good habits

You probably know all the excuses:

“It’s just going to get unmade again tonight.”

“I don’t have time.”

“No one is going to see it anyway.”

“My mom isn’t here to make me do it.”

“My cat is curled up in the sheets”

Excuses are easy, but when it comes right down to it, so is making your bed each morning. A quick fluff of the pillows and tug of the sheets and comforter literally takes seconds, and is the easiest way to make your entire bedroom look better instantly.

Beyond that, however, there are some surprising benefits to making your bed each day.

It Starts Your Day Off Right.

It might be a small accomplishment, but it sets the tone for the entire day. Perhaps no one has extolled this virtue of making the bed each morning as well as Naval Admiral William McRaven, the commander of U.S. Special Operations. In a 2014 commencement speech at University of Texas at Austin, Admiral McRaven said:

“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 little things in life matter.”

Powerful words, and you don't have to be able to bounce a coin off your military-style-made bed to benefit from them.

It Encourages You to Keep Your Room Tidy.

Even the most organized bedroom looks less tidy with an unmade bed, and the converse is also true -- when the bed is made, it helps the rest of the room look styled, even if it is not perfect. Better still, once you are in the habit of making your bed, it’s likely that you’ll feel inspired to improve your bedroom’s appearance in other ways, even if very small.

From tiny beginnings, great things grow. Maybe next, you'll tackle the closet.

It Leads to Better Productivity.