Someone once told me that they don’t check their phone at a wake-up notice. Baffled by their comment I asked, “Why?”
Julie Morgenstern, author of the book Never Check Email In the Morning, says, “Those requests and those interruptions and those unexpected surprises and those reminders and problems are endless … there is very little that cannot wait a minimum of 59 minutes.”
And, it’s true.
There is always a new notification but very rarely is it something that needs immediate attention. Although it may seem that a text from your crush or an email from your boss is a pressing matter with someone holding their breath on the other end, that is not the case.
Listening to this person tell me why they make the conscious decision, every morning, to keep their phone face down resided with me in a positive way but I still had my reservations. The idea of not clearing out all notifications that I wake up to made me claustrophobic. For one, my phone is also my alarm so the chance of me not opening my phone's apps right away is slim. And two, aren’t you curious?
Although curiosity may be settled once opening your phone “for just a second” in the morning, it is only a quick fix that then becomes a long-term distraction.
In the AM it’s a setback to starting your day and during your day it’s a diversion from “deep work” - a realm you enter when fully focused on a single task with no distractions. In his book, “Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World”,Cal Newton explains “To produce at your peak level you need to work for extended periods with full concentration on a single task free from distraction.”
Anyway, back to our morning habits.How do you feed your mind upon waking up?
Instantly checking your phone? Texts, social media, email etc.
Self-care routine - hair, skin, nails, shower,etc.
Exercise/ movement routine
Reading
Meditating
Television - news, sitcom, reality shows, etc.
Silence
coffee or tea
if you weren’t already aware, I’m sensitive (although, I work hard at hiding it). My energy is easily influenced by the energy that I’m around so putting myself in a position of no control over what I will experience is a dicey move. A.K.A. checking social media and/or my email and texts the moment I wake up. It’s like gambling my day away. I might hit the jackpot and see something that motivates me to feel great or it can be the complete opposite, leaving me with no chips to play so early in the day.
I’m actively working on giving myself the type of morning that motivates joy and clarity in my mind.
If you’re like me and millions, you probably use your phone for an alarm. I recently began taking advantage of The ‘do not disturb’ (DND) feature when I go to sleep and it has been a game changer. Waking up to what looks like no notifications has helped minimize the temptation to open my phone apps so quickly. Sometimes I go my 40 minute subway commute without a single glance.
And, it’s nice getting into work and being in control of my mood according to me and how I’m feeling that day.
If my morning doesn’t include heading into work then the options of what to do upon waking up broadens, as well as my chances of laying in bed scrolling, telling myself that “I have all day.” or “I’m not going anywhere today, it doesn’t matter what mood I get put in.” However, it matters.
Each morning I’m making the effort to choose something that allows my mind to breathe as it wakes for the day. Doing so, I’m able to set intentions and create the energy that I want to enter it with. Always with a coffee.