Automations + Tech Hacks for Sleeping + Waking:

This week I reflected on how much better my physical energy, mental clarity, and emotional flexibility is when I’m sleeping and waking on a steady schedule, directed by light. When I’m camping, I can get away with letting the sun schedule my sleep and wake times. But home in the city, there’s too much artificial light. 

At home, I’ve got to be the boss of my rest schedule.

If you’re like most of us, you’re also in a world of artificial light. (If you’re reading my blog out in the wild, you get a gold star and can stop reading.) But how much of boss do you feel over your rest and waking?

A small poll of some friends and colleagues found that most of us aren’t feeling so bossly. We’re up later than we mean to, and feel kinda draggy getting out of bed in the morning.

I could pretend that I’m just more disciplined than other people, or that I am just so naturally zen that I always follow through on my intentions to sleep on time and bounce out of bed each day. But the truth is, I need serious help.

Amazingly, I’ve found help in a weird place: my technology.

The same thing that has sometimes kept me awake has now become part of my strategy for going to bed with ease, and waking with energy. For me the secret to stronger rest and less sleep avoidance comes in 2 parts:

1. I’ve programmed lights to wake me in the morning, and shut off when it’s time to sleep.
2. I’ve setup automations to engage and block features on my digital devices to support my goals.

It takes a little time and finagling to figure out automations on your phone or tablet for the first time. But once you get the kinks worked out, those automations can keep supporting you with zero effort on your own.

If automations are new to you, maybe they sound super technical and advanced…don’t worry. The most useful automations often do simple things like turning your phone to airplane mode just after bedtime (and back on before you wake up). Not only does something like that reduce the amount of signals you’re exposed to while you sleep, it also can interrupt that Netflix binge at the appropriate time so you don’t miss your chance for a good night’s rest.

If you like the idea of using lights to wake up instead of jarring sounds, or waking to the buzzing of your fitbit to a dark room, you can use an automation, combined with a smart lightbulb to turn a wake up light on for you!

Depending on your technology, here are some different ways to let automations help you with sleeping and waking. I haven’t tested all of them personally since I don’t own all of the systems listed below, but thanks to friends who’ve helped me test things, they all seem to work. (Please email me with your own hacks and discoveries if you try any of them!)

• Start using “Automations” on your Apple devices or an app like Tasker or MacroDroid* to schedule settings on your digital devices that support sleep or focus: 
  • AUTOMATE: Switch into Airplane Mode at certain times of the day. (Reducing the signals to and from your phone when you’re not using it seems healthier for your body, and also helps interrupt you using it at times when you’d rather be sleeping.) Don’t worry, another automation can switch Airplane Mode off the next morning before you need it! 
  • AUTOMATE: Lock Apps to stop you from using them for a specific amount of time or time of day. If you’re trying to stop reading email before bed, turning on an automation that makes email unavailable to you during those pre-sleep hours will help you kick the mindless behavior and start getting better rest right away. (And if an email is so important that you need to break your rule, maybe give yourself permission only to access email on a computer. Or you can go in and turn off the automation. Just be cautious about letting it be “too easy” to let yourself off the hook for doing what you’ve said you need.) 
  • AUTOMATE: Schedule Focused Mode. Most devices have levels of “do not disturb” or “focused” modes that can be turned on. Creating a filter that silences your app notifications and texts from most people, but lets a text from your partner or kids come through immediately can make it easier to focus during work. But it can also be a game changer during your evening and morning routine. Consider what kind of “focus” you’d like to have. Setup the types of focus modes that will serve you, and schedule them to switch on and off using automations. You might be surprised how this strengthens your ability to keep a train of thought! 
  • AUTOMATE: Schedule Meditation. I currently have a simple automation loaded to open my meditation app at the time of night when I’ve told myself I plan to meditate. Sure this automation doesn’t help me if I’m dancing in the rain at that time. But if I’m scrolling on my phone or reading an ebook? It hijacks my attention and makes it easy to followthrough on my intention to meditate. Even a few minutes of meditation before bed seems to improve my quality of rest a great deal. 
• Get Smart Bulbs to use with your Alexa or Google Home Devices. It’s true, you can use a totally normal lamp with a smart bulb, and that analog lamp will become a programmable robot! Program your lighting to dim on and off, mimicking sunrise and sunset to help support your body’s circadian rhythm. (Apple users can configure these with automations as well, and Android phones can use apps like Tasker to do the same.) 
• Purchase a Programmable Power Strip to plug a “wake light” into. (Pro tip, if you get a mechanical strip, it’ll make a ticking sound as it chugs through the day. If you find loud clock ticking soothing, go for it; otherwise you might go crazy. To avoid the sound, get one that’s digital, or opt for wifi-controlled smart plugs.) 
• Purchase Smart Plugs to orchestrate the turning on and off of various devices in your house to move you toward bed at night, and into your morning routine the next day. (Beware of the drag this can put on your wifi network if your system is slow. Also, some plugs have to be insanely close to your router, which defeats the purpose a lot of the time. #LessonLearned. For slower systems, or vast distances, consider opting for a digitally programmable plug rather than a bluetooth/wifi one.)

Whether you’re a techie sort of person who likes automating things, or full-analog human, I wonder what you could do to let the steady rhythms of light increase your daily energy. I know living by light makes me stronger, steadier, and more ready to face each day.

Even if you never try this, maybe remember that things don’t have to keep working the way they do now. There are other ways, tactics that can lighten burdens, and ways of bringing more ease and delight into the everyday. 

May your life get lighter this week,

~Morgan

*NOTE: I haven’t tested automations in Tasker or MacroDroid since I use an iPhone and tablet. From the articles I’ve read they and others can do these things too, but forgive me if the workarounds look a little different on those devices. Please let me know if you have feedback from your experiences!