No Bed-Rotting Trial | The Update
For those of you who hate the term: my apologies! As best I can tell, the term originated with some GenZ creators on TikTok, and it refers to the act of lying in bed, endlessly scrolling on your phone and being generally unproductive.
I know there's a Scottish term for this practice: hurkle-durkling, but that one feels less familiar to me than bed-rotting.
And that's probably because all of my kids are GenZ, which means I am most familiar with that selection of slang. 😉
(Gen Alpha slang is utterly foreign to me, because my kids don't use it!)
ANYWAY.
As you know, I was trying a two-week trial of not bed-rotting in the morning, and I'm here to update you on how it went.
The Positives
So, for work mornings, this was amazing. Without setting my alarm any earlier, I felt less rushed, I could get more things done before I left, and I still got to work earlier than usual.
For these mornings, I just rolled straight out of bed and right into the shower. Which means...
I had time to unload my dishwasher every morning.
I also had time to do my breakfast dishes and leave my kitchen clean and tidy.
I had time to make my bed.
I had time to share the day's blog posts on my Facebook page and in my Facebook group. And I had time to send the post out to my email subscribers.
On non-work mornings, I rolled outta bed and threw my gym clothes on.
This meant I was able to get to the gym nice and early, which meant I didn't sit in any morning traffic. And even though I usually did a workout and then also went for a walk, I still got home at a decent hour to get started on the rest of my day.
The Negatives
At first, it was a little bit hard to get used to! It's such an ingrained habit by now to snuggle up in the covers and scroll, and that's especially tempting on a day when I don't have to go to work.
I actually almost forgot I was doing the challenge one day. Ha. But do not fear: I remembered just in time.
Honestly, though, I really cannot think of a negative aspect. It's not like I missed anything important in the online world by skipping the morning bed-rotting.
And my real-life world mornings were much improved.
I'm still doing a little bed-rotting at night
I haven't decided if I want to also try to stop this; usually I hop in bed, do a lesson on Duolingo, check my online stuff briefly, and then go to sleep.
The night scrolling is not very problematic, though; I am not a night owl, and I am usually so tired by the time I go to bed, I'm not tempted to stay up past my bedtime.
So for me, the payoff is far greater for skipping the morning bed-rotting.
Will I keep up the habit?
I think I will! It has made my pre-work hours better, and it's made my non-work mornings start out better too.
I probably will operate differently when I'm traveling (especially if the point of the trip is relaxation!), and when I have my night shifts in October, all bets are off for how I'll handle that.
But for everyday life, I'm gonna try to make this a habit.
I'm not suggesting everyone else needs to do this
Many of you said you were going to join me, but I just want to make it clear that I understand this is not a one-size-fits-all kind of thing, and no one should feel guilty for handling the bed-rotting issue differently than I am!
Some people are better at scrolling for a bit and then putting a stop to it, whereas I am not great at that.
(This is similar to the way that I am not great at eating just a few Thin Mint cookies. Ahahaha.)
Some people are not at their best in the morning, so it's not like they're wasting their most productive hours by doing some morning bed-rotting.
But mornings are my best time, which means I'd rather not spend that time mindlessly scrolling.
And some people have lots of extra time in their days, which means time spent scrolling in the morning is honestly no big deal. But between blogging, working, doing my BSN schoolwork, and managing other life things, my days are pretty busy right now!
So while this has been a positive experiment for me, I am not saying everyone else needs to do this too.
Don't view it as an expectation; just an option, which means you are free to say, "Not for me!" and keep on rolling.
I say this because the online world can feel like a constant onslaught of "Here's how you need to optimize your life!" and I know it can feel overwhelming.
"Eat this, don't eat that, use this on your face, buy this product to prevent aging, do this workout, wear this, definitely don't wear that, please don't decorate your home like this" and on and on it goes.
I say, figure out what works for you, and leave the rest. 🙂 And that includes any experiments I try!
I'm glad it worked well for you!
I don't bed rot because a) I don't keep my phone in my room, and b) I, too, am a morning person with a really full schedule and my feet need to hit the ground running when I wake up. My mind does that on its own pretty well, so that helps a lot. I *try* to make the most of the time of day that I know I'm naturally more productive. Today I woke up an hour early (that just happens sometimes!), but I had a lot I wanted to get done this morning and it worked out great. I made coffee, cranked out a spreadsheet, and now have a few bonus minutes to enjoy reading your post! Yay, mornings!
