1. Wake up
2. Pick up phone
3. Scroll
Sound familiar? That tiny act could be sabotaging your brain power.
Maintaining a healthy relationship with technology, especially our phones, can significantly impact our productivity and sense of agency. It’s much too easy to grab our phones in the morning and scroll. But what this is really doing is putting your brain into a position of passive consumption that will set the tone for how it will desire information all day.
Passive. Doesn’t sound very fulfilling does it?
Neuroscientist Anne-Laure Le Cunff offered the following tips at our latest Tilt Talk, ‘The Curiosity Heist And How To Steal It Back’, to help us all create better habits around phone usage and mindfulness throughout our days:
1.Avoid reaching for your phone immediately upon waking up – keep it somewhere out of reach.
2. Keep your phone on airplane mode until you’ve completed at least one morning activity- even 5 minutes delay in phone use can make a huge difference
4. Consider activities like meditation, stretching, or making coffee before using your phone – starting your day with mindful activities rather than passive consumption and scrolling will set the tone for your entire day
5. Throughout the day, find ways to reset your mind and increase malleability – go for a run (if you’re that kind of person!) or walk to break up mindless activities
6. Insert fully present, mindful activities into your routine – practice being observant of even the smallest things around you – this is a great way to prompt curiosity and creative thinking
