Let’s be real, the last thing we want to do in the morning as we run out the door is make our bed. For some, it may not even cross your mind. Why take the time to do something that seems like it won’t even matter when you and your significant other will be the only ones to see and actually know if the bed is in fact made, right?! The fact is though, making your bed is THE best way to start your day. Let me convince you why you should take the time to do this simple task in the morning.
The average time to make your bed takes two minutes! The more you start to make your bed every day the less tangled the sheets will become and it will get easier and faster to fold up those sheets and blankets!
It will help with allergies! If you have pets that shed you know how easily all that hair seems to make it around your house. If you make your bed, you will prevent the dander from accumulating in your bed. Allergies in general this year have just been terrible. Why not take the time for a two minute task to help with your sneezing and itchy watery eyes.
Making your bed will help lead to other productive tasks during the day. I could not explain it better than this – “Making your bed every morning is correlated with better productivity, a greater sense of well-being, and stronger skills at sticking with a budget,” wrote Charles Duhigg in his book, The Power of Habit. “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.”
There is nothing better than starting your day with a simple task you can check off your list first thing in the morning. It will give you a feeling of accomplishment and allow you to feel like you are ready to take on the day on a positive note knowing one thing is already done. It’s such a small thing to do that doesn’t seem like it will matter, but it will influence the bigger picture of your day.
What a great feeling it is to come home to a made bed! Think about when you spend the night in a hotel and what a great feeling it is to crawl into a freshly made bed at night. You can have that feeling everyday by taking just two minutes every morning to make your bed.
Not the last one out of bed in the morning? I get that it can be hard to make your bed every morning especially if someone is still in the bed when you leave. Talk to them about how important it is to make your bed every morning and ask them to make the bed when they wake up.
I would encourage you to watch the YouTube video of Admiral William H. McRaven in his 2014 commencement speech to the University of Texas. Five minutes into his speech he focuses on the ten lessons he learned in life from Basic Seal Training, and the first lesson he talks of is making your bed!
So, here is your assignment for the next week – Find two extra minutes in your morning to Make Your Bed! I know you will notice a big difference in the way you feel starting and ending your day, productivity, stress, and allergies. Good luck!