Jordan Peterson says people who don’t make their bed often avoid these 6 deeper challenges

You know that feeling when you wake up, see your unmade bed, and think "I'll deal with it later"?

I used to be the king of this. My mornings were a rush of hitting snooze, grabbing coffee, and diving straight into emails. The bed? That tangled mess of sheets could wait until... well, whenever.

But here's the thing: Jordan Peterson argues that making your bed isn't really about the bed at all. It's about confronting the small acts of discipline that reveal our relationship with bigger challenges in life.

And after years of studying psychology and Eastern philosophy, I've come to realize he's onto something profound. That unmade bed? It might be a symptom of avoiding deeper work we need to do on ourselves.

Let me share what Peterson suggests we're really avoiding when we skip that simple morning ritual.

1. Taking responsibility for your immediate environment

Peterson often talks about "cleaning up your life" starting with cleaning up your room. And honestly, this hit me hard when I first heard it.

During my twenties, my apartment was chaos. Clothes on the floor, dishes in the sink, and yes, that perpetually unmade bed. I told myself I was too busy building my career to worry about these "trivial" things.

But was I really too busy, or was I avoiding something deeper?

When we can't take care of our immediate surroundings, we're essentially saying we're not ready to take responsibility for our own space. And if we can't handle that, how can we expect to handle bigger responsibilities?

Think about it. Your bedroom is probably the one space you have complete control over. No boss telling you how to arrange it. No roommate with equal say. Just you and your choices.

Making your bed becomes a declaration: "I'm taking ownership of this space. I'm starting my day by creating order from chaos."

2. Confronting the mundane to build character

Here's something I learned while writing my book Hidden Secrets of Buddhism: How To Live With Maximum Impact and Minimum Ego: the mundane tasks are where character is built.

Buddhism teaches us that enlightenment isn't found only in meditation retreats or profound moments. It's found in chopping wood and carrying water. Or in our case, making the bed.

Peterson emphasizes that people who consistently avoid small, boring tasks are often the same ones who crumble when life demands sustained effort without immediate reward.

Why? Because they never built the muscle of doing things that don't feel exciting or important in the moment.

Making your bed trains you to act regardless of how you feel. Tired? Make the bed. Running late? Still make the bed. Don't see the point? Make it anyway.

This isn't about the bed. This is about becoming someone who follows through, even when motivation is nowhere to be found.

3. Creating order from chaos

Peterson's entire philosophical framework revolves around the balance between order and chaos. And your unmade bed? That's chaos winning a small battle every single morning.

I remember reading Carl Jung during a particularly anxious period in my life, and something clicked. The external chaos in my living space was reflecting and reinforcing the chaos in my mind.

When you make your bed, you're literally creating order from disorder. You're taking something messy and transforming it into something structured and pleasant.

This act sends a powerful message to your unconscious: "I am capable of creating order. I can take chaos and transform it."

And here's the kicker: once you start your day with this small victory over chaos, you're primed to tackle bigger challenges. You've already proven to yourself that you can create positive change.

4. Delaying gratification and building discipline

Let's be real. Nobody wakes up excited to make their bed. The immediate gratification would be to grab your phone, check social media, or rush straight to that first cup of coffee.

But Peterson points out that people who can't delay this gratification for even two minutes to make their bed often struggle with bigger delayed gratification challenges.

Can you stick to a workout routine when results take months to show? Can you save money when that new gadget is calling your name? Can you study for a degree that takes years to complete?

These all require the same muscle: the ability to do what needs to be done now for a benefit that comes later.

Making your bed is like a daily micro-dose of discipline training. You're choosing the satisfaction of returning to a made bed tonight over the immediate pleasure of leaving it messy this morning.

5. Accepting that small actions matter

One of the hardest lessons I learned battling my perfectionism was that small actions actually matter tremendously.

I used to think only the big moves counted. Land the major client. Write the bestselling book. Give the life-changing speech.

But Peterson argues that people who don't make their bed often suffer from this same grandiose thinking. They're waiting for the "important" stuff while dismissing the small, daily actions that actually build a life.

Here's what Buddhism taught me: there are no insignificant actions. Every choice creates karma, shapes character, and influences your trajectory.

That made bed? It might inspire you to also clean your desk, which helps you focus better, which improves your work, which advances your career. The ripple effects of small actions can be massive.

When we dismiss bed-making as "pointless," we're really saying we don't understand how change actually happens: gradually, through consistent small actions, not dramatic gestures.

6. Completing cycles and finding closure

This last one really resonated with me after diving deep into Hidden Secrets of Buddhism: How To Live With Maximum Impact and Minimum Ego.

Peterson suggests that people who leave their bed unmade often struggle with completing cycles in other areas of life. They start projects but don't finish. They open loops but don't close them.

An unmade bed is an open loop from the moment you wake up. It's an unfinished task hanging in your psychological background, subtly draining mental energy.

When you make your bed, you complete the cycle of sleep. You close that chapter and officially begin your day. You've taken something from start to finish, even if it only took 30 seconds.

This trains your brain to seek completion rather than leaving things half-done. And trust me, in a world full of distractions and half-finished projects, this ability to complete cycles is becoming increasingly rare and valuable.

Final words

Look, I'm not saying making your bed will magically transform your life overnight. But Peterson's insight reveals something crucial: our smallest habits often reflect our deepest patterns.

That unmade bed might seem insignificant, but it could be the symptom of avoiding responsibility, discipline, order, delayed gratification, the power of small actions, or the satisfaction of completion.

The beautiful thing? You can start changing these patterns tomorrow morning. Set your alarm two minutes earlier. Make your bed. See how it feels.

Because sometimes the path to confronting life's biggest challenges starts with smoothing out a wrinkled sheet and fluffing a pillow.

Who knew such a simple act could reveal so much about who we are and who we're becoming?