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Making Your Bed

Anything related to matters of the mind

Esquire

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I'm sure most of you (on Social Media) have seen this (unfortunate) post about making your bed:

Admiral William McRaven, author of "Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life... And Maybe The World," explains how making your bed every morning can have a positive impact on your well-being and behavior throughout the rest of the day. Following is a transcript of the video.

Admiral McRaven: A normal part of a day for a Navy SEAL was we would arrive at about 7:30 in the morning. From 7:30 to 9 o'clock we did physical training every single morning of most of my career when I was assigned to SEAL teams. That's not an easy thing to do every morning. And of course some people get up, they run or they do whatever their routine is. The idea of making the bed is it's the same sense of discipline. It's the same sense that you're going to get up and do something, but it's an easy task to undertake. You roll out of bed, you just put your bed, you make it straight. Again, you get it right, too. It's not just about kind of throwing the covers over the pillow. It's about making your bed right and walking away and going, "OK, that's good. That looks good. I'm, as simple as it sounds, I'm proud of this little task I did." And that is really what I think sets the tone for the rest of the day.

It is the simplicity. I think it is also the amount of time that it takes to make your bed. It doesn't take an hour to do, and yet you get this sense of accomplishment. The difference between going out for a 30-minute or an hour run or doing an hour's worth of weight training or going off and doing an hour of meditation — this takes you a couple of minutes. Some things are hard to do in the morning, and I think those are important, too. I mean, if you can get up every morning and do your run or do your PT that's great as well, but if you're not one of those persons still it's good to start off with a simple task that moves you forward.

I just want to go on record as saying "F*ck you Admiral. That's horrible advice."

Making my bed is a minimum wage job. You don't even need to speak English to do it. A mentally retarded five year old can do that. Making your bed is not something we should do. It is something we should affirmatively avoid doing. Something we should outsource.

What a complete waste of time.

Imagine me ... standing over my bed, with my hands on my hips, staring down at my "accomplishment" and gloating. "Wow. Today is going to be a great day!"

Yeah, right. Picture that.

Why don't I clean the toilets ... mop the floor ... and fold socks while I'm at it ... you know, double-down on accomplishment!

I could spend the whole day (now that I think about it) "accomplishing" things.

Hell ... maybe I'll start making my bed in my hotel room too.

"Good Morning, Juanita. No need to tidy up this room. One step ahead of ya! Changing the world!"

Sorry Admiral. F*cking stupid. I don't aspire to do minimum wage jobs.

Now don't get me wrong ... I don't live in a pig sty. I like my house clean.

I just don't want to be the one doing it.

And, for the record, I've never liked making my bed (...I'm just going to mess it up later anyway).

Rant over.
 
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Argue

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Kinda harsh about the 5 year old. :bored:
 

TheKing

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Maybe you misunderstood the admiral, the point he is making is not

"Making your bed is good practise so that you one day can work for minimum wage"

The point he is making is rather

"Make your bed so that you get in the habit of doing stuff first thing in the morning (and not being a lazy bum)"

I'm sure I can pay someone minimum wage to go to the gym for me, but that would kind of defeat its purpose.
 

AubreyJ

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I think you missed the point of the speech, but either way, I totally disagree with you, making your bed is one of those small things that can set you off on the right foot in the morning. Just like eating breakfast or drinking a cup of coffee in the morning.

There are so many things that can fall into your "minimum wage job" category, but they are things that almost every single person has to do because it is just part of being human.

feeding my dogs, cooking myself breakfast, making coffee...etc there are about a dozen minimum wage jobs I've already completed for myself this morning and it's only 10am.

I don't think anyone is too successful or too good to take 2 minutes out of their day to make their bed. Hell, you joke about the hotel room thing- but hands down the most successful guy I know makes his bed EVERY time he stays in a hotel room, and he travels at least once a week.
 
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Lafandriel

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As @TheKing stated above I also think that it is more about putting yourself into the mood of getting stuff done. Whether you are making your bed and feel encouraged to go for the more difficult tasks after you have solved and are satisfied with this little task or you do it like a friend of mine who is drinking a cup of tea every time she wants to start working is up to you ...

By the way how much are you paying for outsourcing all of these tasks that seem to be beneath you ?
Let me tell you that these tasks are not as bad to do as you think it is ( I have to make 17 beds everyday and have to change the douvet cover 4 times a day ... do I like it? no but that stuff I don't like is part of my job so I better get it over with and go for the parts I enjoy a lot more...)
 

