Make your bed each morning
You should make your bed every morning. Do it right when you get up, take the time to fix the sheets, tidy up the comforter, arrange the pillows and make sure it is how you want it. This little task each morning is a great way to start your day. It puts you on the right path immediately. So far you have only been up for a few minutes and you have already accomplished something. It feels good and it is a simple chore to do. Too often we rush out of bed and start our day on the wrong foot. We are already late to work and our morning routine suffers. Making your bed will slow you down. When you come home later, your bed will be made and you feel more at ease. This is all from a famous speech that was passed around the internet years ago. When I first heard it, I thought it was cheesy. Then I started practicing it and it made a huge difference. Every morning you wake up you have a few seconds to make decisions that will impact your day. If you stay in bed and snooze, I guarantee your day will be unproductive. If you get up and start moving, you may notice you will start to have much better days.
I have noticed that they key to being stress free is to make sure that the little trivial details in the day are easy to do. This is why the bed is such a good example. We spend so much time in bed, it makes sense that this should be a stress free, clean, comfortable place. You can then apply this to other areas. Think about all the receptive parts of your day, this is what you want to focus on. Brushing your teeth, making coffee, showering, putting on your shoes, finding your keys, etc. None of these should cause stress. Take a weekend to make sure all these tasks can be easily completed without any headaches. Place your toothbrush and toothpaste in an easily accessible place, and always make sure you have enough toothpaste. Create a spot for your keys that you can use easily and often. Make sure its not a hassle each morning to make your coffee. Again, we do these multiple times each day, we need to make sure they are easy to do, almost mindless. There is too much stress in our day as is. We need some reprieve.
Most people think a week long tropical vacation is going to cure them of stress. It isn’t. There are nice, of course. They may help you find a moment of relief, but we often end up back home feeling more stressed. The magic trick is to make sure that your life is easy and that you can control most of it. You are in control of most of what causes you stress. We repeat the same mistakes day in and day out. A lot of these stressors can be easily fixed by taking a few minutes to create a system that works for you. Soon you will be able to eliminate a lot of these problems which will create more time for others.
Make a list of some tasks you do each day, or even multiple times a day. Then number each task from 1 - 10 (1 being easy and not a problem to 10 being a nightmare) Then go after it, try to create a plan to make those hard everyday tasks to be easier. Maybe you have to spend a few buck to buy some gadget that can help. If you hate putting food in your Tupperware because you have no matches, then buy a new set. The money is well spent if it will make your life easier.
The point I am trying to make, is that life can be easier than we make it. We suffer too much for no reason. We are in control of what we do and how we live. If we are stressed, then it is because we are not managing our day well. People tend to overthink it and often feel defeated. You don’t need to win the lottery to be stress free, you just need to make your bed.