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- My Wake Up Call
My Wake Up Call
Randy Ginsburg
August 28, 2025
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A few days ago, I read a quote from Simon Sinek’s Leaders Eat Last, that woke me tf up:
“It is said that if you wake up in the morning and the first thing you crave is a drink, you might be an alcoholic. If you wake up in the morning and the first thing you do is check your phone to read e-mail or scan through your social media before you even get out of bed, you might be an addict.”
Despite being very cognizant of my digital habits, my screen time has been out of control recently. A lot of it has been intentional work use, but still. Not great.
It’s conventional advice to keep your phone out of the bedroom, yet I’ve never followed it since I use it as an alarm.
I don’t check it in the middle of the night, but it is always the first thing I grab in the morning — blasting my eyes with blue light and spiking my cortisol levels as I check my emails before my dreams have even fully faded.
Considering 87% of Americans keep their phone next to their bedside, I know I’m not alone.
I’ve justified it by telling myself I need to make sure no business fires popped up overnight (they rarely do) or because I’m excited to see if a deal closed.
But that quote made it very clear: I was dependent on my phone to start my morning routine, and have been doing myself zero favors by immediately exposing myself to stressful stimuli the moment I open my eyes.
So, I decided to see what my mornings were like without it. For the last few days, I’ve waited an hour before checking my phone after waking up. I also dusted off the ol’ Hatch alarm clock and kept my phone charged in the kitchen rather than the bedroom.
I wish I could say it was easy. It wasn’t. The last three mornings, I’ve felt anxious, a little irritated, and found it hard to focus because I was stuck on what texts/emails/DMs I might have missed overnight.
Even scarier, the low-grade anxiety vanished the second I finally checked my phone.
If you framed this “withdrawal” in the lens of any other substance, it would be undeniable. I have a problem.
And I can almost guarantee most of you reading this do too. You just overlook it when it shows up in your own life or with your friends and family.
As for how I plan to address it, the answer is brute force. My girlfriend (who I learned has a habit of checking her notifications in the middle of the night) and I have deemed the bedroom a phone-free zone, and I’ll be continuing to spend the first hour of the day phone-free.
Maybe phones in the bedroom isn’t an issue for you. Even then, I’d encourage you to take a moment and re-read Simon’s quote. Then replace “wake up in the morning” with a handful of other everyday scenarios, like:
“face a stressful situation”
“begin your workday”
“sit down for a meal”
“finish a conversation with a stranger”
Plug in any of these phrases and the same logic applies. If you find one that fits your life, try to eliminate your phone from the equation. See how you feel. I’m starting to learn that we are far more dependent on our devices when we think.
Heavily looking forward to the 24 Hour Offline Challenge. It will be a challenge for sure.
If you’re looking to improve your digital wellness, here are a few places to start:
Kanso Experiences - Unforgettable phone-free social experiences for ambitious people who are tired of the feed and hungry for real relationships.
Kanso Reset45 Cohorts - A cohort-based bootcamp to reprogram your tech habits in 45 days. If you’re interested in joining, reply to this email.
Kanso 1:1 Digital Wellness Accountability Coaching - For those who need high-touch, personalized support and daily ongoing accountability.
The Digital Reset Journal - The first journal designed to help you build a healthier relationship with tech
Digital Detox Tools - A free directory of 100+ digital wellness tools to integrate into all areas of your life.
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That’s all for this week. Now stop scrolling, and go do something great.
— Randy
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