Welcome back to Hugo’s Habits! 🚀 

Thanks for being here! 😄 🌱 

(Estimated read time: 2 minutes)

This Week’s Thoughts. 💭 

I have so many ideas for content, different newsletters, and how to provide small bits of value to people.

I’m focusing on Hugo’s Habits for now, but I have been researching frameworks for a local newsletter, and even a fantasy football newsletter.

Both are incredibly profitable niches, which I will dip my toe into eventually.

The point I’m trying to make is that, with going back to school in September, I am going to need help.

My analytics tell me that around 70% of readers of this newsletter are from Derry or the surrounding area.

So if you would like to help me run/operate a local newsletter, covering local news and events, etc, please reach out.

Simply reply to this email or message any of my socials.

(All revenue would be split, of course!)

🌱 No Phone for 15, No Caffeine for 30.

Most morning routines you see online are way too intense.

Waking up at 5 am, doing 7 things before breakfast, trying to be a productivity monk before the sun’s up — it’s just not realistic for most of us.

This is a routine I’ve been sticking to because it’s simple, doable, and actually makes my mornings better.

Just three steps. No pressure.

(All the links below show the detail and scientific evidence behind these steps. If you want a full breakdown, click the links and read through.)

Step 1: Get light in your eyes

As soon as you wake up, switch on a light or, if it’s bright enough, step outside for a minute.

Light tells your brain it’s time to wake up, helps with energy during the day, and even improves your sleep later that night.

If it’s gloomy or dark outside, just turn on the overhead lights. Doesn’t have to be perfect — it just works.

Step 2: Drink water before anything else

You haven’t had a drop of water in hours, and that groggy, slow feeling? Sometimes it’s just dehydration.

Before you go for the coffee, drink a glass or two of water.

You’ll feel more awake without relying so hard on caffeine to carry you through the morning.

Step 3: No phone for 15 minutes. No caffeine for 30.

Giving yourself a few minutes without a screen lets your brain wake up on its own terms.

No scrolling, no stress.

Why avoiding your phone in the morning actually helps:

When you wake up, your body naturally releases cortisol — a hormone that helps you feel alert and focused. It’s basically your body’s way of saying: time to start the day.

If you immediately grab your phone and scroll, you're hitting your brain with dopamine — the neurotransmitter linked to reward, novelty, and stimulation.

That dopamine spike right after waking up does two things:

• It overwhelms your brain before it’s fully online.

• It trains your brain to expect instant rewards — which can make the rest of the day feel dull or harder to focus on.

On top of that, seeing texts, emails, or news can activate stress and decision fatigue before you’ve even left your bed.

Not ideal.

Giving your brain just 10–15 minutes without a phone lets your natural cortisol rise do its job — and helps you avoid the crash that comes from chasing dopamine first thing.

What I do is just get showered, changed and make my bed before going on my phone.

It’s a good start.

Same goes for caffeine — it hits better when your body’s fully awake, and waiting a little helps avoid that jittery crash.

When you wake up, your body naturally boosts cortisol to help you feel alert.

At the same time, adenosine — the chemical that makes you feel sleepy — is still clearing out.

Drinking caffeine too early gets in the way of both.

But if you wait 60–90 minutes, your body wakes up on its own, and the caffeine hits harder when you actually need it.

More energy, less crash.

This doesn’t need to be perfect or done every single day.

But when you do it, you’ll feel the difference.

I guarentee it.

That’s all for this week! Any questions?

I answer all DMs on my socials, or reply to this email! 📨 

This newsletter is designed for you to introduce habits to allow every reader to be the happiest, healthiest, and wealthiest version of themselves! 

See you next week,

Hugo.