Happy November! That means our first Resilience Academy Mini-Challenge is here: The One-Hour Phone Curfew! How often do you pick up your phone for a quick look before bed, only to find yourself still scrolling more than an hour later? I'm guessing I'm not the only one lured by the screen! This week, we're kicking off our first Resilience Academy Mini-Challenge, and we're starting with something simple that might make a surprising difference to our evenings. The challenge? Put your phone away ONE HOUR before bedtime for 7 days. No social media, no emails, no news updates, no mindless scrolling. Just a little break from the constant stream of information before we head off to sleep. I'm curious to see whether it makes a difference to how we wind down, how easily we fall asleep, or even how we feel the following morning. Here's how it works: 1. Set your bedtime. Work backwards one hour and that's when your phone goes away. If you need it for emergencies, leave it on Do Not Disturb with important contacts allowed through. 2. Find something else to do. Read, listen to music, have a chat, enjoy a cuppa, or just relax without a screen in front of you. 3. Check in with the community each day. I'll put up a quick daily check-in post where you can let us know how you went. 4. Share what you notice. Was it harder than expected? Did you sleep better? Did you find yourself reaching for your phone without even thinking? Now for a little accountability! Each day, we'll have a simple check-in with three options: - Nailed it! Phone away for the full hour. - Almost! Managed some screen-free time, but not quite the hour. - Not tonight! The phone won this round. No judgement and no need to start again if you miss a night. Just pick it up again the next evening. At the end of the seven days, we'll compare notes and see whether anyone wants to keep the habit going. So, who's giving our first mini-challenge a go? And here's my first question for the comments: What do you think you'll find hardest about giving up that last hour (or two!) of scrolling?

One thing I've learnt over the years is that relying on willpower alone isn't always the best way to change a habit. Sometimes a little preparation makes all the difference. If you're finding it hard to put your phone down before bed, here are a few things worth trying: - Set your phone limits in advance. Both iPhone and Android have settings that can restrict apps or schedule downtime. Set them to kick in an hour before your bedtime so you're not relying on remembering. - Have something else ready to do. If you plan to read, leave a book beside your bed. If you enjoy music, have something ready to listen to. Make the alternative easy. - Set a reminder. An alarm 10 minutes before your phone curfew gives you time to finish what you're doing and put it away. - Move your phone out of reach. Charge it across the room or somewhere outside the bedroom. It's much easier to resist checking it when it's not sitting beside you. - Get someone else involved. If you live with a partner or family, see if they'll join you. A little friendly accountability can help. - Keep it realistic. If you slip up one night, don't write off the whole challenge. Just have another go tomorrow. And these ideas aren't just useful for our phone challenge. Whether you're trying to exercise more, get to bed earlier or change an old habit, making the behaviour easier to follow through on can be far more effective than simply telling yourself to try harder. What little tricks or strategies have helped you stick with a new habit? Perhaps we can borrow a few ideas from each other!

We've officially survived our first night of the One-Hour Phone Curfew Challenge... or have we? How did you go putting your phone away an hour before bed? Was it easier than you expected, or did you catch yourself reaching for it out of habit? As we move further into the week I want to know what everyone is doing with that extra hour. Did you read, relax, chat to someone, or just switch off and head to bed earlier? And if last night didn't quite go to plan like @Tram Huynh , there's always tonight. We've got six more nights to experiment!