Side note: I had not heard the term "bed rot" before your last post. Now that I have a middle schooler, I follow a guy on FB that shares the most common terms he heard in his MS class that week and I actually heard my daughter's friends say one in my van the other day! I felt very in-the-know. 😉
I'm thinking this is what people did in the old days..before cellphones haha 🙂
@MommaJo, exactly!!
Every morning minute to me is worth at least 2 afternoon minutes in my brainpower and productivity. This is always a helpful practice for me to avoid bed rotting in the morning. Thanks for the inspo!
Curious, are you still doing the Wordle?
I am not a morning person. Sometimes I wish I were, but I've made my peace with it now! Having said that, I do feel better if I get out of bed thirty minutes or so before I need to so I feel less rushed.
What I really enjoy is intentional rest. I am introverted and also on the autism spectrum, and feel very tired after stimulation overload and/or a busy day. I love taking a day to do nothing and recharge. I usually do this in a chair rather than in bed, but it's the same concept. I especially like cozy days in winter!
@Sophie in Denmark, I am a morning person, but like you I don't want to feel rushed and so also give myself extra time. The hurry, hurry, hurry feeling stresses me out.
I also agree about the intentional rest. I need at least an hour to myself each day or I will feel anxious and on edge. Give me a book, a pot of tea, and a comfy chair and I am all set!
@AnnieH, I like to wake up with coffee and a book and end with a book as well! I'm not always successful but I try not to start my day with a screen.
I suffer from this-- but I don't even have a phone! I lie in bed and look at the clock and say, "Two more minutes," repeatedly. 🙁 I am continuing to work on this because I need to get up early enough to get my face therapy done before I need to make breakfast. It's a difference of starting school with my kids at 8:00- 8:30 or starting at 10! I think key for me is going to bed earlier.
@Jody S., can you do your face therapy in bed? 😎
Well, I'm not scrolling in bed but that is because I have a 2 month old infant. So instead I am scrolling while I nurse her as a way to stay awake and relax. I've been trying to mostly read ebooks rather than scroll social media (though I'm doing that some). I signed up for a Kindle Unlimited trial when my daughter was born, and I've read 32 books in the last 11 weeks. I definitely do feel better when I read rather than look at news or social media.
P. S. Many blog readers might enjoy "The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion" series by Beth Browser. Victorian romp, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, always full of heart and just delightful!
So far, still rotting. I need to rip off the band-aid and just DO this.
I enjoy a little bedtime relaxation in bed--I sleep better if I've had some reading time in bed before the lights go out--but in the morning I feel downright guilty if I lie in bed too long. I felt that way even before Commodore Fluffington came to live with us; if I'm awake, and he knows it's at least 6 am, he's right there "encouraging" me to get up.
Haha I'm sorry that your extensive disclaimer was necessary, but I too suffer the onslaught of "Have you been sitting in a chair like a FOOL? Try this and it will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!"
Morning bed-rotting isn't an issue for me; I take a quick check of 1-2 lighthearted websites just to get the blue phone light right in my face, and then I get up. It's 10 minutes at most. Neither is nighttime: I'm so tired that I might watch 1-2 gentle cooking videos to relax or read a bit of a library book and then my eyes start to cross and I go to sleep.
What I AM working on is the post-dinner, child is having screen time, I'll just lie on the couch and catch up on Instagram...and then the evening is over. That's the worst. Now that I've had an iron infusion and have more energy (it kicked in! Hurray!) I've been more able to play and read together. Work in progress.
Oh, I also wanted to add, Kristen--about buying underscrub tees. I always prefer to wear either short sleeves (if I'm just looking to add a layer) or 3/4 length sleeves (if I'm looking for warmth.) Full long sleeves seem like they could be a hygiene risk. Obviously this can also be solved by rolling up the cuffs once or twice. 🙂 Just thought I'd mention!
On gym days (Mondays and Wednesdays for me!) I generally don't bed rot b/c I don't have time! It also helps (a ton) that I have an app on my phone that blocks time wasting apps... and the block doesn't turn off until I'm already at the gym lol.
On run of the mill "just need to get to work" days I still bed rot some. Part of it is because I haven't decided decisively what to fill the time with. I need to unload the dishwasher/ eat breakfast/ walk the dog/ work on the blog idea, but what I end up doing is instead of bed rotting, I couch rot.
