EP 25- Arrow Tip Tuesday: Why Making your Bed Changes the World
I never used to understand people who made their bed. Why bother taking the time when you are going to be getting back in and making it messy at the end of the day anyways?
As I mentioned in episode 17 in the article I wrote, Throwing Away 9 Trash Bags of Clothes Changed my Life, I am inherently a slob and tend to be suspicious of those whose living space smell of Windex and resembles a vacated crime scene. .
What are they trying to hide??
But, awhile back I read a quote from Commander Navy Seal, William H Mcraven, that peaked my feathers.
“If you want to to change the world, start off by making your bed. 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 one task and then another. And by the end of the day that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed and It will reinforce the idea that the little things in life matter.”
Ohhh snapp. Did he just equate making your bed with changing the world??
I’m down to change the world, so I figured it was worth a shot.
I did. And now I always, always, always make my bed. Here’s why:
Charles Duhigg, author of bestseller The Power of Habit, calls this kind of habit, a “keystone habit” because it creates a positive change that will then set in motion your ability to perform other good behaviors.
Once I make my bed, it symbolizes that my day is starting, and it is my first opportunity to demonstrate that I am taking control of my day.
There are so many uncertainties in life. Even if you begin the day with the best intentions, things can go sideways fast.
You could slip on a banana peel on the way to training, get side swiped in your car, yelled at by your coach, miss the game-winning shot…. the possibilities are endless.
But, no matter how crappy your day is, when you come home and all you want to do is sleep, you will see that at the very least you made your bed. Not all is lost.
It’s such a small habit, but I am learning that I am a highly visual person. If I see a distraction in the my outer life, I’m going to feel off internally. So making my bed is one action I can take to help me reduce that stress.
Also, think about when you stay at a hotel. When I am traveling with my team and enter my hotel room, I get giddy when I see the bed covers are tucked in crispier than a newly minted dollar bill. Sometimes I do think the covers are so snug they make me feel like I’m going going to lose circulation, however that’s just a personal preference. The beauty about making your own bed, is you call the shots.
If you’re a science-based person, a recent study showed “71 percent of bed makers consider themselves happy, while 62 percent of non-bed-makers admit to being unhappy. Bed makers are also more likely to enjoy their jobs, own a home, exercise regularly, and feel well rested, whereas non-bed-makers hate their jobs, rent apartments, avoid the gym, and wake up tired.”
There’s something to be said about making beds.
Arrow Tip: Make your bed
If you still feel you are too lazy to make your bed, then here’s a video on how to make your bed while you are still in it:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nD8y1kRpMqw
No excuses to at least try it! if you don’t like it, you can go back to crumpled sheets.
Do you make your bed? Does it make you feel as happy as me? Let me know in the comments
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