Making it a habit to make your bed every morning may be one of the most important lessons you ever learn.

You use your bed every day, and you know that when you do, it’s going to get messed up. So why bother making it neat and tidy every morning? As it turns out, there’s a very strong case for developing a bed-making habit—and it’s not just to make your parents happy.

In a 2014 commencement speech at the University of Texas, US Admiral and former Navy SEAL William H McCraven told students that making his bed every day was one of the most important lessons he learned during his time in the Service. In his speech, McCraven notes that making your bed gives you a sense of accomplishment early in the day. It’s a small task, but it encourages you to do another task, and another task, until eventually, you end your day as a role model of productivity.

In fact, McCraven believes in the practice so much that he wrote a book about it, called Make Your Bed: Little Things Can Change Your Life...and Maybe the World.

Before you decide you’re too busy raising a family or keeping up with a demanding career, consider that making your bed can help you start every day on a high note and maximise your productivity.

The Benefits of Bed Making

It’s not just the act of making your bed that spurs productivity. Doing something so simple reinforces the idea that details and other little things in life matter. If you can’t get the little things right, then you won’t be able to handle the big things. And whether you’re chasing children all day or working face-to-face with clients, your day is filled with big things that require you to show up in big ways.

Once you make your bed in the morning, you’ll already have something to check off your to-do list (even if you never intended to put it on your to-do list in the first place).

The National Sleep Foundation reinforces the idea that people who make their bed in the morning tend to get a better night’s sleep because a made bed contributes to a tidy, organised room. It makes your room look instantly cleaner, even if you have laundry on the floor or dust on your furniture. And if you don’t believe it, just put it to the test!

When you come home at the end of a long day, you have a ready-made bed to fall into. There’s no wrestling with the sheets or tucking in corners when you’re already tired and drained of energy. You don’t have to worry about rearranging and fluffing pillows. And you don’t have to worry about your linens getting dirty by staying on the floor all day until you’re ready to use them again.

A made-up bed has a relaxing effect on you, whether or not you realise it, and can make your mind feel more organised, too. It’s a way to control the chaos in your room and, ultimately, in your own perceptions.

And once you develop a bed-making habit, you may find that you start developing other good habits, too. For example, you might not toss your dirty clothes on the floor or leave wet towels in the bathroom. You might start taking care to organise and tidy more often instead of letting clutter accumulate and create chaos. Hey, you might even set a good example for your kids to follow!

The key is to make bed-making a routine so that you can continue to enjoy its benefits.

How to Develop Your Morning Bed Making Routine

The words “habit” and “routine” are often used interchangeably, but they actually mean two different things.

The difference between the two is intention. Doing something out of habit means doing so automatically. You don’t have to give it much thought, and there may be little to no rhyme or reason behind your actions. A routine, however, is something you cultivate on purpose. It requires deliberation and desire to do a particular thing, such as making your bed each morning.

With enough practice, a routine can turn into a habit, which can make it easier to stay consistent.

To start, you might set yourself a reminder in the morning. Use mindfulness to understand why you’re making your bed and what you expect a made-up bed to do for you (e.g.m make you feel more relaxed, make your room look more organised, etc.).

Once you make your bed, admire the final results. Take a moment to be proud of your work. And when it’s time to get into your bed at night, soak in these moments and appreciate a job well done. The more you enjoy the benefits of your efforts, the faster you can make your routine stick.

How to Make the Perfect Bed

Making your bed-making routine stick is easier once you master the technique. Hotels have truly turned bed-making into an art, complete with crisp corners and tightly tucked sheets. Luxury hotels iron their sheets to create crisp linens that help them stay in place when making the bed.

To start, you’ll want to focus on smoothing the bottom layer first. Lumps in the bottom layer will make the other layers bumpy, too. If you have a mattress topper, pull it tight and smooth it out before fitting your first sheet.

Smooth out the wrinkles in your sheets by spraying a fine mist and smoothing with your hand. Once you’re ready to add the comforter, give it a karate chop about 50cm from the top, then fold over your arm to make an even fold on both sides. From there, you can add your pillows. Flatten each pillow by smoothing it from the centre outward, then stand up your pillows against the headboard to make them look full. If you’re into aesthetics, grab a throw or accent blanket and drape it across your bed for an extra pop of colour or texture.

Making Beds Easier with Bedsmade

Making the perfect bed is a lot easier when you have a set of sheets you like. We spend a third of our lives sleeping, but we also spend other time in our bed. Therefore, it makes sense to invest in a quality set of linen that will make you love every moment you spend surrounded by them.

Bedsmade will also make you love the way your bed feels! Its fabric’s are made from organic cotton, which are soft and gentle on the skin and transform your bed into a luxury hotel. And who couldn’t use a little more zen in their life?