How you start your day sets the tone for how it unfolds.
When I work with clients on improving their productivity and creating new habits and rituals we always seem to trace things back to the first hour of the day.
For over 8 years I’ve started every day with my Fitness First ritual. Exercising first thing in the morning is a great way to move stagnant energy and it helps me plug in my ADHD brain so I can focus.
Fitness First followed by a brief meditation practice helps me start my days with a sense of peace and calm, inoculated from the frenzy of the world.
My morning rituals play a crucial role in getting my day started well.
This is how I create space for my best work.
There are a lot of benefits to a morning workout, and if you’re looking to make a change this is one that will pay dividends throughout your day and on a long term basis.
But there’s actually something even more simple you can do. It’s so deeply conditioned in me — a real habit — that I overlooked it because of the biased assumption that everyone does it.
It turns out that many people do not do this.
And it might be the easiest, lowest-friction change you can make to your mornings that will radically alter your day.
Make your bed.
Honestly I can’t believe I am even writing this. I tend to focus on the complex stuff; the heavy lifting of morning workouts and meditation (haha), the role emotions play in our behavior, the unprocessed loss and grief, the prison of fear and resistance. .
It’s so like me to focus on the difficult things while overlooking the easy and obvious things.
Unless you are bedridden, you’re going to get out of bed.
Once you’re out of bed, make the bed. It doesn’t need to be fancy with hospital corners. No drill sergeant is coming by to bounce a quarter off of it.
Just smooth out the sheets, pull the blanket over the bed, and fluff the pillows.
It’s that simple. And that easy.
I cannot fathom a situation in which I don’t make my bed every morning. I even make my bed when I stay in a hotel. You never know what time you’re room will be cleaned. I don’t wait for someone else to do it.
Here are 3 reasons why this is so essential to a great day:
(1) It Sends a Message
I often want to get back into bed, especially in the cold winter months. Making the bed sends a message to my brain that the day has started. An unmade bed invites you in. A made bed says “it’s not time for sleep now.” It’s a signal to get moving on my day.
(2) Build Momentum
If you’re the type of person who adds things to your list that you’ve already done, just so you can feel good about checking them off, this is an easy win for you.
Making your bed when you wake up gives you something to check off your list before you’re even fully awake.
Accomplishing small tasks builds momentum for the bigger tasks you’ll face later.
(3) The Zen Effect
It feels good to walk into clean and organized spaces. Your outer environment plays a big role in how you feel inside. A made bed helps me feel calm and relaxed. It puts my nervous system at ease, which creates better physiological conditions for working.
This is especially relevant when you work from home — even if you’re not working from your bedroom. But it’s also relevant if you work outside of your house.
When I leave my living space clean and organized I don’t have the list of chores running through the back of my mind all day. That frees my mind space for more important thoughts.
Also it’s nice to come home to an orderly house and a made bed.
Low Friction, High Payoff
I know you may be thinking,
Why bother making the bed? I’m just going to mess it up again.
It’s time to retire that excuse. You’re going to get dirty too. But you take a shower. You brush your teeth.
Making your bed has a high payoff in terms of the cognitive energy it frees up. And it’s perhaps the lowest friction habit you can create in your morning. You’re out of the bed. All you need to do is straighten out the blanket and fluff the pillows.
You don’t have to go anywhere. And no heavy lifting required.
Wake up. Make your bed.
a tip to feel great
start your day a step ahead
wake up make your bed
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