I Tried Jeff Bezos’s 1-Hour Rule for 15 Days To Boost My Mental Health and Productivity— Here’s What Happened

A comprehensive overview of my experience with Bezos’s no-scrolling-in-the-morning rule

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I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop.

Every morning, I reached for my phone and blasted my corneas with blinding blue light before turning on my bedside lamp.

Feeling like a kid playing video games after curfew, I quickly checked my email and WhatsApp. I let myself get bombarded with non-urgent news and requests before I’d even said hello to my husband.

Then I’d spend at least 15 to 30 precious minutes scrolling through YouTube. I was trying to find the one video that would accompany me throughout my morning routine. Because everyone needs to have a video playing in the background to function normally, right?

You can judge me.

After all, you can’t judge me more than I was judging myself. I couldn’t believe I couldn’t even have a quick bathroom break without entertainment.

Though a few years before I’d successfully broken up with Instagram, I’d succumbed to a new addiction: YouTube.