A Morning Without a Screen

For many people the phone is the first thing they reach for in the morning, before they’re properly awake. An easy experiment is to leave it in another room until after breakfast, and see what the first hour feels like without it.

How to try it

1. Charge the phone overnight outside the bedroom.
2. Use a simple alarm clock instead of the phone alarm.
3. Decide what you’ll do instead for the first hour: make coffee slowly, read a few pages of a book, step outside, write a few lines in a notebook.
4. Pick up the phone only once you’ve eaten, or at a fixed time.
5. Try it for a week before deciding whether it’s for you.

What to expect

The first few days usually feel strange: an urge to check, or a worry about missing something. Most messages can wait an hour. Many people find the morning feels longer and calmer, and that they start the day with their own plans rather than everyone else’s.