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“Big doors swing on little hinges.”
W. Clement Stone
I turned off face recognition on my phone.
Unlocking by face is instant. I can be scrolling before I’ve consciously decided to pick the phone up.
A passcode adds a few seconds of friction. In those seconds I decide whether to keep going. Sometimes I type the first digit, notice I had no reason to pick it up and put it back down.
The passcode was the first.
Red light mode. The display turns red on a schedule each evening. A red screen is ugly to scroll and better for sleep than blue or white light. That is the feature.
No notifications. Uptime alerts break through. Everything else stays silent until I swipe down to check.
App blockers, stacked. The first app forces a deep breath before opening. The second adds a delay and a daily limit on top. One blocker can be dismissed on a weak night, so two run together.
Computer downtime at 9pm. Scheduled Downtime locks apps each evening. When the limit screen appears, work is done for the night.
White noise to bed. The same sound each night masks sudden noises nearby, so fewer of them wake me. The body learns the cue too.
All meetings and email on Monday. That buys deep work for the rest of the week.
I made each of these decisions once.
Willpower runs out. A single rule made in advance protects the day.
🔴
What boundary could you put on autopilot?
