Stop taking your phone to bed

I stopped using my phone in the bedroom and it was great decision.

Years ago it dawned on me that the vast amounts of time I spent reading and browsing Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and Reddit, was not adding up to anything. This realisation inspired me to put down my smartphone and pick up a book.

I have been thinking a lot about this again recently. Mainly because it’s a reality that technology and phones are embedded in todays world and therefore I continue to struggle with keeping off social media and my phone in general. In fact the harder I try to reduce my phone usage, the more it upsets me when I inevitably fail. Using my phone has become a negative experience, sometimes riddled with guilt.

I have definitely become more focused and intentional with my phone use over the years though, and I’m better off because of it. I pull out my phone to do a specific task and put it away again as quickly as possible. Especially when I am with others.

Let there be sleep

This year I started a new habit to intentionally reduce my phone usage; I stopped bringing my phone to bed. Actually, I stopped using my phone in the bedroom at all.

If I want to check something I literally get out of bed and stand outside the bedroom door (less than 2 metres from where I sleep). This felt silly at first but it has taught me not only how much I check my phone but also how important the things are that I want to check. It very quickly became clear that Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, etc are most the time not worth getting out of bed for, so why are they worth bringing to bed?

Along with this, a few years ago someone posted about a little program they made that tracks your friends sleeping habits. Ultimately, the program tracks when your friends are on Facebook, and as we all know what is the very last and very first thing people do in their day? They check Facebook. Suddenly you have a snapshot of when the person went to sleep and when they woke up.

The sleeping habits of an individual derived from Facebook activity. You can read more about the sleep tracking program here by Søren Louv-Jansen.

I thought the idea, although creepy, was genius. I installed the program out of curiosity and let it run for a week. As promised it showed my friends sleeping habits. Nearly everyone checks Facebook before they go to sleep and instantly when they wake up. I never forgot it and it has played on my mind ever since, inspiring me to use my phone less.

Removing my phone from the bedroom has helped get time back (and sleep!) I get to sleep much faster and stay asleep longer. Better yet when I do wake up in the middle of the night I’m able to doze off again easier without the temptation to check my phone for a few minutes, aka 45 minutes.

My mornings no longer involve squinting at my social feeds through crusty eye lashes. Instead I slowly bring myself into each day, listening to sounds, dozing in and out of sleep, and I enjoy bed for the rest that it gives me.

There are still days when I wake up and want to check my phone straight away, and I do, but I check outside of the bedroom. This way I have decided to get out of bed, leave my bedroom, and start my day because something online was seemingly worth getting out of bed for and if it doesn’t feel worth it in the end it encourages me to stay in bed next time.

I have continued this habit for 8 months now and it has been a very positive experience. It has been much more manageable and successful than past attempts of using my phone less.

Dedicating a place in my house where my phone is forbidden has created a place for my brain to focus on other things and rest. Rather than trying to fight through a whole day of not looking at my phone I can continue to try and limit my usage throughout the day while knowing when I get home and into my room I will definitely be in more control.