Just typing this out makes me realize I should probably adjust my bedtime block period to end later, so I can't bed rot OR couch rot on non gym days.
This is not a thing I do, unless I am under the weather. I wake up ready to get OUT of my bed. Also, I am not a napper lately. And even then I was only rotting on the couch long enough to re-energize. When I get up and make coffee, I may as well make the bed, and that further discourages me from getting back into it.
Nope. I aspire to be more like Chiquita. She obviously has no guilt about relaxing anytime, anywhere. 🙂
P.S. Did you get the e-mail I sent you a few weeks ago?
Glad this experiment worked for you.
I do keep my phone in my bedroom (on silent all night), but I do not have a nightstand so I physically have to get out of bed to turn off the alarm that is set on the phone across the room. Since I am out of bed to turn off the alarm, I just go from there. And usually my gym clothes are downstairs near where I get dressed, so technically there is no reason not to go to the gym.
Mel Robbins wrote a book about getting out of bed. I don't think it included any bed rotting, but it was all about getting out of bed and starting your day. It is called "The Five Second Rule" and it's about counting backwards 5-4-3-2-1 and just getting out of bed without regrets or delays after counting. If you need help facing your day, this experiement along with the book could be helpful.
I am glad I do not do any bed rotting. I do enough recliner rotting in the evening.
@Maureen, I’ve done the Mel Robbins “5 second rule”. Makes me feel stunned and almost dizzy—WAIT, WHAT IS HAPPENING? HOW AM I VERTICAL? WHAT AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW??
Gen Alpha slang consists of mainly one word - "Bruh". Which is slang for pretty much everything.
@marisa, future generations probably won't use words at all. Just emoticons.
@A. Marie, Or some tasteful grunts.
If I have time in the morning, I like to wait in bed for a few minutes to allow my body and brain to catch up with each other, and check my phone first thing in the morning for messages on my family group chat, as my family lives in a different time zone than me and their day is half over by the time I wake up. If there is anything important going on or something I want to comment on, I want to comment on it right away since otherwise it will be evening by the time I get to it and they are already sleep.
I also check my social media for updates from close family/friends, but I refrain from starting to watch reels, etc.
If I don't have time right in bed, I try to do this at least during my morning coffee. However, I prefer to read news by then.
I recognize the concept of bed-rotting and agree that it's easy to stay in bed for too long caught in social media algorithms, but perhaps the negative name is a bit triggering for people who have a hard time letting themselves rest, be unproductive or need to have a slow start to the day without feeling guilty. But in general I agree, not a good habit to get caught up in reels first thing in the morning!
I'm glad the experiment worked for you!
I'm one of those who are not at their best first thing in the morning. I've learned that I really need to give myself time to wake up slowly, or my day will not go well. So I take some time - after feeding the demanding cat - to check my email, read a few blogs or an ebook, or just lie there and think about the day ahead. I consider it a necessary and productive time, not "rotting." But I do understand how scrolling on your phone can become a bad habit or a time-waster. I've done that too, usually at night when I should be going to sleep.
Could we come up with a better name, though? I know, I know, it's the slang, but... ick.
I didn't do the experiment because I don't read my phone in the morning. I get up, make my bed, and get going. The only reading I do is my devotionals, while I'm having breakfast. As I said before, if I lie in bed, I'm 100% going to go back to sleep.
It's nice to have that bit of extra time, isn't it? My problem would be that I'd be mumbling to myself as the alarm goes off, "But I've got a little extra time, now, so just 10 more minutes of sleep..."
My kids don't allow me to do any bed rotting so I'm usually up and making breakfasts, packing lunches, etc and by the time I get them off to school I need to start my work day. I'm more inclined toward some after lunch couch rotting.
I always get straight out of bed because I have to help dh with his am ablutions so I've never had the opportunity. However, why on Earth would you say bed rotting when you could say hurkle durkle?!? You are missing out!!
@Jennifer, because hurkle durkling is intentional and deliberate and fills your cup, but bed rotting is a bad habit to be overcome!
@Jules the First, excellent differentiation between the two terms.
Call me the worst bed rotter out there. My disclaimer is that I need a fusion 2 levels in my back soon. So when I am done working and after dinner I lay on my heating pad for relief. I am also a big sleeper. So you can find me in my bed a lot.
