Why I’m Committing to Making My Bed Every Morning
As I mentioned in my previous blog post last week, I will be following 9 specific micro-habits as goals to start off 2026. I'll be focusing on three per month for January, February, and March. This is the first of nine.
And of all the habits I could start the year with, making my bed might seem like the simplest - maybe even the most ordinary. But that’s exactly why I chose it. I wanted to begin this experiment with something small, measurable, and repeatable, but rich with meaning once you look beneath the surface.
The Science Behind It
There’s a surprising amount of research on the psychological power of “micro-wins.” Behavioural scientists often talk about activation energy - the small spark that gets momentum going. Completing an easy task first thing in the morning reduces cognitive friction and gives your brain a quick dopamine hit, a sense of progress before the day has even begun.
This idea was famously championed by Admiral William H. McRaven in Make Your Bed, where he explains that accomplishing one simple task early in the morning creates a ripple effect: you’ve already done something well, with intention, and that feeling carries forward. It’s not really about blankets and pillows. It’s about identity formation - proving to yourself, daily, that you’re the kind of person who follows through.
My “Why”
I can’t pinpoint the exact moment I started making the bed regularly, but I know this: I genuinely like the way it feels. My mornings tend to follow a familiar rhythm - coffee before anyone else wakes up, journaling, a quiet scan of the news, then waking Wil, then Beck, and finally heading out the door for swim practice. And just before I leave, I make our bed.
I’ll admit that perhaps I don’t do it every day… but this month, I’m committing to not missing a single day for the full month of January. Partly because I like the ritual, but mostly because I want to understand what it teaches me when I move from “often” to “always.”
Connection to My Values and Life Vision
Making my bed ties directly into a few of my core values:
Consistency over perfection
Creating order in small, manageable ways
Starting the day with intention instead of reactivity
My broader life vision - especially in this season of transition, growth, and big dreams - is to build a foundation of steady habits that support physical, emotional, and mental clarity. A made bed doesn’t change the world… but it does change how I show up to it.
What I Hope to Learn This Month
The real habit I’m exploring isn’t just the act of smoothing the sheets - it’s the self-reflection that happens while I do it. For one minute each morning, I’m practicing awareness:
What energy am I bringing into the day?
Am I rushing, or can this be a moment of calm?
What does “starting well” really feel like?
My hope is that this tiny ritual becomes a cue - a reminder that I can set the tone for my day with intention instead of autopilot.
If making my bed truly builds momentum, confidence, and steadiness in other areas of my life, I’ll consider this month a success. And if all it gives me is sixty quiet seconds of purpose each morning… well, that alone is worth it.