Name: Phone Free Morning [1 hr.]
Description: Don’t touch your phone for the first hour after you wake up.
Opportunity: Looking at your phone first thing in the morning is a recipe for starting your day distracted, emotionally agitated, and with somebody else’s priorities masquerading as your own. Instead of immediately look at your phone upon waking up, find something to do that’s more aligned with grander intentions that you have for yourself, like reading a book, journaling, writing, or just sitting and contemplating the day.
Recent Experiences & Insights
January 2nd through January 8th, 2023
- The intention is to get up, make coffee, and read a book for the first hour of my day. Can be fiction or nonfiction. Can be “for work” or for fun.
- I don’t like the feeling of “losing” the first 30-45 minutes of my day looking at inane bullshit on Twitter, Instagram, and Reddit.
- Sunday, January 8th: I successfully — and easily — did this all week. Read like a book and a half. There’s no reason this shouldn’t be a thing that I continue doing indefinitely.
Scaffolding Tips
- Don’t use your phone as an alarm clock.
- Don’t put your phone in your usual morning path (i.e. not between you and the bathroom or you and the kitchen). I keep mine in my office which I’m usually not going into until I’ve used the bathroom and made coffee.
- Have something you look forward to doing ready to go. For me, that’s usually drinking a cup of good coffee and reading a book (Kindle or paper).
Related Patterns: