Elon Musk says it's a "terrible habit". What Science Says You Should Do Instead

During a recent appearance on the Full Send podcast, Elon Musk revealed what he says is a terrible habit. “I have a bad habit — which I suspect a lot of people do — of immediately checking my phone,” Musk said. "It's a bad habit, actually."

Musk refers to when he wakes up in the morning and of course he's right. He's not the only one to wake up and immediately pick up his phone. If he's like most people, he probably doesn't even get up first.

He's also right that it's a bad habit. There are several reasons for this, but the most important is that your brain is literally in the process of starting. As you go from sleep to the sort of eye-opening fog, your brain waves change. They keep changing as you become fully awake, but the in-between step is important.

When you pick up your phone, you skip important steps in the process and prime your brain for distraction. Not only that, but when you disrupt the alpha wave stage, science has shown that it can lead to increased levels of stress, anxiety, and even depression. It's about the worst thing you can do if your goal is to be productive.

Musk, who is the richest man in the world and runs Tesla and SpaceX, clearly has a lot on his plate. He definitely doesn't need distractions anymore.

Musk suggests a better use of his time is underway. "I [need] to train and get in better shape," Musk said. "So I'm going to go from immediately looking at my phone as soon as I wake up to working out for at least 20 minutes and then looking at my phone."

Whether you feel like working out in the morning, you definitely need to do something before you dive into work. In fact, in all the reading I've read about the morning routines of highly productive, successful people, one thing stands out: They don't pick up their phone first. They do something else first.

Certainly, exercise is one of those things. Block CEO Jack Dorsey says he meditates for 30 minutes and then trains first thing in the morning. Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz says he likes to ride a bike. Bill Gates says he walks on a treadmill while watching educational DVDs.

It's definitely not easy. We're so conditioned to check our phones that for many people, it's literally the first thing they look for when they wake up. It's like there are messages or emails or notifications that are so important that they can't wait any longer, so you need to check them immediately.

Except if you had slept half an hour longer, whatever was on your phone would have waited. Just because you're awake doesn't mean anything is more urgent.

The thing is, before you pick up your phone to dive into email and Slack, do something else. Maybe it's exercise, as Musk suggests. If exercise isn't your thing, find something else.

Read a book, go for a walk, or just take a shower and get ready for the day. All of these things help your body and brain prepare for the day more intentionally than just picking up your phone and tapping on the apps that have the most red dots.