Have you ever gone to bed thinking, “Did I make the most of my day? Did I accomplish everything I could?” I’ll be honest, I usually do it every night. And most of the time I’ll look back on my day and remember that I wanted to finish all sorts of tasks, such as homework, work, catching up on my favorite Netflix show, laundry, food, friends, family, and so on. And if we think about it, we really don’t have enough time in the day to accomplish all those tasks. That is not necessarily a bad thing. The real problem comes when we wake up and do not accomplish the tasks we set out to do before, the tasks that we really needed to accomplish (such as homework and work.)
So what can we do to actually become more accomplished throughout our day? Well, I have been experimenting, and although it sounds quite simple, it works.
Make your bed every morning. Some of you are probably thinking, “I already do.” And to you, I say, "Great Job! Keep it up". And others of you are probably thinking, “Ugh, why? Another thing I have to do.” But before you stop reading this article, let me take a minute and explain the how’s and the why’s.
How is this even effective, well let’s take a minute and look at a couple of examples from different organizations that make it a rule to make their beds every morning and what impact it has on them. To start us off, let’s look at Army Boot Camp. They wake up at 5 A.M. and the first task of the day is to make their bed. Not only do they make their bed, but it has to be done tight and made correctly or else they have to do a couple extra push-ups. The Army is one of the most disciplined organizations in the world, and their first task of the day is to make their bed. Making their bed helps them accomplish that first task of the day. It allows them to be prepared for more tasks that they need to accomplish throughout the day. At the end of the day when they sit in bed and think, “Wow! What a day!”
Another group that has an expectation of making their beds every morning is The Missionaries for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you know, the guys who come knocking on your door, with white shirts and ties, asking if you want to learn more about Jesus Christ. The missionaries also live a disciplined lifestyle. And they have to accomplish a lot of tasks throughout their day as well. Making their bed in the morning really sets them up for the ability to succeed the rest of the day.
I have personally been experimenting with this for a couple of weeks now. And let me just say, it works for me. When I make my bed in the morning I feel as if I can pretty much accomplish any other task that I have throughout the day. I made my bed, what else can I do today? I challenge you to try this out if you already are not making your bed, I can promise you that you will feel a difference — Not just in you, but even my roommates have noticed and they have complemented me for it. So give it a shot, and you’ll have an accomplished day.
