What we do in the morning can establish our mood for the rest of the day, so a lot of our wake-up advice boils down to doing what you actually need and want to do. Which means it’s time to confront that little box that keeps interrupting you to tell you what to think. Your phone.
Remember, there is a whole industry that makes more money the more you worry about what’s on your phone. If you check your phone first thing in the morning, you’ll fall into their rabbit hole.
[referenced url=”https://www.lifehacker.com.au/2018/10/your-notifications-are-lying-to-you/” thumb=”https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/kibgsajvzn9ugq9oypy2.png” title=”Your Notifications Are Lying To You” excerpt=”Ding! This needs your attention right now, notifications seem to say. Boing! It might be an emergency. Or, just as often: Boop! Somebody you love might want to talk to you. We get hundreds of notifications every day, and they are almost all lies.”]
So, wait to check your phone. It’s up to you how you begin your day, but I humbly suggest that “what bullshit did I miss while I was asleep?” is not information you need while you are waking up. Twitter will still be there after breakfast. So will work emails.
Janelle Monáe gets it. She told Fast Company, “Like, when I get up, the first thing I do is not look at my phone. The first thing I do is I take at least 10 deep breaths.” Start the day the way you want.
Turn on Do Not Disturb
Android and iOS devices both allow you to set a window of time where they won’t bother you with notifications. Instead of setting that window to expire the moment you wake up, set it for half an hour later. Or an hour later.
Leave your phone plugged in
If you’re used to stuffing your phone in your pajama pocket as you go about your morning, consider not doing that. Snooze or stop your alarm (if your alarm is on your phone) but then put it down. If it would truly make your morning better to do some specific task on your phone, like putting on the perfect morning playlist, do just that and then set your phone back down.
Have breakfast
Or don’t have breakfast, if that’s your preference. But think about what you want to do before you get sucked in to your phone. Brush your teeth, get dressed, and make coffee, perhaps. Bake an egg in the toaster oven. If you get bored, you could read a book. Look out the window. Let your brain find its own lazy morning thoughts, instead of reading them off a screen.
Comments