Make your bed

Time to read: 3 min

I´ve only started reading about two years ago and I seldom find the discipline to read or to read more than just a few pages a day. Still three weeks ago I have read a book which I literally devoured. At least for my standards. There were two factors which enabled me to read a lot more than I was used to. A good book which is engaging to read and doing it first thing in the morning. In this week I woke up and started reading as my first task of the day. The profound thing was I had more focus reading for a few hours at a time and I did other activities which would usually require discipline of me. I made household chores and felt more focused throughout the day immune to the temptations of my mobile phone. Early in the morning we are full of energy, focused and our mind is a blank slate not yet occupied by daily information overload. The morning is the ideal time to do hard tasks because you are ready for it and it sets you up for the hours following. There is a compounding effect. I know the days where I prioritise discipline in the morning like not looking at my phone for the first few hours of the day or making my bed I will be sharper in mind and more eager to do tasks. That is the reason making your bed is recommended because it will compound. Making your bed itself won´t make you disciplined or successful but it acts as a proxy for other hard tasks like working out. On the other hand, when I start the day by grabbing my phone and scrolling for the first hour or two the day will evolve like that too. I will be seeking for entertainment rather than working my tasks. Prioritizing my morning will pay off later in the day. In the afternoon most of us inevitably hit a drop in energy and a decreased discipline. Especially during this slump is it comforting to know you have already been productive in the morning you have done your tasks and it isn´t as punishing to relax and recharge. But to get an effective start into your day the single most important part is the discipline in the evening. To wake up early you have to have enough good sleep and to ensure that you have to get into bed early and ready for sleep. You won´t be waking up early if you binge a show late into the night. Therefore, ensuring you stay disciplined when going to bed like removing your phone from the room will help you be disciplined in the morning. Being disciplined in the morning will help you be disciplined in the evening and in the end, it is a cycle. You have to start this cycle somewhere and to get you in the loop of discipline making your bed in the morning will be effective.

Remember, life rewards the prepared.