The One Morning Habit That Wrecks Executive Function in Adults
- Eric Kaufmann
- 1 hour ago
- 7 min read
TL;DR: If your mornings feel rushed, reactive, or out of control, your phone may be quietly sabotaging your executive function.
This post explains why charging your phone outside the bedroom improves sleep, focus, emotional regulation, and time management, especially for adults with ADHD or autism.
It’s a small habit change that creates outsized benefits for how your entire day unfolds.
Table of Contents
Hi Friend,
The moment you open your eyes, you face the first decisive moment of your day.
Who’s in control?
You and your executive function, or the first notification on your phone?
For 11 years, my phone was my alarm clock. And for 11 years, I spent at least 20 minutes every morning lying in bed reading the news, checking email, or scrolling Instagram.
I never felt good about it.
Guess how many funny videos, important emails, or breaking news stories I read from bed and still recall. Not one.
But I can remember the stress.
I’d wake up on time, yet still rush around the house, skip my morning routine, forget things, and start the day already behind because I was scrolling from bed.
I tried to stop.
“No more scrolling in bed,” I’d tell myself.
“Tomorrow I’ll just turn off the alarm and get up.”
Turns out that takes a lot of willpower. And my willpower is at its absolute lowest at 6:30 a.m. under warm covers.
So I stopped relying on willpower and bought a radio alarm clock.
Yes, they still exist. They’re also affordable and shockingly reliable.
Then I charged my phone in the kitchen for one week. A tiny experiment!
That’s how I approach improving executive function skills with my clients. Test a system. See what happens. Adjust. Repeat.
As for my phone? I’ve never looked back.
Charging my phone outside the bedroom is the most impactful habit I’ve ever built.
Today, I’m going to explain why every neurodivergent adult should charge their phone outside of the bedroom.
I hope to inspire this small yet insanely impactful change in your life.
Let’s dive in.
Six Reasons Charging My Phone Outside the Bedroom Helped My Executive Function
I love small, simple actions that have a big impact on our executive function skills. As my colleague Sean says:
"Small tweaks with big peaks."
Charging my phone in the kitchen is a perfect example of this.
My quality of sleep improved
Without late-night scrolling, I fall asleep much faster.
Sleep is foundational to executive function skills like attention, working memory, and emotional regulation. Research shows that sleep deprivation directly impairs executive functioning and self-control, especially in adults with ADHD.
"On average, U.S. adults spend 3.5 hours on social media before bed every night, comprising 74.7% of their daily use."
I'm less stressed and more regulated
Each morning, the first thing I would see was my email. And the first emotion I would feel would be overwhelm.
An email from my boss or a stressful news headline would hijack my nervous system before my feet hit the floor.
Morning phone use increases stress reactivity and emotional dysregulation, which makes task initiation and focus harder throughout the day.
My dopamine is protected
Short-form content rapidly drains dopamine. Adults with ADHD (like me) often have lower baseline dopamine levels, making executive function skills like focus and task initiation even harder.
Scrolling first thing in the morning wastes it on content we won’t remember an hour later.
My relationship strengthened
Parallel scrolling is a quick way to kill the mood. Have you ever looked at your partner, mid-Instagram scroll, and thought, “Yes! Now is the time!” Unlikely. Same with my wife. 😆
My mornings are calmer
Without scrolling in bed, my morning routine actually has time to exist. Now that I don't waste time scrolling in bed, I don't skip my morning movement or feel rushed to get out the door.
I get up quickly. I own my thoughts. I move my body. I start the day on my terms.
I don't sleep with work
No, I don't need to send emails from bed at 10:30 PM. That can truly wait until tomorrow. (I still need to remind myself of this).
My brain needs boundaries. Bringing my phone into bed brings work stress into the one place meant for rest.
Why I Avoided Charging My Phone Outside the Bedroom
Here are some of the excuses my brain used to make and the solutions I developed:
“It’s my alarm clock.”
