Make your bed, change your world

Our daily lives revolve around the five life pillars - family, friends, work, children, and self. Each day begins with a million things that demand our constant attention; the jarring alarm that wakes you up, the overwhelming loom of a project deadline, the buzzing of incoming email notifications, or even the mundane day to day preparations. Let’s face it, more often than not, it’s the little things that drain us. 

Stop, breathe and ponder, “Am I going to let this control me or am I going to take control of my life and the choices I make?”  

The essence of #timefulness is being conscious of how you spend your time. Life, like time itself, passes without mercy, you might not get the chance to start over again. How we manage our time and what we do with it, be it nonchalantly or engagingly will become our habits over time. These decisions are important, how we go about our day determine our quality of life and of those around us. For the Admiral, it started out with the simple act of making his bed and as  T. Harv Eker would put it: “How you do anything is how you do everything”. 

What are the habits and excellence you want to build? Toward the excellence you desire, what are the simple tasks of “making your bed” you can begin with? Start your day by reflecting on those questions. Begin every day with a plan, as William H. McRaven puts it, one small action can propel and encourage you to do many more. A great habit to form is keeping a journal or writing a to-do list. It can give you an overview, a perspective on your tasks. While it may seem like a tiring act, for now, it will become a feasible to-do list tomorrow and will eventually anchor itself as an enduring habit for the future to come. 

Take heart, take your time. Start small. You can always begin setting aside time to do what’s important, one or two nights with family, start jogging once a week, waking up earlier to be on time and even initiating conversations with your colleagues every once in a while. All it takes is to take the first step (pun intended). If you’re curious about the practical steps and science towards building a habit, we have just the right thing for you: Three Tips To Start & Maintain A Habit For The New Decade and if you need help with journaling read here!

Time waits for no one, yet we can and have the power to do more of what matters with the time we have left. Think not of what you cannot control, but think about what you can do, and take action. Start by making a difference in your life, start by making “your bed”!

August Berg aims to remind and encourage its wearers to take control of their time by making time conscious choices. Be reminded each time you look at your watch with August Berg.