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Set Yourself Up for Success

Start the day with a clean slate

By

Staying Sharp

Updated April 23, 2023

Updated April 23, 2023

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Quick Win

Completing tasks early in the day may help you feel accomplished, motivating you to stay focused on your to-do list.

Try This Today

Begin your day by making your bed and putting your pajamas in a drawer or the hamper.
If you ran the dishwasher last night, put the clean dishes away as the coffee or tea is brewing.
When the mail arrives, sort through it immediately. Toss or recycle anything you don’t need and address what you need to.

Why

In his 2017 book Make Your Bed, retired Navy Adm. William H. McRaven asserts that making your bed sets you up for success. A cluttered environment, such as dishes piled in the sink or a messy bed, affects your focus and limits your ability to process information. In one study including more than 1,300 older adults, those with clutter problems had lower life satisfaction, as reported in 2017 in Current Psychology.

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Legal Disclaimer: Staying Sharp, including all content and features, is offered for informational purposes and to educate users on brain health care and medical issues that may affect their daily lives. Staying Sharp is based on a holistic, lifestyle approach to brain health that encourages users to incorporate into their daily lives activities that are associated with general wellness. Nothing in the service should be considered, or used as a substitute for, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Features including the Cognitive Assessment and Lifestyle Check-Ins, Additional Tests, exercises, and challenges assess performance at a particular moment in time on certain discrete cognitive tasks. Staying Sharp games are intended for entertainment and recreational purposes only. Various factors may affect performance, including sleep, tiredness, focus, and other social, environmental, or emotional factors. Performance is not indicative of cognitive health and not predictive of future performance or medical conditions.

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