be from occupational burnout. Here's a comparison chart that might be helpful: https://mdedge-files-live.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/files/s3fs-public/CP01810041_t1.PNG https://mdedge-files-live.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/files/s...
    - derekp7 7y ago
      I'm talking about both work tasks, and personal. Surprisingly I can get through assigned work tasks typically without issue. It is the tasks that I set out for myself that I have a problem with. Which fits in with why I'm primarily in a systems administration / engineering role -- I can pull on my decades of experience to solve tasks readily, however whenever I have to do a programming / design related task (which I can be fairly good at), I can't pull that off consistently. I can only do that if it is an area I'm not familiar enough with, where I can trick myself into thinking that it isn't that big of a project. But if I end up going down the wrong path and have to start over, then I fall apart and can't even think about working on it anymore. Or if I get a basic system developed (MVP), I find it difficult to work on improvements because the list of things I can do is never ending. For my non-work related projects (open source software, home system builds, woodworking, 3D modeling) I wish I could hire a project manager to oversee my work on them. (would that be a variation of hiring a life coach?)
      - kaybe 7y ago
        I remember this thread, so maybe you can. Boss as a Service – Hire a boss, get stuff done https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18512197 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18512197
- burntoutfire 7y ago
  I fold laundry after ironing so that I can store it unwrinkled in the closet. I clean the kitchen after I cook, as otherwise it would quickly become messy (a biohazard). I don't see a point in making the bed though - I can lie typing this just as well in a bed that's unmade. I feel similarly about cleaning up the dust in the apartment - it just doesn't bother me. I don't know if it's depression or nirvana...
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
agumonkey 7y ago
It can be laziness but I tend to see all these details as a sign of a tad too low mood. It's a relativistic conclusion that, whenever I'm a bit happy, I tend to naturally care more about making beds, picking nicer clothes, etc So I can accept that thinking not doing these can be a sign.
dorkwood 7y ago
The main benefit I've found to making the bed is that it shrinks your subconscious to-do list and helps you concentrate. If you make your bed, clean up the plates on your desk, and pick up your clothes from the floor, then your brain has nowhere to hide -- the only thing left to focus on is the task at hand.
- __s 7y ago
  But making my bed & cleaning were never on my todo list to begin with, so it isn't shrinking my subconscious todo list
  - Apocryphon 7y ago
    Are there any menial tasks that are on your list?
    - __s 7y ago
      Food
  - dorkwood 7y ago
    Well I guess if you never clean or tidy and it doesn't bother you and you're able to remain productive, then what I'm saying doesn't apply.
triceratops 7y ago
Making the bed is a waste of time. Better to let the mattress and sheets breathe and air out. (at least that's how I justify my laziness). Don't sweat it friend.
- kaybe 7y ago
  I'd say that's also a valid way of making the bed. Flip the bedding open, shake up the pillows a little, let it breathe. Then again, sleeping in fresh sheets after a shower is supremely satisfying and might also count.
- prawn 7y ago
  Do both - fold down the quilt/sheet so it looks neat but still breathes. Then make it later on. Takes me five seconds to make the bed and then I appreciate that neatness every time I walk past during the day - easily worth it to me.
warkid 7y ago
Not making your bad could be healthy as it helps killing dust mite: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10493-006-9003-8 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10493-006-9003-8

Is there anything else where you do see a purpose that needs doing? Maybe folding laundry, cleaning the kitchen, etc. That usually makes you feel more comfortable at home. Whatever it is, you can start small. Fold one pair of socks. Clean one dish. Vacuum one room. I think a lot of people don't see any purpose in making a bed.

derekp7 7y ago
For that matter, is there a link between depression and feeling overwhelmed with tasks all the time? Does one cause the other, is it a two way feedback loop, or is there sometimes a separate common cause?
- ThrowawayP 7y ago
  > "For that matter, is there a link between depression and feeling overwhelmed with tasks all the time?" If you're talking about work tasks, that seems more likely to be from occupational burnout. Here's a comparison chart that might be helpful: https://mdedge-files-live.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/files/s3fs-public/CP01810041_t1.PNG https://mdedge-files-live.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/files/s...
  - derekp7 7y ago
    I'm talking about both work tasks, and personal. Surprisingly I can get through assigned work tasks typically without issue. It is the tasks that I set out for myself that I have a problem with. Which fits in with why I'm primarily in a systems administration / engineering role -- I can pull on my decades of experience to solve tasks readily, however whenever I have to do a programming / design related task (which I can be fairly good at), I can't pull that off consistently. I can only do that if it is an area I'm not familiar enough with, where I can trick myself into thinking that it isn't that big of a project. But if I end up going down the wrong path and have to start over, then I fall apart and can't even think about working on it anymore. Or if I get a basic system developed (MVP), I find it difficult to work on improvements because the list of things I can do is never ending. For my non-work related projects (open source software, home system builds, woodworking, 3D modeling) I wish I could hire a project manager to oversee my work on them. (would that be a variation of hiring a life coach?)
    - kaybe 7y ago
      I remember this thread, so maybe you can. Boss as a Service – Hire a boss, get stuff done https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18512197 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18512197
burntoutfire 7y ago
I fold laundry after ironing so that I can store it unwrinkled in the closet. I clean the kitchen after I cook, as otherwise it would quickly become messy (a biohazard). I don't see a point in making the bed though - I can lie typing this just as well in a bed that's unmade. I feel similarly about cleaning up the dust in the apartment - it just doesn't bother me. I don't know if it's depression or nirvana...
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]

agumonkey 7y ago

It can be laziness but I tend to see all these details as a sign of a tad too low mood. It's a relativistic conclusion that, whenever I'm a bit happy, I tend to naturally care more about making beds, picking nicer clothes, etc So I can accept that thinking not doing these can be a sign.

dorkwood 7y ago

The main benefit I've found to making the bed is that it shrinks your subconscious to-do list and helps you concentrate. If you make your bed, clean up the plates on your desk, and pick up your clothes from the floor, then your brain has nowhere to hide -- the only thing left to focus on is the task at hand.

__s 7y ago
But making my bed & cleaning were never on my todo list to begin with, so it isn't shrinking my subconscious todo list
- Apocryphon 7y ago
  Are there any menial tasks that are on your list?
  - __s 7y ago
    Food
- dorkwood 7y ago
  Well I guess if you never clean or tidy and it doesn't bother you and you're able to remain productive, then what I'm saying doesn't apply.

triceratops 7y ago

Making the bed is a waste of time. Better to let the mattress and sheets breathe and air out. (at least that's how I justify my laziness). Don't sweat it friend.

kaybe 7y ago
I'd say that's also a valid way of making the bed. Flip the bedding open, shake up the pillows a little, let it breathe. Then again, sleeping in fresh sheets after a shower is supremely satisfying and might also count.
prawn 7y ago
Do both - fold down the quilt/sheet so it looks neat but still breathes. Then make it later on. Takes me five seconds to make the bed and then I appreciate that neatness every time I walk past during the day - easily worth it to me.

warkid 7y ago

Not making your bad could be healthy as it helps killing dust mite: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10493-006-9003-8 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10493-006-9003-8