Motivation
by William H. McRaven
What can a made bed change?
In 2014, Admiral William McRaven gave the graduation speech at the University of Texas. He took ten lessons from Navy SEAL training and offered them to anyone who wanted to change the world. The book gives each lesson a chapter, starting with the smallest thing you can do each morning.
Hear a sample · read by Laura
Every morning in SEAL training, instructors checked that recruits' beds were made perfectly. It seemed a bit ridiculous to McRaven at the time. Later he saw it as the day's first task done, which leads to the next, and on a bad day you come home to a made bed.
Recruits were put into small boat crews that had to carry a rubber boat and paddle it through heavy surf. No one could do it alone, and a crew only moved when everyone pulled together. McRaven says the same held for the rest of his career.
Before a long night swim off San Clemente Island, trainees were told the water was full of sharks. The advice was to hold your ground if one circled, and punch it in the snout if it came at you. McRaven's lesson is to face life's bullies the same way.
Trainees practised an underwater attack on a ship at night, swimming beneath the hull to reach the keel. There, even the faint light from above is blocked. It's the darkest part of the mission, and McRaven says that's where you most need to stay calm and do your best work.
Small tasks
Do one small task well first thing, like making your bed, and the day starts with a win.
Help
Nobody gets through hard things alone. In training it took a whole boat crew to paddle.
Sugar cookie
Sometimes you do everything right and still fail. Accept it and keep moving.
Sharks
Bullies usually back down when you stand up to them, so don't swim away from the sharks.
Dark moments
Stuck freezing in the mud, one trainee started singing, and it lifted the whole class.
A story from the book
On the Wednesday of Hell Week, the class spent hours up to their necks in freezing mud. Instructors offered to let everyone out if just five men quit. Then one recruit started singing, badly out of tune, and one by one the others joined in. The singing didn't stop.
One thing to try
Tomorrow, make your bed properly before you look at your phone. Then do one more small job straight away, like emptying the dishwasher or answering an email you've been avoiding. McRaven's point is that one finished task makes the next one easier to start.
Knotd has the key ideas from 250+ non-fiction books, each in a few minutes, in plain words. Make Your Bed comes with a Name That Idea round to make it stick.
Get the whole book on KnotdOpen in the appWhat can a made bed change? In 2014, Admiral William McRaven gave the graduation speech at the University of Texas. He took ten lessons from Navy SEAL training and offered them to anyone who wanted to change the world. The book gives each lesson a chapter, starting with the smallest thing you can do each morning.
Start with a finished task; You can't paddle alone; Don't back down from sharks; Under the keel.
Tomorrow, make your bed properly before you look at your phone. Then do one more small job straight away, like emptying the dishwasher or answering an email you've been avoiding. McRaven's point is that one finished task makes the next one easier to start.
Yes. Knotd has the key ideas from Make Your Bed in a few minutes, in plain words, plus a Name That Idea round to test them. It's one of 250+ non-fiction books in the app.
