1 00:00:03,200 --> 00:00:06,400 Speaker 1: Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio. 2 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:13,600 Speaker 1: Good Morning. This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. 3 00:00:14,280 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 1: Today's tip is about that age old question of whether 4 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:21,880 Speaker 1: an orderly environment makes people more productive. Is it worth 5 00:00:21,920 --> 00:00:24,119 Speaker 1: it to make your bed in the morning, to clean 6 00:00:24,160 --> 00:00:27,000 Speaker 1: your desk before quitting time, to pick up the house 7 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:30,440 Speaker 1: before bed. I know lots of people feel strongly about this, 8 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:32,519 Speaker 1: but I think that this has more to do with 9 00:00:32,600 --> 00:00:37,319 Speaker 1: personality than whether there's an objectively correct answer. A few 10 00:00:37,400 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 1: years ago, like many people, I listened to Admiral William H. 11 00:00:40,760 --> 00:00:44,320 Speaker 1: Mccraven's commencement speech, telling graduates that if they want to 12 00:00:44,400 --> 00:00:47,479 Speaker 1: change the world, they should start by making their beds. 13 00:00:48,240 --> 00:00:50,839 Speaker 1: The idea is that how we do little things and 14 00:00:50,880 --> 00:00:53,640 Speaker 1: the order we create around us through these little victories 15 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:56,080 Speaker 1: is what allows us to do big things in the 16 00:00:56,160 --> 00:00:59,600 Speaker 1: long run. Lots of people agree with the admiral. His 17 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:02,800 Speaker 1: speech has been viewed more than ten million times. I'd 18 00:01:02,840 --> 00:01:05,240 Speaker 1: point out that his speech was actually more about various 19 00:01:05,280 --> 00:01:08,200 Speaker 1: other lessons he learned in his military service. But most 20 00:01:08,240 --> 00:01:10,920 Speaker 1: people are never going to face harsh combat conditions or 21 00:01:11,000 --> 00:01:15,200 Speaker 1: survive special forces training. Everyone, on the other hand, can 22 00:01:15,240 --> 00:01:17,600 Speaker 1: make his or her bed, which is why that's the 23 00:01:17,720 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: lesson that's often repeated from the speech. So is this 24 00:01:21,280 --> 00:01:24,600 Speaker 1: a wise idea? Is making your bed the first step 25 00:01:24,640 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: to conquering the world? I know it's a popular idea. 26 00:01:28,240 --> 00:01:31,080 Speaker 1: Magazines devote cover lines to the idea that you can 27 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 1: clear your clutter and change your life. Marie Condo's life 28 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:38,760 Speaker 1: changing magic of tidying up became a cultural phenomenon with 29 00:01:38,880 --> 00:01:42,199 Speaker 1: its charge that life begins when you put your house 30 00:01:42,400 --> 00:01:45,440 Speaker 1: in order. But as someone who doesn't make her bed 31 00:01:45,440 --> 00:01:48,680 Speaker 1: every morning, or clean her desk most days, or particularly 32 00:01:48,760 --> 00:01:50,520 Speaker 1: care if the house is cluttered when I go to bed, 33 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:54,240 Speaker 1: I have to say I'm not sure. I'm not sure 34 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:57,520 Speaker 1: that spending time creating these signs of outward order is 35 00:01:57,560 --> 00:02:01,640 Speaker 1: the universal cute to success. Instead, I think that some 36 00:02:01,720 --> 00:02:06,440 Speaker 1: people are more bothered by untidiness than others. There are 37 00:02:06,480 --> 00:02:10,120 Speaker 1: neat types and there are let it go types. One 38 00:02:10,200 --> 00:02:13,960 Speaker 1: is not better than the other. There are successful and 39 00:02:14,040 --> 00:02:18,560 Speaker 1: unsuccessful people in both camps. However, since I focus on 40 00:02:18,600 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: the twenty four hours we all have in a day, 41 00:02:21,080 --> 00:02:23,760 Speaker 1: I do know this, If you can get yourself to 42 00:02:23,800 --> 00:02:26,680 Speaker 1: a place where you are slightly less bothered by a 43 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:29,800 Speaker 1: lack of visual tidiness, you can save quite a bit 44 00:02:29,840 --> 00:02:32,679 Speaker 1: of time. Here's one way to find out what sort 45 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:36,000 Speaker 1: of camp you fall in. Does it bother you to 46 00:02:36,120 --> 00:02:39,760 Speaker 1: have a high number of unread messages on your inbox icon? 47 00:02:40,960 --> 00:02:43,480 Speaker 1: I don't get worked up about deleting stuff, and if 48 00:02:43,480 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 1: I have no new messages that I haven't dealt with, 49 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:49,200 Speaker 1: are only a handful. My icon generally says somewhere around 50 00:02:49,520 --> 00:02:54,480 Speaker 1: six six thirty messages. To me, six thirty messages basically 51 00:02:54,520 --> 00:02:59,000 Speaker 1: means zero. It doesn't bother me that it isn't actually zero. 52 00:02:59,520 --> 00:03:01,200 Speaker 1: But when I hell this to some people or they 53 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:04,320 Speaker 1: see my phone, they say this would drive them crazy. 