I Slept with My Phone in a Different Room for a Week
This is how I did it, and why I'll continue
Branches | The Main Idea
I have struggled with sleep for a long time. Since middle school, I can remember finding activities to do late into the night. However, over the years, reading under the covers with a headlamp at 11 p.m. transformed into Netflix, Instagram, and TikTok at 2 in the morning. Up until a few weeks ago, I thought my lifestyle was normal, and I justified my time being robbed by my phone as “Me Time”. Recently, however, I have started to see the effects of sleep deprivation. Through my Psychology Class, Health Class, and (most importantly) constructive criticism from my friends, I decided I needed to change my habits.
Photo Credit: Kidscreen
Buds | My Method
To start my journey to eliminate screen time from my night, I employed the ideas found in James Clear’s novel, Atomic Habits. By gradually implicating small changes into my night routine, I could transition to a phoneless slumber easily.
First, I downloaded the app SleepTown, which provided me with the motivation not to touch my phone while I was asleep. The app essentially lets you build a town composed of different buildings, each representing a good night’s rest with no phone use.
After a week of not touching my phone at night, I began to charge it on my bookshelf overnight. This did 2 things: it kept my phone off of my mind and forced me to get out of bed first thing in the morning to turn off my alarm. I made my bed immediately after I turned off my alarm to stop myself from crawling back into bed.
My designated "Phone Bowl" and new alarm clock Finally, after another week of this routine, I replaced my phone with a (very basic) alarm clock, and I placed my phone downstairs in my living room. I resigned to only checking my phone after getting ready for school and coming downstairs.
Leaves | Results
I am more than satisfied with the results of this experiment. The time I used to spend mindlessly scrolling through Social Media has translated into reading, listening to music, and sleeping. I’m in the shower within 10 minutes of my alarm going off in the morning, and my bed is made for the rest of the day. Furthermore, I have found it refreshing to wake up on my terms - without immediate bombardment from my email, messages, and social media.
However, the key to my success was to not expect these results immediately. With every gradual change I made, I didn’t expect my life to change forever. I took small steps each week to acclimate myself to my new habit, and these small steps were much more efficient than a giant leap all at once.
So, if you want to try this experiment (or any similar experiment for that matter), I can tell you first-hand that small changes really do make a difference, and that you won’t regret at least trying something new. And remember, small changes generally show benefits in the long term, so don’t expect your life to change drastically after one night.
References
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