You are not alone if you are wanting a morning routine without a phone.
It is a great intention. I encourage it!
In this article, I breakdown steps to make sure your morning is phone free and provide a reference to a morning routine that is designed to be phone free: The Golden Hour.
I don't want to bore you with the data, we can all agree that we live in a digitally forward world, meaning electronics are front and center in our lives. They follow us into our bedrooms. They great us when we wake up. They are being used by children at younger and younger ages. The list goes on.
Even though they provide a great resource to stay connected, what starts out as a tool, can certainly cause disruption when they aren't managed properly and take, well, front and center in our lives...
Over the years of my own wrestling with electronics and creating healthy habits to maintain appropriate distance to them, I've curated a simple morning routine that is simple and actionable, so simple that you don't need a phone. In fact, I recommend not having it around at all.
Let's break it down on how to have a morning routine without using your phone...
1) Have a basic routine. Know what general items you want to accomplish in the morning routine. Know what time you wake up and how much time you'll need for your routine. Keep these in your mind or writing them down will alleviate the need to double check your phone. If you're looking for more information on a morning routine that does not require a phone, I teach this in The Golden Hour, it's 3 simple steps. Follow the link HERE for more information.
2) Airplane Mode. Our phones are designed to maintain our attention, plain and simple. Ever wonder why they want to push you notifications? Why the red notification dot is red and not some more subtle color like blue or green? Why the phone chimes and vibrates along with that notification? It's to keep you engaged.
So, we can establish healthy boundaries by keeping our phones on airplane mode, or change the settings like Do Not Disturb, where you can set a schedule where you will not be disturbed. I recommend not having your phone handy at all in the morning and more on that next...
3) Digital Distance. I keep my phone on my desk, face down. I have Do Not Disturb set between 8pm and 7am. I have a dedicated alarm and meditation timer, so my phone doesn't even make it into my bedroom or my morning routine. By having the phone down, out and away, this means you get to choose when you have the time to check on your phone (after your morning routine is complete). In the morning, this is critical to have the phone away, face down and off to the side. Again, this takes some self-discipline, but with the right rules it can be simple, yet profound to have digital free time.
4) Get a Dedicated Timer and Alarm. It's a big ask to have your phone out and not use it. So, I recommend having a dedicated alarm and timer for use in the morning. That way your phone is down, out and away AND you can still manage time with a handy clock. I currently use a digital timer and alarm made by Offgrid Mindfulness. It's simple and has a great timer bell with alarm functions. It's my go to in the morning. Another recommended tiemr and clock, which is on the higher end, is the Enso Meditation Timer made by Salubrion.
So, there you have it. It is possible and well worth it to have a digital free morning routine. With the right steps and some healthy boundaries with electronic devices, we can maintain proper distance to allow our bodies and minds a break from all of the information. At a deep level, we need the time and space away form our devices in order to thrive.
In short, have a basic routine to follow in the morning (if you need some prompts, write it down), keep your phone on airplane mode (or Do Not Disturb), have your phone down, out and away, and finally, get a dedicated timer and alarm so that you won't even think about grabbing your phone in the morning.
I hope you enjoyed this article and stay tuned for more updates to come.
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