A Skeptic's Adventures in Bed Making

Graduating students of the University of Texas gather in 2014 for their commencement address. They're one of the lucky cohorts, and they have a real ringer for a speaker this year, a Navy Seal, now Admiral, with a all the rhetoric and persuasive prowess of a master orator. His advice to them? It's simple, memorable, poignant, and would be soon heard around the world: make your bed.

"If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed. 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... It 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."

- Admiral William McRaven, 2014

My response to this advice? Being irreverent and defiant as ever, it was naturally to dismiss it has self-help humbuggery. I've never cared about having a made bed, and my spouse and I are on opposite schedules anyway, so why bother? Since Admiral McRaven's speech, I've even heard the question, "did you make your bed this morning" find its way into job interviews. I always thought my response would be something along the lines of, "I use my resources and energy wisely and on high-impact tasks. I don't waste them. So no... I did not make my bed this morning."

However, given that "A Skeptic's Adventures in Bedmaking" does an alarmingly good job of capturing the theme of self-development that's been in my life since the infamous May 2020, I eventually decided that I couldn't continue to criticize the "make your bed" advice until I gave it a chance and tried it for myself.

I resolved to make my bed every day for a month, 31 days. Each night, I incorporated the fact that I made the bed into my nightly journaling as best I could. This was all with the purpose of determining whether there was something to this advice. The hardest part was continuing to approach it with an open mind, holding off on thinking about my conclusions or remarks on the experience until after that month was up. After all, they don't make just anyone a Navy Seal, much less an Admiral; perhaps the bed making methodology deserved the scientific approach.

The First Lesson

I almost hate to admit this, but the first lesson I learned is that having a made bed is kind of nice. It makes a huge difference in how clean and put together the room feels. I shouldn't have been surprised; my spouse is an avid blanket lover, and the clutter of blankets on the couch has always been something of a pet peeve of mine. It's incredibly easy to remedy and more an illusion of a mess than an actual one, but it still impacts me. Turns out, the same principle applies to beds.

This initial conclusion came after just two days, and I make no comment yet on how this has affected my productivity, attitude, or motivation. I do admit that it adds aesthetic to the room. Furthermore, I've noticed that my spouse seems to feel like things are more "put together" and managed when little tasks like that are complete, which likewise has made it a good use of time.

Lesson one, putting the bed back together is a good use of my time (sigh).

One Task Will Lead to Another

In a previous article, I discussed how "a body in motion tends to stay in motion" applies just as much to productivity as it does to physics. I think it's safe to conclude that Admiral McRaven is saying something similar with his bed making example. Clearly, it's a notion that I agree with. Accomplishing a task really does lead to another one, whereas cutting a corner or sitting down to procrastinate a task makes it harder to get back into a productive state. Breaks and time off are incredibly valuable, but when you're in the middle of something or specifically trying to be productive, they need to be strategic.

Where I'm not so sure I'm on board with Admiral McRaven is in the implication that making your bed is the universal way to set this momentum each day. From my experience, I've found that setting myself to a helpful task as soon as I sit down at my office or desk sets a stronger tone than what I did in my morning routine. Regardless of whether I made my bed, the first "meaningful" task that's either avoided or tackled seems to do a better job of setting my momentum.

I have already admitted that having a made bed is serving me more than I thought, but it does still feel a little arbitrary to me. To some, however, making the bed might be a great way to start the day. If I head out to work without having brushed my teeth or if my hair is a wreck, that sets a negative tone (I'd imagine most would agree with that). So, why does it have to be bed making? Why not washing your hair, making your own coffee, giving yourself enough time to do your makeup, or doing bible reading? My thought is to pick the thing that will make you feel like your day is starting on the right foot, and prioritize doing that well.

The Little Things in Life Matter

When I hear this sentiment, my mind first goes to having a drink with a friend, taking a walk in the woods, getting coffee with your spouse, and other mindful little things that make life beautiful. That doesn't seem to be what Admiral McRaven is talking about; rather, he seems to be saying that any task that's worth doing is worth doing well. Things like making the bed may seem arbitrary but, in his eyes, they are still worth demonstrating excellence.

As the type of person who likes to start many things and only finish a few, that pursuit of excellence has always been an area of growth for me. Personally, I'd rather focus on the drinks, woods, and coffees. Still, as a lover of shortcuts, I know this is something I need to continue to challenge myself on.

I can admit that making the bed has broadened my perspective on whether certain tasks are worth doing. I have found unexpected value in making the bed; perhaps I would likewise find value in being more regularly thorough on other chores and tasks. In some ways, this experience, or at least the mindfulness that has come with doing it so intentionally, has led to me accomplishing more small things that I would usually put on the backburner or ignore altogether. However, has making the bed for a month made it any easier to focus on excellence for other tasks? Not really. I continue to make strides in this area, but I have to say, I really don't see any tie back to making the bed.

Conclusions

Admiral McRaven's example of making the bed is a powerful one to illustrate his points about productive momentum and pursuing excellence. Ultimately, I agree with everything he gets across in his speech, and there is obviously a reason that we're all familiar with it: it's quite good. Where I think it becomes slightly less universal is that his bed making example comes across as less an analogy and more a highly literal suggestion. It added rhetorical strength to his speech, but may have made it less poignant to some audiences that just don't care much about bed making.

Based on my experience having made my bed for a month, is there anything magical about making your bed? No, I don't think so. Is there something to be said for completing small tasks just to build momentum? Definitely, and if making the bed is a good way to do that for you, that's great! Is it true that the small things matter, and that if something is worth doing, it's worth doing right? Yes, most of the time anyway. That doesn't mean that every single thing needs to be done perfectly, but if you care about something, odds are you'll be better served by doing it well.

With these speeches and remarks that smack of self-help, I find myself consistently landing on this sentiment, "that's a valuable thought. It won't apply fully to everyone, because everyone is different."

Still, overall, I have to say that this was a positive experience. The path from making your bed to becoming an Admiral, CEO, or influencer may not be quite as connected as the speech's pathos implies; however, at the end of the day, I've resolved to keep making my bed, so make of that what you will!

*Side note, apparently some health experts are saying that leaving your bed unmade can help prevent dust mites and keep your bedding fresher. This doesn't seem to be a unanimous opinion. Put this one right up there with whether red wine is good for you or not. We may never know for sure!