Why Make Your Bed In The Morning?

Hot Tip:Invest in a good mattress cover and the best quality sheets you can afford. Also, splurge for some good pillows and a comforter or bed spread you love. We all spend quite a bit of time in bed—you might as well strive for the best night’s sleep you can.

Are your mornings typically hectic? Chances are they are. Children have to be fed and dressed. Lunches have to be packed and backpacks checked. Last of all, you have to get yourself ready for work and maybe grab the dry cleaning to drop off. If there is any time to spare, and you remembered to don your superwoman cape, you might even throw something into the slow cooker. For most of us, the last thing we are thinking about doing is making our bed. 

Maybe you should reconsider. I recently read the remarks made by Naval Adm. William H. McRaven, ninth commander of U.S. Special Operations Command at the University-wide Commencement at The University of Texas at Austin on May 17, 2014. His entire speech is incredible, so if you have a few minutes, go online and find it. 

The Admiral told the graduating class about ten things he learned from SEAL training. Guess what the first thing was? Yep. You guessed it. Make your bed in the morning! McRaven explained that in basic SEAL training, every morning his instructors would visit the barracks to inspect their beds. He said, “If you did it right, the corners would be square, the covers pulled tight, the pillow centered just under the headboard and the extra blanket folded neatly at the foot of the the rackrack—that’s Navy talk for bed.” He went on to say that even though it was a “mundane” task, it meant you accomplished your first task of the day. He said, “It will give you a small sense of pride and it will encourage you to do another task and another and another.” He also said, “If you can’t do the little things right, you will never do the big things right.” 

I grew up in a home with three older brothers—that meant keeping things neat and clean was always a challenge. I only really had control of my bedroom—that was my corner of the world. Being an organized person—even as a child, I almost always made my bed. Even in college when I certainly didn’t have to make my bed, I almost always did. It just gave me a sense of order. 

When our four children were young, I still tried to make our bed—even if nobody was going to see it but us. When the rest of your life—even your mornings, is chaotic, there is something calming about walking into your bedroom and the bed is made. 

Even if you are not a neat freak, why not try making your bed every morning for a week? See if it makes a difference in your attitude and stress level. Let me know your thoughts!