Jeff Bezos claims that he is smarter because of the one-hour rule. According to New Neuroscience, He's Correct

Many CEOs, such as Tim Cook of Apple and Indra Nooyi of Pepsi, brag about their rigorous morning rituals. Not Bezos. The founder of Amazon is well-known for spending the first few hours of the day … puttering.

Bezos's morning ritual of avoiding screens

In a 2018 address at the Economic Club of Washington, Bezos outlined his typical morning routine. It entails enjoying breakfast with his family, reading the paper, and sipping coffee. What does his "puttering time" exclude, do you know? examining his phone.

Lauren Sanchez, Bezos's fiancée, stated in a recent interview with People that her partner is still dedicated to leisurely mornings, saying, "We don't get on our phones." One of the rules is that.

How come Bezos has prohibited using screens for the first hour after getting up? His one-hour rule probably stems in part from personal taste. According to experts, we perform better when our routines respect rather than interfere with our unique rhythms because we are all wired differently when it comes to our varying energy levels and tolerance for stimulus.

However, Bezos asserts that his puttering does more than simply increase his enjoyment of life. He claimed in the same 2018 address that his phone-free, slow-burning mornings boost his energy levels and decision-making skills throughout the day.

According to recent neuroscience research, he may have a point with this assertion. Smarter, better days result with fewer online mornings, and recent data strongly recommends that more people should adopt Bezos's one-hour rule.

Your brain after spending too much time in front of a screen

"The negative effects would be negligible if you spent an hour one morning scrolling through your phone in bed. However, if this practice becomes a habit, day after day, month after month, it might have negative effects, according to a recent blog post from the Stanford Lifestyle Medicine Program's Maris Loeffler.

A commonplace aspect of contemporary life is the phone. You can easily overdo it, and you can't avoid them. The Stanford article summarizes a number of recent, somewhat alarming neuroscience discoveries regarding the negative effects of prolonged screen use. Among them are:

According to one study, individuals' increased screen time may be detrimental to their mental, cognitive, and memory abilities.

According to a another study, persons who watched TV for five hours or more a day were more likely to acquire disorders of the brain like Parkinson's or dementia.

Additional research indicates that persons who use screens for two or more hours a day outside of work had smaller gray matter volumes in their brains.

Excessive screen time has been connected to back pain, sleep issues, and vision issues in addition to its detrimental effects on the brain. Overall, it paints a really depressing picture of the harm that our shared infatuation with phones is causing to our bodies and minds.

For your brain, passive screen time is similar to ingesting sugar. You want it now because it "tastes" wonderful, but you're not really feeding yourself. Loeffler summarizes, "You're not providing any nourishment to your brain."

How to avoid checking your phone in the morning

What is the best advice she and other professionals have for assisting us all in limiting our screen time in a healthy way? Bezos's one-hour rule, that is.

The blog post states frankly that "Stanford Lifestyle Medicine experts recommend no screen time for the first hour of the day." (I've provided links to further information about the benefits of each.) It also offers a menu of other activities that are healthier for your brain during the first hour of your day.

Work out

Give a friend or relative a call.

Make a nutritious breakfast.

Engage in meditation

Play some music.

Make a list of your thankfulness.

Go through a book.

Go outside and enjoy the morning light.

"How would you like the energy and mood of your day to begin?" Loeffler queries. "A deliberate morning routine that incorporates lifestyle medicine choices in place of screen time promotes brain health and cognitive enhancement and sets a positive tone for the day."

Jeff Bezos would not be surprised by that. For years, he has been using the best practices from neuroscience to create a morning regimen that improves his brain function. Perhaps more of us ought to set our phones aside in the morning and follow suit.

Inc.com was the original home of this post. There are affiliate links for the books and authors I mention, so if you click and buy them, I get a little commission.