The Two-Hour Rule That Fixed My Evenings

I used to finish work, open my laptop 'for a minute', and look up at midnight. The fix ended up being one blunt rule instead of ten clever ones.

The rule

Two hours before I plan to sleep, every screen goes off. Not on silent, not face down: off, in another room.

What changed

• I fall asleep faster, which I didn't expect to notice this quickly.

• I finally finished the books stacked on my desk.

• My mornings got calmer, because the evening was no longer a race.

Where it breaks

Deadlines still win sometimes. When they do I don't treat it as failure; I just start again the next night. A rule you can come back to beats a perfect streak.