54 00:03:04,360 --> 00:03:06,480 Speaker 1: They say I should go through and delete all these 55 00:03:06,520 --> 00:03:09,960 Speaker 1: unread messages so it would say zero. But I fail 56 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:12,880 Speaker 1: to see why this would not change my life in 57 00:03:12,919 --> 00:03:15,560 Speaker 1: any way if my icon six six thirty or it 58 00:03:15,639 --> 00:03:20,120 Speaker 1: says zero. Likewise, no one sees my bed during the day. 59 00:03:20,240 --> 00:03:23,360 Speaker 1: Sometimes I make it and sometimes I don't. I'm not 60 00:03:23,440 --> 00:03:25,359 Speaker 1: more productive on the days that I do make it. 61 00:03:25,800 --> 00:03:27,880 Speaker 1: I don't work near my bed where it would enter 62 00:03:27,919 --> 00:03:30,839 Speaker 1: my world view anyway. As for getting in that bed 63 00:03:30,840 --> 00:03:32,880 Speaker 1: at night, I can fall asleep. Whatever is going on 64 00:03:32,880 --> 00:03:35,200 Speaker 1: on the floor or whatever the bed looks like. I 65 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:38,480 Speaker 1: just view it as irrelevant, But in my talks and 66 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,680 Speaker 1: workshops on time management, I know that many people feel differently. 67 00:03:42,400 --> 00:03:45,200 Speaker 1: People's time logs will show thirty to sixty minutes cleaning 68 00:03:45,240 --> 00:03:48,920 Speaker 1: up the house before bed, So I ask, why is 69 00:03:48,920 --> 00:03:51,720 Speaker 1: there going to be an eleven pm home inspection? Is 70 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:54,240 Speaker 1: someone coming around to give demerits for having toys on 71 00:03:54,280 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 1: the floor. Well, now there is no eleven pm home 72 00:03:58,160 --> 00:04:01,600 Speaker 1: inspection and no one is giving out to merits. In fact, 73 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:03,880 Speaker 1: those toys are just going to come out again the 74 00:04:03,920 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: next morning and you will never get that hour back. 75 00:04:07,520 --> 00:04:09,960 Speaker 1: That might make rational sense, but people tell me they 76 00:04:10,000 --> 00:04:13,520 Speaker 1: simply cannot relax if their house is a mess. And similarly, 77 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:16,720 Speaker 1: I'm sure that some people would feel incredibly distracted and 78 00:04:16,839 --> 00:04:20,560 Speaker 1: ill at ease by that sixty number on their inbox. 79 00:04:21,160 --> 00:04:24,400 Speaker 1: An unmade bed might make them worry that life is 80 00:04:24,440 --> 00:04:28,120 Speaker 1: falling apart. If that is you, well then you'll need 81 00:04:28,160 --> 00:04:30,760 Speaker 1: to spend time on it, or you can find someone 82 00:04:30,800 --> 00:04:34,600 Speaker 1: else who will, whether voluntarily or for pay. But there 83 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:37,560 Speaker 1: might still be ways to save time. For instance, if 84 00:04:37,600 --> 00:04:41,440 Speaker 1: you really need a neatly made bed, don't have an 85 00:04:41,440 --> 00:04:45,120 Speaker 1: elaborate bed, one sheet, one comforter, and only as many 86 00:04:45,160 --> 00:04:48,880 Speaker 1: pillows as you and any bedmates need for sleeping. Arranging 87 00:04:48,880 --> 00:04:52,719 Speaker 1: a dozen throw pillows is the way of madness. Turn 88 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:56,600 Speaker 1: the bed making process into a thirty second ordeal Max. 89 00:04:57,279 --> 00:04:59,200 Speaker 1: And if you really can't relax, if there's a mess 90 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:02,800 Speaker 1: in the house, I suggest this clean one room, shut 91 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:06,400 Speaker 1: the door, and sitting there freeze up all kinds of time. 92 00:05:07,360 --> 00:05:09,880 Speaker 1: Do you make your bet each day? Are you in 93 00:05:09,920 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: the neat camp or the let it go camp? You 94 00:05:12,480 --> 00:05:15,240 Speaker 1: can let me know at Before Breakfast podcast at I 95 00:05:15,360 --> 00:05:19,000 Speaker 1: heeart media dot com. In the meantime, this is Laura. 96 00:05:19,560 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 1: Thanks for listening, and here's to making the most of 97 00:05:22,160 --> 00:05:31,440 Speaker 1: our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to hear from you. 98 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:34,360 Speaker 1: You can send me your tips, your questions, or anything else. 99 00:05:35,080 --> 00:05:38,680 Speaker 1: Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at 100 00:05:38,680 --> 00:05:43,560 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast pod that's b E the number four then 101 00:05:43,600 --> 00:05:47,040 Speaker 1: Breakfast p o D. You can also shoot me an 102 00:05:47,040 --> 00:05:51,240 Speaker 1: email at Before Breakfast podcast at iHeart media dot com. 103 00:05:51,279 --> 00:05:53,800 Speaker 1: That Before Breakfast is spelled out with all the letters. 104 00:05:54,400 --> 00:05:56,480 Speaker 1: Thanks so much, I look forward to staying in touch. 105 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:05,400 Speaker 1: Before Breakfast is a production of I Heart Radio. For 106 00:06:05,520 --> 00:06:08,560 Speaker 1: more podcasts from I heart Radio, visit the i heart 107 00:06:08,640 --> 00:06:12,000 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 108 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:12,720 Speaker 1: favorite shows.