Choate

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The broader picture is not about making your bed, its about starting the day off on the right foot. It is a small win. Its the habit of "doing". A few small wins in the early morning can definitely shift into day long momentum.

First things I do every morning are drink some water, make my bed, and then make a smoothie. Sometimes I work in my room. A neat and tidy room keeps my focus clear and concentration high. And for me, that definitely sets the ball rollin' that the day is starting.

If you are too prideful and above making your own bed or simply don't see the significance in it, try replacing it with a different small task. Maybe a 5 minute stretch, reading a chapter of a book, a quick 10 minute calisthenic workout on your floor, etc. Definitely recommend reading The Miracle Morning.

And one last thing... Making your bed is something that a lot of people just don't want to do, for the reasons you listed exactly. That's the whole point of why you should do it. You're doing something you don't want to do, takes time and effort, and seems meaningless at the time. It seems to be that's the case for a lot of life's tasks (the process) which eventually lead to something big (the event).
 
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Raoul Duke

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It is called; DISCIPLINE. If you can not do something that simple. How could you possibly do something on a larger scale? You'll miss the mark.
 

Scot

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It is called; DISCIPLINE. If you can not do something that simple. How could you possibly do something on a larger scale? You'll miss the mark.

DING DING DING.

That's the whole point of that quote.

Discipline is what takes you from being a lazy bum to being a successful entrepreneur.



Also, 0730 is way too late to start PT. Lazy Navy. <- Sarcasm
 

Tanisha

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I'm sure most of you (on Social Media) have seen this (unfortunate) post about making your bed:

Admiral William McRaven, author of "Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life... And Maybe The World," explains how making your bed every morning can have a positive impact on your well-being and behavior throughout the rest of the day. Following is a transcript of the video.

Admiral McRaven: A normal part of a day for a Navy SEAL was we would arrive at about 7:30 in the morning. From 7:30 to 9 o'clock we did physical training every single morning of most of my career when I was assigned to SEAL teams. That's not an easy thing to do every morning. And of course some people get up, they run or they do whatever their routine is. The idea of making the bed is it's the same sense of discipline. It's the same sense that you're going to get up and do something, but it's an easy task to undertake. You roll out of bed, you just put your bed, you make it straight. Again, you get it right, too. It's not just about kind of throwing the covers over the pillow. It's about making your bed right and walking away and going, "OK, that's good. That looks good. I'm, as simple as it sounds, I'm proud of this little task I did." And that is really what I think sets the tone for the rest of the day.

It is the simplicity. I think it is also the amount of time that it takes to make your bed. It doesn't take an hour to do, and yet you get this sense of accomplishment. The difference between going out for a 30-minute or an hour run or doing an hour's worth of weight training or going off and doing an hour of meditation — this takes you a couple of minutes. Some things are hard to do in the morning, and I think those are important, too. I mean, if you can get up every morning and do your run or do your PT that's great as well, but if you're not one of those persons still it's good to start off with a simple task that moves you forward.

I just want to go on record as saying "F*ck you Admiral. That's horrible advice."

Making my bed is a minimum wage job. You don't even need to speak English to do it. A mentally retarded five year old can do that. Making your bed is not something we should do. It is something we should affirmatively avoid doing. Something we should outsource.

What a complete waste of time.

Imagine me ... standing over my bed, with my hands on my hips, staring down at my "accomplishment" and gloating. "Wow. Today is going to be a great day!"

Yeah, right. Picture that.

Why don't I clean the toilets ... mop the floor ... and fold socks while I'm at it ... you know, double-down on accomplishment!

I could spend the whole day (now that I think about it) "accomplishing" things.

Hell ... maybe I'll start making my bed in my hotel room too.

"Good Morning, Juanita. No need to tidy up this room. One step ahead of ya! Changing the world!"

Sorry Admiral. F*cking stupid. I don't aspire to do minimum wage jobs.

Now don't get me wrong ... I don't live in a pig sty. I like my house clean.

I just don't want to be the one doing it.

And, for the record, I've never liked making my bed (...I'm just going to mess it up later anyway).

