Be honest, do you check your phone before you even get out of bed?

Maybe it’s your alarm, a quick glance at notifications, or just scrolling for a few minutes before starting the day. It seems harmless, right?

But what if I told you this one small habit could be draining your mental energy, hijacking your focus, and even rewiring your brain before your feet hit the floor?

In this episode, we’re talking about why reaching for your phone first thing in the morning is working against you and what to do instead. It is all about the power of your first hour and why keeping screens out of it, might be the single most impactful shift you can make.

• How grabbing your phone first thing trains your brain for distraction
• The science behind brain waves and your morning wake-up process
• What the Bible says about starting your day with God
• Simple ways to create a screen-free first hour (even if an hour feels impossible!)
• How small habit shifts lead to lasting transformation

Commit to 30-60 minutes of screen-free time tomorrow morning and notice how it changes your focus, mindset, and connection with God.

Take the Screen Time Personality Quiz https://julianneaugust.com/screen-time-personality-quiz

🎙️ Follow & Review the Podcast If this episode helped you, share it with a friend and leave a written review to help others overcome digital distraction!

Let’s talk! Email me and let me know what shifts for you. I’d love to hear about it. hello@julianneaugust.com

Pass this episode along to a friend who needs this challenge too! You have the power to reclaim your first hour.

If your relationship with screens feels complicated, you’re not alone. So many of us feel constantly connected but somehow more disconnected than ever.

The good news? You don’t have to throw your phone in a lake to find real, deep, exhale-worthy peace. In this episode, I’m breaking down my 3-Day Digital Peace Plan, a simple yet powerful plan to help you create space for focus, rest, and presence without ditching technology completely.

This isn’t about guilt or unrealistic expectations, it’s about small, practical shifts that add up to big changes in how you interact with screens and reclaim your focus and time.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ Why digital clutter is stealing your focus, and how to clear it out. ✔️ The 3x3 Framework for finding balance in your digital life. ✔️ How Digital Decluttering, Boundary Basics, and Technology Time-Outs create lasting change. ✔️ A simple way to reset your screen habits in just three days. ✔️ The neuroscience behind why we crave screens and how to regain control.

Next Steps:

Quiz Link: https://julianneaugust.com/screen-time-personality-quiz

Take the Screen Time Personality Quiz! Once you finish, you’ll get access to the 3-Day Digital Peace Plan completely free! This guide will walk you through how to:

• Declutter your digital life so your mind feels lighter.
• Set boundaries that actually work for you.
• Create screen-free time that restores your focus, relationships, and peace.

This is your starting point toward a healthier, more intentional relationship with your screens.

Denial keeps us stuck. It convinces us that we don’t really have a problem, that we don’t need to change. But if we want to overcome digital distraction, we have to be honest with ourselves.

This episode is all about denial and the sneaky ways it shows up in our screen habits. Maybe it sounds like, “I don’t spend that much time on my phone.” Or, “I’m just unwinding.” But the truth is, we all have blind spots.

I’m breaking down eight forms of denial that might be keeping you tethered to your screen and showing you how to take a step toward freedom.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

✔️ The hidden ways denial shows up in your digital habits. ✔️ 8 forms of denial and how to know if you’re stuck in one. ✔️ Why we make excuses for screen time and how to move past them. ✔️ The math of screen time that makes it impossible to ignore. ✔️ A simple step to start naming your denial so you can break free.

Next Steps:

Take the Screen Time Personality Quiz: https://julianneaugust.com/screen-time-personality-quiz

Follow the show & leave a review to help more people overcome digital distraction!

📝 The 8 Forms of Denial:

1. Simple Denial – “I don’t have a problem.”
2. Minimizing – “It’s not that bad.”
3. Rationalizing – “I have good reasons.”
4. Blaming – “It’s not my fault.”
5. Spiritualizing – “It’s okay because I use it for good God stuff.”
6. Diversion – “Let’s talk about something else.”
7. Victimization – “I can’t help it.”
8. Hostility – “Don’t tell me what to do.”

Take a minute to think about the form of denial that hit home for you. Which one stood out the most? Write it down. Say it out loud. Pray about it.

🔗 Learn more about Freedom Session: https://freedomsession.com