Why You Should Make Your Bed Every Day

Do you make your bed every day?

If you don’t, you are not alone. Some surveys have found that less than 30% of people make their beds every day.

Earlier in my life, I never made my bed. It was partly because of laziness. It was also partly because I was rushing every morning and never felt like there was enough time- even though it takes less than a minute.

Around my thirtieth birthday, I started making my bed every day. These days, I cannot imagine leaving my bed messy in the morning. This simple habit has become such a critical part of my morning routine that I even make my bed when on vacation and staying at a hotel.

3 Benefits of Making Your Bed Every Day

Based on my experience (and the latest scientific research), you will experience many benefits when you make your bed every day. Here are three of the biggest benefits:

1. You start the day with a sense of accomplishment.

It might sound crazy to someone who doesn’t make their bed, but this simple habit is very satisfying. It gives you a sense of accomplishment, even though it takes less than a minute.

2. You set off a positive chain reaction.

Making your bed is one of the best domino habits. As written here, a domino habit is my term for a special kind of habit that sets off a chain reaction of other habits. Domino habits can work for you or against you, and making your bed works for you. Each time that you “knock over the first domino,” other good habits (dominoes) will also fall naturally.

3. You sleep better.

When you make your bed in the morning, it looks much more inviting when you re-enter your bedroom to go to sleep that night. That puts you in a calmer state of mind and helps you fall asleep faster. The opposite is also true. If your bed looks sloppy when you enter your bedroom, your sleep quality will suffer.

Make Your Bed (and Change the World?)

If you still are not sold on this simple but powerful habit, consider the following advice from William McRaven, a retired U.S. Navy four-star admiral. Here is an excerpt from a commencement speech that he delivered at the University of Texas at Austin in 2014: ¹

“If you want 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 another task and another and another. By the end of the day, that one task completed will have turned into many tasks completed. Making your bed will also reinforce the fact that the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right.”

McRaven’s speech went viral with millions of views online. He went on to publish a New York Times best-selling book. It’s titled Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life…And Maybe the World.

Summary and Final Thoughts

It takes less than one minute to make your bed. There are many benefits of incorporating this domino habit into your morning routine. Studies have found that people who start their days with this habit are happier, healthier, and calmer than people who do not.

If you don’t typically make your bed every day, do it tomorrow. You will be happy that you did.

References

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3sK3wJAxGfs

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About the author: Pete Leibman is the Creator of StrongerHabits.com. He is a best-selling author, keynote speaker, executive recruiter, athlete, and peak performance coach. His work has been featured on Fox News, CBS Radio, and CNNMoney.com, and over 500,000 people across the world have read his articles.