Rant over.

im afraid each and everyone of you missed the boat on this one, its not just some feel good nonsense its to waken up in the morning feeling greatful that you had a bed to sleep in, it may not be the most fancy one or the most comfortable one but at least your not on the floor or worse yet out on the streets somewhere under a bridge being homeless, i think you need a major attitude adjustment, listen theres 7 billion people on this planet your not special im not special in the grand scheme of things, i've worked many minimum wage jobs to help my family through there health issues and im proud of it, you cant demean someone just because you have some money, so what theres millions of fastlaners who have made it for themselves to and are way more humble about the whole situation, next time you go on about how beneath this is for you take all your money give it away give up your house your cars everything but the clothes on your back then after a week of that let us know how you feel about making a minimum wage bed
 
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ApparentHorizon

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What a complete waste of time.

You're right it's not the best analogy. All of these minor tasks, making your bed, washing your cup right after you use it, putting your pencils back into their box, they add up. (It translates into action faking - look at me I'm in my office doing office things, coffee first!)

While this is peculation, I'm standing here asking, is there a deeper meaning behind the little things? How can I apply it to my life?

Not too recently, I gave up drinking alcohol, coffee and sitting (Standing desk FTW). Not because I had to...but because it triggered a new way of thinking: When you know that you're willing to do the small tasks to get what you want, you're more confident. More confident you will do whatever it takes to reach your goals. (Look at Prince (the singer), he mopped floors for studio time.)

Personally, I wish my parents forced me to make the bed every day. Up until age 24-26, we don't know any better. The human brain isn't fully developed, and while its never too late to start, developing positive habits as early as possible puts you leaps and bounds ahead of the curve.

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."
 

Tanisha

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You're right it's not the best analogy. All of these minor tasks, making your bed, washing your cup right after you use it, putting your pencils back into their box, they add up. (It translates into action faking - look at me I'm in my office doing office things, coffee first!)

While this is peculation, I'm standing here asking, is there a deeper meaning behind the little things? How can I apply it to my life?

Not too recently, I gave up drinking alcohol, coffee and sitting (Standing desk FTW). Not because I had to...but because it triggered a new way of thinking: When you know that you're willing to do the small tasks to get what you want, you're more confident. More confident you will do whatever it takes to reach your goals. (Look at Prince (the singer), he mopped floors for studio time.)

Personally, I wish my parents forced me to make the bed every day. Up until age 24-26, we don't know any better. The human brain isn't fully developed, and while its never too late to start, developing positive habits as early as possible puts you leaps and bounds ahead of the curve.

"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."


i am so proud of you for overcoming drinking, its a habit thats not easy to over especially if you've had a hard time growing up, another way that i look at the little things is through the example of the ant, one of the smallest insects but the hardest strongest of the bunch who work all year long just so they can survive the winter, that to me is encouraging in the sense that if they can do it anyone can, you dont need money or connections just get to work
 

Esquire

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DING DING DING.

That's the whole point of that quote.

Discipline is what takes you from being a lazy bum to being a successful entrepreneur.



Also, 0730 is way too late to start PT. Lazy Navy. <- Sarcasm

That's not the point of my thread.

It has nothing to do with discipline. I spent five years active duty in the Marine Corps. I've got plenty of that.

It's about priorities. And time management.

Making my bed is a waste of my time. There are a million of other things I would rather be doing (and should be doing) aside from menial minimum wage tasks.

Wiping my a$$ is (admittesly) a minimum wage job. And I an not prepared to outsource that (not yet at least. Ask me again when I'm 90).

So yes ... you can't outsource and eliminate everything. I get that.

But making the bed ... I'll take a pass.
 
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GMSI7D

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That's not the point of my thread.

It has nothing to do with discipline. I spent five years active duty in the Marine Corps. I've got plenty of that.

It's about priorities. And time management.

Making my bed is a waste of my time. There are a million of other things I would rather be doing (and should be doing) aside from menial minimum wage tasks.

Wiping my a$$ is (admittesly) a minimum wage job. And I an not prepared to outsource that (not yet at least. Ask me again when I'm 90).

So yes ... you can't outsource and eliminate everything. I get that.

But making the bed ... I'll take a pass.



the point is not the bed

the point is to forge mental strenght by accepting to do stupid things

it is willpower



if you can force yourself to do stupid things, then you are ready to fight the stupid things that are waiting for you on your way to success ( people's behaviours, anything )


and stupid things will find you and are waiting for you

guaranteed

when least expected


bigfoot.jpg
 

The-J

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We missed you @Esquire and your penchant for controversy.

