Since I started my first day of my freshman year of college I have religiously made my bed every single morning, and I don't see myself stopping anytime soon. The act of making my bed itself is not extraordinary: I'm sure a significant portion of the population makes their bed every morning out of habit or considers it a daily chore. It does not make me special or unique in any way. The meaning I give to making my bed, however, makes it special to me.

Growing up I never consistently made my bed in the mornings. Maybe if I had extra time or if it was a cleaning day, but generally my bed remained an unkempt mess while I wasn't sleeping in it. It never bothered me. Usually, the first thing I would do when I came home from school was straighten up my room which included making my bed. If no one was going to see it during the day, there's no point in making it. I never really liked the feeling of leaving my room looking messy in the mornings, but I always came up with excuses as to why I just didn't have the 10 seconds to move pillows and sheets.

So when I woke up on my first morning of living at college, I didn't know what to do. I laid in my tiny twin bed and stared at my cracked ceiling and started to stress myself out. I thought about everything I wanted to do this morning and later today and everything I still needed to do before classes started. I immediately became overwhelmed with the reality of my new situation. How was I supposed to get through four years of this if I couldn't even handle the first morning? "Well, I could start by making my bed I guess." So I got up, made my bed, then went about my day, and I've been doing it ever since.

Making my bed every morning is a choice, not a chore. I get to decide that when I wake up every morning, the first thing I do is accomplish a task. Even though it's just something as simple as making my bed, I'm still doing something productive with my energy. I start every day knowing I immediately got something done after stepping out of bed; it's an empowering feeling. It gives me a sense of grounding and eases me into a day of productivity. Afterward, I can go, "Alright, what's next?" and even the most daunting of days get a little bit easier. Even if the rest of my morning goes absolutely horrible I can still think "You know at least my bed's made." and I feel a little bit better. Moreover, it also gives me something to look forward to at the end of the day. There is no better feeling than being able to come home and jump straight onto a made a bed. It reminds me that the effort I put in at the beginning of my day does not go underappreciated.

For some people making their bed is at the end of their to-do list but for me, it's a crucial part of my morning routine. It's a waking up ritual in which I can leave a space cleaner than how it was and start every day one less thing to worry about. If you find yourself struggling to get started in the mornings, or lack a sense of motivation, I thoroughly encourage you to start making your bed. Be careful though, you might just make it a habit!