Phone out of the bedroom
Charge it in another room and buy an actual alarm clock
Physically removing the phone from the bedroom, so it is neither the last thing you see nor the first. That solves late-night scrolling, notification wake-ups and the habit of starting the day inside somebody else's agenda, all in one move. The usual objection is the alarm, which a five-dollar clock solves.
People on record
Sorted by strength of stance
Does it: documented as part of their own routine. Recommends: explicitly advises other people to do it. Discusses: covered it substantively without clear personal adoption; this can include criticism or disagreement.
- Arnold SchwarzeneggerDoes it
Bodybuilding champion, actor, former governor · Arnold's Pump Club
No iPhone or iPad in the bedroom, and no heavy business calls for an hour or two before bed, so his mind is not still running when he lies down. One of his sleep secrets, in his words.
Source: The Tim Ferriss Show #216 transcript: Arnold Schwarzenegger Part 2“There’s another secret that I use and that is I don’t have my iPhone or my iPad or anything in the bedroom. I do not, an hour before or two hours before, get into some heavy debates about business and stuff like that or accept phone calls where those kind of things can happen, because I’ve seen that then you go to bed and your mind keeps going and going and going and doesn’t allow you to go to sleep.”
The Tim Ferriss Show #216 transcript: Arnold Schwarzenegger Part 2 (opens in a new tab) · 20 Jun 2018 - Chris WilliamsonDoes it
Host · Modern Wisdom
Charges the phone outside the bedroom overnight, one of the resolutions he has kept.
Source: chriswillx.com: 3 Minute Monday, 2024 Candidates & Butterflies - Mel RobbinsDoes it
Author and podcaster · The Let Them Theory
Her standing rule is that the phone gets tucked into the bathroom before she gets into bed, because she says she is too impulsive to have it within reach. The alarm still runs on the phone, which forces her up and out of the room to turn it off.
Source: The Mel Robbins Podcast: 5 Night Habits to Boost Focus & Energy“It means I tuck my phone into the bathroom. I cannot have it next to me. I can't. I'm too impulsive. I am prone to procrastinating. I will avoid doing what's right for me.”
The Mel Robbins Podcast: 5 Night Habits to Boost Focus & Energy (opens in a new tab) - Tom BradyDoes it
Former NFL quarterback · The TB12 Method
Turn electronic devices off half an hour before bed, he advises, and move any bedroom TV somewhere else. He also writes that his wife did not allow cellphones near the bed when they slept.
Source: Boston.com: 12 excerpts from Tom Brady's new self-help book - Cal NewportRecommends
Computer science professor · author of Deep Work
Recommends charging the phone outside the bedroom: one of the simplest structural fixes to compulsive use.
Source: Digital Minimalism - Matthew WalkerRecommends
Sleep scientist · author of Why We Sleep
Advises keeping the bedroom for sleep only, with the phone charging elsewhere and no working from bed.
Source: The Matt Walker Podcast
Aimed at the same thing
Other entries filed under sleep or focus.
- ProtocolFREE, no cost
Morning sunlight exposure
Bright outdoor light soon after waking, 5-30 minutes and no sunglasses
On record from 10 of 62 tracked people: 6 do it, 3 recommend it, 1 has discussed it - App$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Headspace
Guided meditation app built around ten-minute sessions, voiced by Andy Puddicombe
On record from 3 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it, 1 recommends it - Supplement$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
L-theanine
Amino acid from tea used for calm focus, or with caffeine
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 2 do it - ProtocolFREE, no cost
Non-sleep deep rest (NSDR)
10-20 minute guided body-scan rest, sometimes called yoga nidra
On record from 2 of 62 tracked people: 1 does it, 1 has discussed it - Protocol$$$Mid: Roughly $50 to $500, or up to $50/month.
HRV biofeedback training
Paced breathing against a live heart rate variability readout, a few minutes a day
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it - App$$$Cheap: Roughly under $50, or under $15/month.
Reveri
Self-hypnosis sessions for sleep, stress and pain
On record from 1 of 62 tracked people: 1 recommends it
Habit entry · notes paraphrased from cited sources, quoted excerpts copied from the transcript they link to. Not medical advice. Not affiliated with, endorsed by, or reviewed by anyone listed. How this works.