Of course, the Admiral's advice is pointed at regular people who don't have a maid in their house, making their bed for them, cleaning the house, etc. People who don't use their extra non-work time to make more money or do things that are worth more than the money is for them.

Its also pointed at people who don't really live disciplined lives. People who aren't lawyers, or business owners, or military people. Your typical average joe who gets up at 6am for a job he hates will feel at least a little more accomplished that he did something for himself in the morning.

Making the bed takes a minute and a half. I will always get some sort of satisfaction out of knowing that I'm leaving a room relatively neat. You're different. To me, that feeling is worth more than the $10/hr I can pay some lady from the Philippines to do it for me.
 

Esquire

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We missed you @Esquire and your penchant for controversy.

Of course, the Admiral's advice is pointed at regular people who don't have a maid in their house, making their bed for them, cleaning the house, etc. People who don't use their extra non-work time to make more money or do things that are worth more than the money is for them.

Its also pointed at people who don't really live disciplined lives. People who aren't lawyers, or business owners, or military people. Your typical average joe who gets up at 6am for a job he hates will feel at least a little more accomplished that he did something for himself in the morning.

Making the bed takes a minute and a half. I will always get some sort of satisfaction out of knowing that I'm leaving a room relatively neat. You're different. To me, that feeling is worth more than the $10/hr I can pay some lady from the Philippines to do it for me.

Yeah ... I guess you're right. I'm not the target audience. Viewed that way ... okay ... perhaps the speech makes sense.

Guess I learned something today ... there are a lot of people here who like to make beds.

With that in mind ... if any of y'all want to stay the night at my place (and make my bed) ... c'mon over! I'll leave the light on for ya. :p
 
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Raoul Duke

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Yeah ... I guess you're right. I'm not the target audience. Viewed that way ... okay ... perhaps the speech makes sense.

Guess I learned something today ... there are a lot of people here who like to make beds.

With that in mind ... if any of y'all want to stay the night at my place (and make my bed) ... c'mon over! I'll leave the light on for ya. :p


Could it be that you were in the Military? That is the whole point, right? Strip you down from your individuality and turn you and your company into a "group".

I don't know the exact terminology. So, no disrespect here on my end.
 

InspireHD

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When I was in basic training, instead of having to make my bed every morning, I just slept on top of the blankets. When I would wake up in the morning and hop down off the top bunk, I would just the blankets tight under the springs.

In 4 months, there were only 2 nights I actually slept under the blankets - when the Drill Sergeants told us the night before that we would be turning in the sheets to be washed, and the last night before graduation when I knew I didn't have to do it anymore. I was in Ft. Benning, Georgia so it was hot anyway.

This thread also reminded of this video:

 
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I think pretty much everything that needs to be said here has already been said, but I noticed for me since I cleaned my room, got rid of a bunch of shit, and started making my bed every day, I feel a lot more grounded and more productive. It sounds pretty lame, but I'm sure there's some merit to it

With that in mind ... if any of y'all want to stay the night at my place (and make my bed) ... c'mon over! I'll leave the light on for ya. :p
giphy.gif
 

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I kinda see OPs point. Kinda. Like it would be cool to leap out of bed, forget making it, and grab the phone, still undressed, and make a few hundred cold calls.

But where is the self respect? Make your damn bed.
 
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Esquire

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Chicks like it when you make your bed.

Very true, Jon. That will get my bed made every time!

Not if you want a REAL rant ... ask me how I feel about assembling furniture and exercise equipment ... you know ... that god awful stuff that comes in a big box with a book of instructions and a million parts.

Grrrrr! Bona-fide postal!
 

jon.a

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Very true, Jon. That will get my bed made every time!

Not if you want a REAL rant ... ask me how I feel about assembling furniture and exercise equipment ... you know ... that god awful stuff that comes in a big box with a book of instructions and a million parts.

Grrrrr! Bona-fide postal!
Chicks like it when you can make shit too. :)
 
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I consider my living space to be an extension of my inner world. When there's clutter in my living space, my mind feels cluttered and disorganized as well. When my living space is clean, spacious, and well-organized, my energy and productivity soar. A messy bed doesn't help in this regard. Therefore, I make my bed when I get up.
 

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Its not about making your bed, its about living in a tidy environment without distractions and noise. For me an untidy bed is distraction/noise, therefore I'm always making it even when staying in a hotel (I am sure the maids will be surprised when entering the room after I left). But again if you don't care, don't do it.
 

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