Four years ago, I did something I didn’t think I would do again.
I bought an alarm clock.
I did it to remove the excuse that I need my phone in my bedroom ‘for the alarm’. Once I had the physical clock, I started charging my phone in the kitchen overnight, which kept the tech away from me before bed and upon waking.
It was great… until it wasn’t.
Last year changed things when having a family member in the ICU meant a call could come at any time, and I wanted my phone close by. But even after everything settled, I struggled to go back to keeping the phone in the kitchen overnight. I kept thinking, “What if someone else has a sudden emergency?” So I kept my phone nearby even though I didn’t want it that way.
An unexpected solution
But when I told a friend about my situation, she said, “What if you got one of those retro bluetooth phones for your bedroom? They connect with your cell and ring like a normal phone.”
Honestly, I had no idea these existed.
Once I started researching the options, I saw multiple variations, including a ‘landline’ handset phone that connects to a cell. Then, last week while staying with my parents, I noticed their landline handset had this option. So I connected my phone, tested the feature, and it worked. Incoming calls on my cell would ring on the handset.
So this past weekend, I bought a handset phone that looks like a landline, except it’s only connected to my cell. I set it to ring only when it’s a contact calling so I don’t worry about spam calls. My cell is out of my bedroom again, although I chose a new location to charge it for a specific purpose, but I’ll get to that shortly.
I share this story because it’s an example of changing your environment to change your habits. But, if you are hesitating to change your environment, first you need to explore why you are hesitating.
Reluctance to change
I knew I wanted the phone out of my bedroom, but I wasn’t changing my behaviour because of an internal battle:
- My ‘Why’: keep tech out of the bedroom; avoid screens before sleep and avoid my attention being hijacked at night or first thing in the morning
- My ‘Why Not’: keep my phone close so I don’t miss an emergency call from a loved one
Even though my ‘Why’ was strong, my ‘Why Not’ was stronger. So it made sense I kept the phone close by. Getting clear on my ‘Why Not’ meant I could address it directly. In this case, by sharing my hesitation with a friend, she was able to suggest a solution for my roadblock.
When you remove the ‘Why Not’ holding you back, it clears the way for change.
Designing your environment
Buying the handset was an important step to keep my cell phone out of my bedroom. By keeping my phone out of reach, I support my sleep by limiting blue light before bed, and I support my attention by avoiding scrolling and notifications before bed and first thing in the morning.
But, I took it one step further.
Instead of my kitchen, I chose to charge my phone overnight in the basement where I workout*. Every evening, an alarm goes off to start my new evening routine:
- fill my water bottle
- bring my phone & water bottle to the basement
- lay out my gym mat
- plug in my phone
- go upstairs to set out my workout clothes for the morning
Since the only way to get the phone is by walking into the basement where I workout (while wearing my workout clothes), I dramatically increase the likelihood I’ll exercise in the morning, even if it’s a short or gentle session.
Environmental experiments
When I bought the handset, my only goal was to keep my phone out of the bedroom. The idea to put it in the basement only came from an experiment I did while staying with my parents last week.
In an effort to be consistent while travelling, each night I laid out my mat on the floor beside the guest bed. It meant I had to literally step on the mat in the morning, which I knew would increase my odds of using it. Well, it worked. It worked so well, I asked myself how I could create a similar experience at home. That’s when I came up with the idea of charging my phone beside my mat.
Here’s the key to designing your environment to support good habits: don’t overcomplicate it.
- Ideate: What’s one change you can make to increase the odds you will take action?
- Adjust: Make the change today, or as soon as you can if you need to buy something (like the phone or alarm clock)
- Review: Is the change helping? If yes, great! If no, go back to the Ideate step.
Avoid the trap of thinking you need to have it figured out perfectly before you start. Remember this is an experiment, not a tattoo. It’s not permanent.
Small changes to your environment can make a big difference. All you need is to be experimental and stay curious. What can you try? And if you are reluctant to change, explore your ‘Why Not’ to understand your hesitation.
Also, if there is a small change you’ve made to your environment that’s helped you, I’d love to hear about it! Please reply and share what change you made and how it’s helped.
Cheers,
Cat