A Simple Habit to Motivate Your Life

“Change might not be fast and it isn’t always easy. But with time and effort, almost any habit can be reshaped.”

— Charles Duhigg

Today I’m writing about one simple habit and honestly, I couldn’t believe its power. Everyday there are routines you perform, many without much thought. Did you know that one of the best cures if you feel overwhelmed or stressed is to make your bed? The concept is to get one part of your day totally in order so you feel you have more control. In the book, The Power of Habits, by Charles Duhigg, he refers to making your bed as a “keystone habit”. These are habits that lead to other really great habits like eating right, exercising, etc.

In his 2014 commencement address at the University of Texas, Admiral William McRaven shared why it's so important to make your bed every morning:

“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, 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 the little things in life matter. If you can’t do the little things right, you’ll never be able to do the big things right. If by chance you have a miserable day, you will come home to a bed that is made. That you made! A made bed gives you encouragement that tomorrow will be better. So if you want to change the world, start off by making your bed.”

I love this speech because I used to never make my bed. I always said, what’s the point when I’m getting right back in it. It felt like a time consuming task I didn’t want to follow, but then when my decorator, Stacia Pierce, who designed my home talked to me about the power of positive habits like making my bed, I instantly changed my thought process. Now, I can’t image walking out the door with a messy bed, because I love that feeling of order when I return from a long day and see my beautifully decorated bed that is made.