Summary

“Make Your Bed” by Admiral William H. McRaven urges readers to start the day with an accomplishment. Making your bed each morning is one small step to building good habits and being more self-disciplined. McRaven breaks down 10 lessons within the read — by making the effort to do small things, you can achieve more. The following ten chapters involve:

• “Start Your Day with a Task Completed”
• “You Can’t Go at it Alone”
• “Only the Size of Your Heart Matters”
• “Get Over Being a Sugar Cookie”
• “Don’t Be Afraid of the Circus”
• “Slide Down the Obstacle Head First”
• “Don’t Back Down from the Sharks”
• “Be Your Very Best in Your Darkest Moments”
• “Start Singing When You’re Up to Your Neck in Mud”
• “Don’t Ever, Ever Ring the Bell”

Opinion

“Make Your Bed” is a book about self-growth. I don’t read self-help books as often as I should, but McRaven’s lecture changed my whole mindset. I was part of the majority that did not realize that the small things you take care of in your everyday life can count toward healthy habits.

Making your bed is a very odd topic to write a book on, but the uniqueness is what made me pick it off the shelf. McRaven uses a morning routine to teach the reader to achieve a goal each day — even if it is just one goal. It’s silly to say that a book convinced me to make my bed every morning, but it is true. A long, exhausting day of work can almost make someone feel like they accomplished nothing, but coming home to a neatly folded bed can always give a boost of serotonin.

This idea that “small things matter” ties into the bigger picture that if you cannot do small things correctly, then you simply cannot accomplish big goals in life. This helps your mindset continue the thought to be better tomorrow. It gives a quick sense of achievement that can help you be more productive,  just by completing a small task. Making your bed is just the start of the trickle effect. One small, disciplined goal will lead to a large, executed objective.