3 Reasons You Can’t Afford Not to Make Your Bed

I confess: I’m a self-help junkie. (Admitting it is the first step, right?) I’ve read a small library’s worth of books on productivity: how to generate it, maximize it, and how to avoid the pitfalls of procrastination. But my current favorite productivity hack is one of the simplest out there. So simple, in fact, that you probably learned it as a child. Want to accomplish more: make your bed. Why? Three reasons:

1. Making your bed sets the tone for the rest of your day.

U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McCraven, a man who has made a serious impact on the world, said, "If you make your bed every morning, you will have accomplished the first task of the day. 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.” He believes so firmly in the principle that he’s even written a book called Make Your Bed: The Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World.

I love the instant feeling of success that comes when I mark something off my to-do list, no matter how small. Is it a mind game? Maybe. Life hack?? For sure. And if it starts me on the path of success, I’ll take it!

2. Making your bed is empowering.

This simple act generates power (this is one of my life’s keywords)! It’s an exercise in self-discipline, a small habit that leads to self-mastery and the ability to do more. Think of a professional athlete who has pushed his or her body to do what many would consider impossible. To someone who hasn’t put in the time, the effort, the work, it would be. But through the power of self-discipline, these impossibilities become reality. Even more importantly, the simple action of making your bed helps you OWN your power and fulfill the responsibility associated with your autonomy! (BAM! Ownership and responsibility, two other of my life’s keywords.)

3. Making the bed is a “potentiator” for other good practices.

In chemistry, a potentiator is an additive that starts or speeds up a chemical reaction. Making your bed can be that trigger. In his book The Power of Habit, Charles Duhigg states, "Making your bed every morning is correlated with better productivity, a greater sense of well-being, and stronger skills at sticking with a budget. It's not that a family meal or a tidy bed causes better grades or less frivolous spending. But somehow those initial shifts start chain reactions that help other good habits take hold."

I find that making my bed clears my head, allowing me to focus on the things I want to accomplish the rest of the day. According to the Huffington Post, it’s an act of mindfulness. If it helps, think of making your bed as a morning meditation. The chance to think and focus through action, rather than a morning chore.

Not a consistent bed maker yet? Here are some ways to get started:

• Set a reminder on your phone
• Post a visual note on your mirror or your refrigerator
• Find an accountability partner – a spouse would work great!
• Connect it with something else you do every day automatically – I love this principle and have used it to hone my own morning prayers/meditation.

Congratulations! You are now prepped and ready to take your first step toward success. Now, I only have one question for you: Have you made your bed yet?