Make Your Bed

"Outer order leads to inner calm"

Hi Friend!

Three little words for success….every day. Most of us heard these words since we were children. “Make your bed”

With that, there are two types of people—those that make their bed and those that leave it undone each day. Some people would sooner leave the house naked than not make their bed. Others do it without even thinking about why—or even really realizing they are doing it.

Making the bed each morning is far more than a chore or about simply keeping your room neat. Instead, it's a way to begin the morning in an organized manner and with a clean slate that helps to make the most of your day.

Making the bed is about setting an intention to do the little things that bring about an orderly, thoughtful, responsible, balanced, or successful day/life. In addition to providing a quick sense of daily accomplishment, some people find making the bed calming as well.

Benefits

Making your bed may seem like a small task, but it can have a big impact on your day. Here are some of the benefits:

Starts your day off on a positive note

Making your bed first thing is a positive act, which could put you in a mindset to tick off other items on your to-do list and fulfil your responsibilities for the day. This increase in motivation can greatly benefit other areas of your life.

Additionally, making your bed when you don't want to - perhaps on a gloomy Monday morning - can help enforce mental discipline. While your brain and body might try to resist making the bed, engaging your mind and bringing its attention back under your control can help you develop more self-discipline.

Offers a sense of accomplishment

Making your bed each morning can be a 'keystone habit'. Keystone habits produce a ripple effect where one little positive change has the potential to produce other smart choices and positive changes throughout the day.

Making your bed in the morning can feel like an achievement in the morning. You can view it as an accomplishment before you've even eaten your breakfast.

If you are someone who struggles to make their bed (perhaps due to lack of motivation or mental illness), trying to get into the habit of doing so could be a real mood-booster. Despite being a mundane task, it can be something to celebrate if it frequently presents challenges. Particularly if you're in a slump and lacking in self-belief, the act of making your bed proves you can accomplish something. Bed-making is not a cure for mental health conditions, such as depression: however, it can help you adopt a more optimistic mindset and regain a small sense of control over your life.

After tidying your bed up, you can then head towards the day knowing you've already had a victory and there's a freshly made bed for you to come home to.

Boosts your mood

We spend approximately a great amount of time in our bedrooms. Therefore, a tidy bedroom can help calm your mind and help you feel grounded, as opposed to being surrounded by disorganization.

A neatly made bed can not only make your room look more inviting, but it can create an atmosphere of tranquility. As a result, this can lift your mood and lighten your emotional burdens.

One of the most common simple changes that lea to happiness is learning to make your bed each morning and stick with it.

Improves your sleep

Just as a straightened bed seems to be a powerful signal that it's time to start your day, a made bed may also be more pleasant to slip into at bedtime. Non-bed-makers are more likely to be night owls who snooze their alarm in the morning, while those who make their bed tend to wake up naturally without needing an alarm.

Sleep hygiene includes anything that might be distracting to a sleeper, such as noise, light, stress, and mess. So, a cluttered bedroom and undone bed could be hindering your sleep. Eliminating any potential distractions from your bedroom enhances your sleep.

Tips for Making Your Bed

If you want to start making your bed in the mornings, it's more likely to become a daily habit if you incorporate it into your routine. It may take more conscious effort at the start but after you reliably make it for a week or two, it will likely become reflexive, like brushing your teeth.

Building a habit like bed-making into your day can help to establish a healthy schedule, the benefits of which may spill over into many aspects of life, such as executive function, emotional regulation, productivity, and sleep. Try these suggestions to make it a habit:

• Link the activity to something you already do. So if you always brush your teeth each morning, try following that with making your bed.

• Aim to do it right then—it only takes a minute. If you put it off, thinking you'll come back later, you may easily forget. You may be tempted to skip it because you're likely to be tired and/or in a rush.

• Post a note or set a reminder on your phone. This can be helpful if you tend to forget.

• Remember that the process can be as simple as pulling up the covers.

By making your bed each morning, you're taking a small step towards a more organized and fulfilling life.

Do you make your bed every morning?

XO Jenna