Why Making Your Bed Increases Productivity

I’m a big believer in efficiency. My clothes are grouped into shirts/pants/jackets so I can pick my outfit faster. I save a stack of dishes to wash together to reduce context switch time. I eat Go-Gurt for breakfast because I can walk/bike at the same time. And I never make my bed when nobody but me is going to see it. Until now.

I haven’t departed from my belief in efficiency. I’ve discovered that making my bed is a deceptively simple way to increase my productivity throughout the day. Talk is cheap, let’s prove it with math:

ROI = productivity / timeToMakeBed

It takes me about 10 seconds to make my bed, but I have a very simple setup: 2 pillows, a down comforter, and a fitted sheet. I don’t know what kind of bed the average person has, but judging from furniture catalogs it seems like two flat sheets and a few decorative pillows are involved. So let’s say it takes an average person 60 seconds to make the bed.

ROI = productivity / 60s

And here are all the things you accomplish in 60 seconds by making your bed:

1. You’ve already accomplished 1 quick win, and atomic habits like this are a proven way to increase your overall productivity.
2. Every time you walk past your bed, you’re reminded of your accomplishment. And it looks nice. These tiny boots to your brain’s reward system reinforce the habit and just plain makes your day happier.
3. You’re creating a clear visual difference between your “seize the day” mode and “rest and relax” mode. Our memory is very context-dependent, and being in the same environment makes it easier for the same neurons to fire, be it for getting a better test score or for being more focused on work.

So how much time would you invest for starting your day feeling accomplished, staying focused throughout the day, and the ascetic appeal of an organized environment? How much time do you spend getting coffee? Eating breakfast? Or any other “start the day right” habit? I bet most of them take more than 60 seconds.

So. 1) Make your bed. 2) ??? 3) Profit.

P.S.

I actually wrote 90% of this article 5 years ago. I don’t eat Go-Gurt anymore, but I still make my bed everyday. Except… I have a Murphy bed now, and I’ve maximized the utility of my 9'x10' room with the Murphy bed folded up: it’s my office, my pole dance studio, plant nursery, and still has space for a couch where I do my “relaxing” activities. I’m a pretty big believer in separate spaces for separate activities.

So in one sense the habit of making my bed has allowed me to turn one room into 4. Or you can say I’m more motivated to make my bed because of the extra value of all these extra “rooms” I get from it. Either way, it’s a great ROI habit and I still highly recommend it.