I’m about to share an incredibly simple set of habits that will completely change your life for the better - but lets face it, you don't have the willpower for this easy stuff. You do everything the hard way …
The crazy thing about habits, even little ones, is they tend to transform your life whether you like it or not. The smallest change, when put into practice every day, can have astounding effects. But the problem with simplicity is that many smart people tend to think simple must mean it's somehow less effective.
If it’s so easy to do, everybody would just do it. There must be some better way to get it done.
Even though you're probably too smart for these, I'm going to share with you my secret BACK-TO-BACK-TO-BACK habits you should STOP IMMEDIATELY.
Yes, you read that right. I'm switching it up and these are habits you likely have now and if you just stop doing these things, you will transform your life. Believe it or not, quitting current habits can be even harder and more important than implementing new ones.
If you follow these instructions, you'll sleep better, have more energy, reduce stress, be more productive, and improve your overall quality of life. But after you start reading, many of you will think “I know this already” and go out and just look for an app that can solve all your problems because you're smarter than this simple crap … it can't be this easy.
Sad truth is it is this easy, but you're in denial.
1. STOP SLEEPING WITH YOUR PHONE
Let's get real: You do it, your neighbor does it and I do it sometimes, too. However, if you're spending each night sleeping with your phone, I implore you to stop.
“But why?” you ask. “I’m not hurting anyone”, you say. And that's where you're wrong. For starters, your screen gives off blue light that can keep your brain awake and affect the quality of your sleep. Even if you use Night Shift on the iPhone, which tints the screen, the phone light still begs your brain to stay awake.
The truth is you already know keeping our phones on our nightstands or under our pillow is causing us to lose sleep and is more about habit and comfort than absolute need. If you think you must have your phone within arm's reach at all times, here are some common reasons you'd want to keep your phone close, and a solution that means you don't have to.
Your phone is your alarm.
Alarm clock, who? Like many, I haven't used an alarm clock on my nightstand for years, but that doesn't mean you have to rely on that jangly little trill banging on your eardrums to jerk you out of slumber. There's a better way.
Simply move your phone further away. The distance means you're less likely to use your phone right before bed, and helps cut down on your exposure to possible radiation. Plus, you'll be forced to hop out of bed to shut off your alarm, and that means you won't just keep tapping snooze for another hour.
You want to hear important calls and texts
But what if there's an emergency? I hear this all the time but you can absolutely keep your phone at a healthy distance and still receive important alerts.
Your phone's "Do Not Disturb" mode is the perfect solution. Available on iOS and most Androids, this feature turns off all notifications and alerts from emails, texts and incoming calls, except from a few important contacts that you program. It's also crazy-easy to set up.
Most phones will let you control what kinds of notifications you get and from who. Make sure to turn up your ringer on your phone so that the calls and messages that do get through Do Not Disturb mode are loud enough to wake you up if necessary.
Music lulls you to sleep.
Whether you're listening to an audiobook, music or ambient noise when you nod off, the easiest option is to plug in your headphones and rest your phone nearby. However, with the help of some Bluetooth headphones, you can move your phone farther away or even to an adjacent room and still get your tunes. Most phones and accessories that use Bluetooth have a range of 33 feet (10 meters) so keep that distance in mind when finding a spot for your phone.
