Should I check my phone first thing in the morning?
It's better not to. There is little direct research on the first minutes of the day, but starting with notifications, news and work messages puts other people's priorities, and their stress, ahead of your own plans.
Stress on top of the morning cortisol rise
Cortisol already rises naturally in the first 30 minutes after waking (Clow et al., 2004). Work email and bad news are common sources of stress, and there is no need to stack them on top in the first minutes of the day.
Reactive vs. proactive
Reading other people's priorities (email, news, social) before deciding your own can put you in reactive mode. Most productivity advice flips this.
Practical rule
No phone for the first 30 minutes. Use a non-phone alarm if possible. Or use ByeBed, which points your first minutes at a mission rather than a feed.
Sources
- Clow et al., Stress, 2004. The awakening cortisol response: methodological issues and significance
Tired of hitting snooze?
ByeBed replaces the snooze button with a mission: math, push-ups, a photo. Stop the alarm without finishing the mission and it comes back, up to 10 times over 15 minutes. Subscription required, with a 3-day free trial on the annual plan for eligible new subscribers.
Download ByeBed on the App Store