Bed-rotting is a perfect term for it. It's exactly how I feel and I do it all the time. Why's it so hard to not do it? All I have to do is charge my phone on my desk in the hall instead of having it on my nightstand. Sigh. I'm gonna try it. I know I'll feel better. So glad to hear you're feeling the benefits!
Also, thank you for mentioning duolingo. I've been wanting to reinstall it on my phone but I keep forgetting. Going to do it now.
I 'bed-rot' in the morning as it's usually the only peace I get during the day, I get about 15 minutes with my phone and a cup of tea before my toddler is up and my day begins. I limit my phone time the rest of the day so don't feel guilty about it. Not something I used to do but for now it works for me.
I've made a little progress on recliner-rotting (what I do in my recliner in the early morning as I'm trying to wake up) by reminding myself that it's getting light later and later in the mornings now, and that there are things I could be doing before my morning walk (writing in my journal, putting away laundry that's been drying on my indoor racks, etc.). But it's still a temptation, especially after nights when I haven't slept well.
@A. Marie, one of my joys in retirement is drinking coffee in the recliner every morning with whichever dog wants to cuddle. I only pretended to be a morning person for 40 working years, so a slower start to the morning is wonderful.
I don't bed-rot, but I can easily go down the Instagram rabbit-hole in the evenings so I set my phone to dim itself at a certain time. It signals me that it's time to shut down the screens and wind-down to prepare for sleep.
I have not tried this, but agree that it seems to be a big issue with being idol in our current time for so many people of so many ages. We seem constantly distracted by our phones and not living in the present.
Appreciate you saying this doesn't have to be for you, or acknowledging that a lot of blogs and youtube videos etc are about how to maximize life for that person and it may not apply to everyone.
I'm a morning person and an early riser, I never "bed rot" in the morning. My issue is at night. I said I would leave the phone and go to bed with a book at 9h30pm. Well..... I did it once in the past week. Oops! So I'm re-committing to this.
Definitely not for me! For the most part I don’t waste my phone-in-bed time, instead I check the news, your blog, and my email. If I find myself playing games, then I know it’s time to either do something else (if I’m going to luxuriate in bed) or get out of bed.
For all of that, on Monday I awoke at 6.30 am, couldn’t get back to sleep, and had energy before my doc appt. It was weird, how much I got done before noon that day.
I don’t think I’m going to make a habit of it, though.
My husband is the one who wakes me up and from then on it is petal to the metal caring for him. So no morning bed rot for me. I don’t have a choice
Late to the party here --
I was inspired by Kristen's regular pancake meals and made a sheet pan pancake recipe for breakfast one morning. Did half blueberries, half chocolate chips. It's a great idea and we ate them for several days.
Used frozen leftover bananas and made 2 loaves of chocolate chip banana bread. Gave one loaf to a neighbor and split the second loaf with another neighbor.
Saved the fronts of a few cards I'd received for scrap to write notes and lists on.
I needed a frame for a new cross stitch I just finished. I found one that was perfect for $2 at one of my favorite thrift stores that benefits a program for the homeless. I've already framed my cross stitch and it looks fabulous.
When I didn't need it all for a recipe I made, I froze a partial container of chicken stock to use later.
I don't do bed rotting, at least in the mornings. Mostly because I usually have to get up to go to the bathroom! Also I am not a morning person, so if I didn't have to get up, I'd rather sleep than scroll! I could be better about it at night, though. I've had pretty good luck replacing phone use with reading on my Kindle once I get into bed.
Interesting challenge. I like a slow start to the morning but enough time to get the kitchen chores done, make and eat breakfast and clean up, pack DH's lunch, read the newspaper and complete the crossword and the sudoku. I have recently realized that when I am tired at night, I am mesmerized by the online junk that has all the same messages, as Kristin wrote: wear this, not that, cook this, not that, buy buy buy. If I use the time better I'd just go to bed!
Tried it! Love it. Will continue no scroll mornings. Real life comes first.
thanks for the chiquita pics. glad you are happy with the bed rotting situation. had no idea what that even was. i am sure you will handle the night shift just fine. you got this.
Miss Chiquita looks so snuggly.
She IS!
I LOVED IT the days I did it.Then I didn’t keep it up.GOOD REMINDER. I need to actually FOCUS on this..and remake this habit!
I got so much more done with my awesome MORNING energy when I did not spend it on socials and reading articles.. THAT’S best done in the evenings when my energy is flagging..
Great reminder!!
I love the Chiquita yoga picture!