This tends to bother people.
Whenever Admiral William H. McRaven's book Make Your Bed comes up in conversation, I inevitably mention that I've never read it and, perhaps more controversially, that I don't make my bed.
People look at me like I've just admitted I think kittens are ugly.
"But don't you feel better when your bed is made?"
Nope.
Apparently, for some people, smoothing the sheets, arranging the comforter, and positioning an unreasonable number of decorative pillows is an essential first accomplishment of the day.
For me, it just isn't.
And I think there's a leadership lesson hiding somewhere underneath those sheets that look like they just spent the night with a tornado.
What Does Accomplishment Look Like to You?
McRaven's Make Your Bed grew from his well-known 2014 commencement address at the University of Texas at Austin. Drawing from his Navy SEAL training, he explained that making your bed first thing in the morning gives you an immediate accomplishment and a small sense of pride that can lead to accomplishing the next task, and the next. His larger point: little things matter.
I can't argue with that.
But I do think everyone's "little thing" is different.
For some people, it's making the bed.
For me, it’s mowing the lawn, trimming the trees and shaping the shrubs on Thursdays because the trash is picked up on Fridays. But later, when I return from an errand, turn onto my street, and see the yard, I think, Wow. That looks awesome.
There it is. That little feeling of accomplishment.
For someone else, it might be planning meals for the week and remembering to move something from the freezer to the refrigerator early enough to brine it, marinate it or smoke it. Frankly, remembering to thaw the chicken before 5:30 p.m. deserves more recognition than it gets.
One of my coworkers doesn't go to bed without "resetting" the entire house. Everything goes back where it belongs so tomorrow starts fresh.
Her book might be called Reset Your House.
What's Your Professional Version?
We have these rituals at work, too.
When I worked in club operations, I had an end-of-day ritual in my office. I'd straighten my desk and rewrite my task list on a fresh sheet of paper from my $0.99 Staples letter pad.
Nothing fancy. No productivity app. No color-coded project management system. Just a cheap pad of paper and the strangely satisfying act of starting tomorrow with a clean list in a tidy office.
Later in my career, as I developed as a leader, I realized how important it is to say goodbye to every member of my team before leaving for the day. It mattered to me that I didn't simply disappear.
Maybe your professional version is walking the club one last time before heading home.
Maybe it's checking in with the closing team every night.
Maybe it's cleaning up your inbox.
Maybe it's recognizing someone for a job well done.
Small Wins Count
Leadership can make us overly focused on big accomplishments.
We completed the renovation. Hit the budget. Hosted the tournament. Increased membership. Launched the new program.
Those things deserve to be celebrated.
But most careers, and most lives, aren't built from a handful of enormous victories. They're built from thousands of ordinary days.
That's why the small rituals matter. They give us a chance to end a day knowing something is a little better because we showed up.
The team member who needed encouragement got it.
The project moved forward.
The office is ready for tomorrow.
The shrubs look fantastic.
The chicken is actually thawed. No microwave needed!
Whatever it is, you get to decide what accomplishment looks like for you.
So, What's the Title of Your Book?
If Make Your Bed isn't your book, what is?
Mow the Lawn?
Call Your Mom?
Walk the Club?
Reset the House?
Thank Your Team?
Thaw the Chicken?
There isn't one ritual that makes everyone productive, successful, or fulfilled. What matters is recognizing the things that give you that sense of pride and then making room for them in your day. Find the small things that allow you to look back before you go to sleep and think, That was a pretty good day. Then climb into bed feeling a sense of accomplishment, whether it’s a perfectly made bed or a hot mess of a bed, like mine, with not a single $35 pillow anywhere in sight.
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About the Author: Chris Sarten
Chris Sarten is an experienced food and beverage leader with over 25 years of experience. His career began bussing tables as a teenager. His private club journey began at the age of 21 in Las Vegas, NV where he would work his way through the ranks and begin his first position as Food & Beverage Director. Chris has spent much of his career at the Food and Beverage Director level. Working at prestigious private clubs, Chris developed a record of improving operations to increase revenues, improve overall financial success and elevate the member experience. Chris has overseen club renovations, openings and has worked at the regional level to assist other properties to achieve operational goals. Chris’ experience at both for profit and equity clubs has allowed him to manage the member experience through multiple lenses. Through training, mentorship and system implementation, Chris believes that each team and individual can have the opportunity to deliver the high level of service their memberships expect.