Each morning since November, from my alarm going off to my turning it off, I’ve gotten up, made my bed, and crossed the room to where my phone is. I wrote more about it in “How I Wake Up in Under 1 Minute Every Day: After decades of morning sloth, for 7 months I’ve gotten out of bed in under 60 seconds each day and loved it” (EDIT: and ““Olympic Swimmer Caeleb Dressel Says the Key to Success Is Making Your Bed”“).

For a while I did it as a challenge, or to create a habit.

Lately I realized I did it for a new, more valuable reason.

Non-issues

First, I want to cover something others might expect to be relevant that isn’t—the comfort of staying in bed.

Staying in bed seems nice, but doing so doesn’t lower my total time in bed. I can rest in bed any time I like. Being more productive gives me more time for other things I like more. And when I want to go to bed, such as when I want to take a nap, I can.

I find I can spend more time in bed during day time relaxing or napping for my increased productivity arising from getting out of bed faster. So while I haven’t checked for my total time in bed, the quick-get-out-of-bed pattern may have increased it.

I never did this before

Lest you think I did this before or have some predilection you don’t, in November, when I started this habit, I would often spend 30–40 minutes in bed after the alarm. I wasn’t sure I could consistently get out of bed in under minute, let alone enjoy it. I’ve never gotten up so fast consistently before.

The reason

I like getting out of bed in the morning and making it within a minute because it gives me purpose and meaning.

Without purpose, I just enjoy the material pleasure of lying in bed. I like lying in bed, but enjoying it then brings no greater pleasure than enjoying it any other time For what time I missed relaxing, I can enjoy more nap time later.

I can’t describe the value and how it changes my outlook to have purpose from seconds after I wake up.

My thoughts go from

What’s that noise?

to

Why is the alarm going off? … I want to stay asleep … this is annoying

to

Oh yeah, I have to make the bed and turn off the alarm within a minute. I better get on it!

And then I’m up and alert, moving around with purpose.

As I wrote, I didn’t expect I’d find this joy, but I did.

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