The first 30 minutes without your phone

How you spend the first half hour sets the tone for the rest of the day. Here's a calmer start that takes no willpower once it's set up.

The routine

1. 1

   Use an alarm clock

   If your phone wakes you, it's in your hand before you're awake. A cheap alarm clock means the phone can charge somewhere else.

2. 2

   Light, water, move

   Open the curtains, drink a glass of water, stretch for two minutes. Your body wakes up before your inbox does.

3. 3

   Plan the day on paper

   Write down the one thing that matters today, before anyone else's news reaches you.

4. 4

   First app after the first task

   Feeds can wait until you've done something for yourself. Even ten minutes of it.

The hard part is the first few days. After that, the quiet half hour is the bit you'd miss.