By: Cally Reed
Have you ever found yourself waking up and immediately reaching for your phone? Before your feet even hit the floor, you’ve checked emails, scrolled Instagram, and fallen into a TikTok rabbit hole—leaving you feeling oddly drained before your day has even started.
As a health coach at Gradual Shifts, I help busy professionals create sustainable wellness practices that work with their real lives. But this spring, I was struggling with my own morning instagram scrolling habit, even though I “know better.” Can anyone relate?
So I decided to turn a personal challenge into an experiment: 30 minutes without my phone after waking up, for 10 consecutive days. Here’s what happened…
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The night before Day 1, I placed my phone under my bed and set up an old-school radio alarm clock—creating what Stanford behavior scientist BJ Fogg calls “friction” to make unhelpful habits harder and helpful ones easier.
Day 1: Waking up to radio music instead of notifications felt oddly liberating. I found myself naturally drawn to making a proper breakfast—something I had been rushing through (hello protein bars and coffee!) right before I ran out the door.
Day 2: The radio alarm worked like a charm again. I noticed my breathing felt a little lighter throughout my morning routine.
Day 3: I managed to resist the phone for 30 minutes. Woohoo!
Day 4: Four days in, and my morning anxiety lessened. My breathing was deeper, my movements less rushed.
Day 5: A late night out with friends led to something remarkable—I actually fell back asleep after initially waking up! Without my phone to stimulate my brain, my body listened to its need for more rest.
Day 6: After another late night (a wedding), I slipped up and checked Instagram briefly upon waking. Interestingly, I didn’t fall back asleep despite being tired—evidence of how screen time impacts alertness.
Day 7: Back on track! I enjoyed listening to my classical NPR on my local Minnesota station and learned about current events the old-fashioned radio way.
Day 8: Waking up to my classical NPR felt completely normal now. And I feel so empowered starting the day without a phone in my hands!
Day 9: The habit of setting my physical alarm clock at night has become a powerful anchor behavior. I was up early, had breakfast made, and arrived at a co-working session with fellow female founders by 9 am—energized and clear-headed.
Day 10: Up at 6 am without struggle, and didn’t need my phone until after arriving at work. My morning felt spacious rather than rushed.
After 10 days, my phone’s screen time data showed an 11 percent decrease in daily usage compared to the previous week. This suggested that starting my day phone-free created a positive ripple effect throughout my entire day.
The benefits extended to:
After my initial 10-day experiment, I’ve continued to refine this practice. I’ve found that when life gets challenging, maintaining this morning boundary becomes even more important—though sometimes more difficult. Recognizing this pattern has helped me be more compassionate with myself while still aiming for small actions, CELEBRATIONS + consistency to lock in my new rhythm!
This week, I was able to get up early, and have enough time to do some sight-seeing in my own city—there is a house in Minneapolis affectionately dubbed “The Tulip House” on Google Maps, that has over 10K tulip bulbs in the yard and I got to see it before work at 8:30 am! Morning win!
My experiment worked because it followed key principles of habit science:
According to BJ Fogg’s Tiny Habits methodology, three elements are essential for behavior change:
The celebration part—simply acknowledging “I did it!” and knowing I’d be tracking my morning success—created a positive emotion that helped reinforce the new habit pattern.
These principles apply to any wellness habit, whether it’s morning movement, mindful eating, or taking breaks throughout your workday.
When I asked my Instagram community how they avoid morning scrolling, their answers were refreshingly honest and practical:
“I don’t even bring my phone into the bedroom,” shared one follower. “It’s like having a landline—it stays in one spot through the night and morning.”
Another friend admitted her strategy was purely practical: “I give myself just enough time to get ready for work. I literally have to spring out of bed to be on time—no scrolling possible!”
For parents, the solution was simple: “Kids! They immediately demand your attention the second you’re awake.”
My favorite tip came from a fellow wellness professional with a large online following. Her strategy? “Social media isn’t on my phone with cell service.” She keeps her social apps on a separate device that stays turned off overnight, sometimes not checking it “until the afternoon.”
What struck me about all these approaches was how personalized they were—each person had found what worked for their specific life circumstances.
As a health coach focusing on body awareness and sustainable well-being practices, I’ve found that a phone-free morning creates space for reconnection with yourself.
When we pick up our phones first thing, we’re immediately introduced to external stimuli before checking in with our own body’s signals and needs.
This creates a subtle disconnection that makes it harder to:
Ready to experiment with your own morning routine? Here’s a streamlined approach for how to stop scrolling:
Begin with just 10 to 30 phone-free minutes after waking.
Plan what you’ll do instead:
Notice both screen-time reduction and subjective experiences (energy levels, mood, focus) to reinforce your motivation.
Scrolling first thing bombards your brain with external input before you’ve even checked in with yourself. This can lead to anxiety, disconnection from your body, and a reactive mindset that carries into the rest of your day.
Start small—try 10 to 30 minutes phone-free after waking. Create friction by charging your phone outside the bedroom and using an analog alarm clock instead.
Replace the habit with something grounding: stretch, journal, sip your coffee slowly, or just breathe. The key is doing something that reconnects you with your body and creates intention for your day.
Yes. In this experiment, I saw better emotional regulation, clearer body awareness, and even improved productivity—all from just 30 screen-free minutes each morning.
Absolutely! Real change isn’t about perfection—it’s about consistency and celebration. Even small wins help you build momentum and create a routine that supports your well-being long-term.
To help make your screen-free mornings easier and more enjoyable, I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite tools for creating a calm, intentional start to the day. Whether you’re sipping a warm drink, journaling, or meditating, these products can support your mindful morning routine—no scrolling required.
It’s been about 25 days since I started this experiment, and while not every morning is perfect, the awareness I’ve developed around my digital habits has been transformative. This is exactly the approach I take with clients at Gradual Shifts—turning small, experimental changes into lasting practices through:
Less noise. More clarity. Less scrolling. More you.
If you’re curious about creating your own intentional morning routine or developing other sustainable well-being practices, I’m currently accepting new clients for my six-month coaching program.
Book a complimentary 30-minute consultation →
Has this inspired you to try your own morning experiment? I’d love to hear about it! Connect with me on Instagram [@Cally.Reed] or share your thoughts below.
Cally Reed is a National Board Certified Health Coach (NBC-HWC) specializing in helping busy professionals create sustainable wellbeing practices. Through her practice, Gradual Shifts, she helps clients reconnect with their body’s wisdom to prevent burnout and build resilience that lasts.
Hi, I'm Kayla Brugger. Certified Pilates Instructor & Minnesota Mama of 2.