Radio alarm clocks are inexpensive and effective. If that’s not an option, charge your phone across the room so you must get up to turn it off.
“I need it for emergencies.”
How many times did I need to answer your phone in the middle of the night last month?
...Zero.
If I truly need access due to parenting or on-call work, I could keep the phone nearby on those nights only and charge it in the kitchen otherwise.
“I use Do Not Disturb.”
That helps minimize notifications overnight but does nothing for morning impulse control. I'd still be relying on willpower when it’s weakest.
How I Stopped Sleeping With My Phone (And Vastly Improved My Executive Functioning)
If you’ve spent years charging your phone on your nightstand, you’ve built a strong habit.
Now, you will need to break it. These are the steps I took:
Get clear on your why.
Goal-directed persistence is strongest when we have a powerful why behind it. Maybe it’s better sleep, less stress, or more control.
Whatever your why is, connect it to something you deeply value.
I deeply value autonomy and don't want my first thoughts generated by an algorithm or email.
Choose a charging location and keep a charger close.
Choosing your charging station ahead of time minimizes decision paralysis.
Having the cable close by eliminates an excuse my brain might fabricate, making it easier to follow through.
I charge mine in the kitchen with a charging cable in a drawer near the outlet.
Run a tiny experiment.
If you declare you will be doing this forever, your brain might resist. Instead, starts small.
Commit to doing it for one night or one week.
I started with the work week (five days).
Set a reminder.
Most likely, you will forget this new habit. A reminder helps.
It took six months before I stopped needing the reminder.
Notice the difference.
After your tiny experiment is done, reflect on how it felt.
What changes did you notice?
How did your sleep, relationships, or mornings improve?
Do you want to keep going?
Summary
For 11 years, I let my phone run my mornings. When I started charging my phone outside of the bedroom, everything changed.
Better sleep. Calmer mornings. More joy. More focus.
If you have ADHD, are autistic, or struggle with executive function skills, charging your phone outside the bedroom is a great place ot start.
If you want to give it a try, here are the exact steps I took:
Get clear on your why.
Choose a charging location.
Place a charger close by.
Run a tiny experiment for a few days or one week.
Set a reminder to follow through.
This is one of those small changes that creates a massive shift.
My challenge for you is to try this for five days and send me an email to let me know how it goes.
Truly, this changed my life. I hope you find the same.
In service,
Eric
FAQs
Why does charging my phone in the bedroom hurt my executive function?
Charging your phone in the bedroom increases sleep disruption, impulsive scrolling, and stress reactivity first thing in the morning. Poor sleep and immediate exposure to notifications weaken executive function skills like emotional regulation, task initiation, and time management, especially for adults with ADHD or autism. When your phone is within reach, you rely on willpower at the exact moment your brain has the least of it.
How does charging my phone outside the bedroom improve focus and mornings?
Charging your phone outside the bedroom removes the need for early-morning impulse control and reduces decision fatigue. Without immediate access to email, news, or social media, you start the day with more cognitive control, less stress, and a stronger sense of time. This simple environmental change supports executive function skills by creating a calmer, more intentional morning routine.
Is charging my phone outside the bedroom helpful for neurodivergent adults?
Yes. Adults with ADHD or autism often experience weaker executive function skills in the morning due to low dopamine, poor sleep quality, and heightened emotional reactivity. Charging your phone outside the bedroom reduces stimulation, improves sleep consistency, and limits impulsive scrolling, making it easier to regulate emotions, manage time, and follow through on morning plans.
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About the Author
Eric Kaufmann is an Educational Therapist, Certified Executive Function Coach, and speaker. He is the Co-founder of UpSkill Specialists, an executive function coaching company that helps adults and workplace teams overcome disorganization, procrastination, and productivity roadblocks.
Want to learn more about 1:1 coaching? Click here.
Interested in hosting a workshop for your team or company on how to improve executive function skills in the workplace? Click here.
Looking for guidance on how to become an adult executive function coach? Click here.
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