🎯 Today’s Mission:

To successfully complete today’s mission:

✅ Don’t look at your phone for the first hour upon waking up.

✅ Write down what you commit to doing instead.

✅ [OPTIONAL] Share with us, in the Morning Routine Challenge Support Group how your morning went.

✅ Complete the form at the bottom of the page when done.

The Sleekgeek 21-Day Morning Routine Challenge is sponsored by Vitaforce.

💡 More Info:

❓ How to complete the mission

Remember that the way you start your day will set the tone for the rest of the way it pans out. You wouldn’t invite hundreds of people into your house first thing in the morning would you?

Then why do so via a device?

Smartphones are nifty gadgets, they help us be more productive and can improve the quality of our lives but they also can be used incorrectly which creates inverse effects including negatively impacting our mental health.

This study from IDC Research points out the negative effects that cell phone usage has on us. About 80% of smartphone users check their mobile devices within 15 minutes of waking up each morning and research shows how this is problematic.

It has been shown that stress and anxiety increases because waking up to glaring notifications on your phone from different apps that are all vying for your attention can create these feelings of unease. You are immediately prohibited from starting your day calmly.

Scrolling through your feed or checking emails steals your time and attention. Think of it like this – checking your phone immediately puts other peoples needs, ideas and information into your thoughts which in turn will affect your mindset for the day.

It is so important to check in with ourselves instead of being occupied with other people’s agendas. Give yourself time to center on your needs and accomplishments for the day.

Your time is also being hijacked. It is so easy for is to get “sucked down the rabbit hole” and what began as 5 minutes of quick scrolling turns into 15. Those extra minutes can be put to better use by any task of your choosing.

Staring into that bright screen first thing in the morning also primes your brain for distraction. According to Dr. Nikole Benders-Hadi, “The information overload that hits [you] before you’re fully awake interferes with your ability to prioritise tasks.”

Thus we end up being distracted more easily throughout the day – messing with our productivity and flow. Your ability to focus decreases when you start your day glued to your smartphone.

Here is the science behind what happens to your brain when your brain when you wake up in the morning and how your phone affects its natural processes.

When you wake up in the morning your brain goes from a deep sleep state to a sort of daydreaming state. The first is known as delta waves and the second is theta waves. Next your brain will go to alpha waves which is when you are awake but not processing too much information.

When you grab your phone you force your brain to skip ahead of the theta and alpha stages and go directly to the beta stage – the stage where you are alert and awake.

We do not want to miss out on the theta state as this is when “an ideal time to tap into your subconscious mind to visualize what you want and help your brain drive your actions forward toward achieving your vision.”

By skipping this state you are priming your brain for distraction not to mention that viewing negative information can trigger a stress response that can continue for the rest of the day.

Get comfortable with teaching your brain to be okay with less stimulating — yet more beneficial — activities such as reading, meditation, journaling, prioritising your tasks, scheduling your day, or taking the time to make a healthy breakfast.

Dopamine — a neurochemical that makes you feel rewarded, is released whenever you check your email or social media. The brain craves dopamine so it will stimulate the repetition of behaviours that led to the dopamine release in the first place.

By checking your phone first thing in the morning you are priming your brain to repeat this behavior throughout the rest of your day.

Have you noticed that when something gets challenging or tedious you often reach for your phone? This is your brain wanting to quickly and easily feel good.

🚶🏽‍♀️How?

Put your phone on airplane mode before you go to bed. Your alarm clock will still go off but you won’t be tempted by those flashing notifications.

Then when you wake up, leave your phone at your bedside and begin the rest of the day. Take some time to breathe or implement that five minute action we discussed earlier in this series.

Some other ideas are:

Exercising
Meditating
Reading
Journaling
Listening to a podcast
Making a healthy breakfast
Connecting with your kids or spouse
Scheduling your day
Writing
Prioritising your tasks
Setting goals
Making a cup of coffee

Now go ahead and implement this practice tomorrow morning! Remember, the way you start your day sets the tone for the rest of the day — so make sure you start it well.