One hour before bedtime

When This Fires

• One hour before your intended bedtime every evening
• When sleep onset is delayed despite going to bed at a reasonable time
• When designing evening routines that support sleep quality
• Complements Position analytical workspaces for maximum natural… (daytime cool-white lighting) with the evening transition protocol

Common Failure Mode

Screen-only night mode: activating f.lux on the laptop while sitting under bright cool-white overhead fluorescent lights. The overhead lights deliver more blue-spectrum light than the screen, overwhelming the screen's warm-tone shift. All three interventions must happen simultaneously for effective melatonin protection.

The Protocol

(1) Set a recurring alarm or trigger for 1 hour before your intended bedtime. (2) When triggered, execute all three simultaneously: Dim overheads (switch to low-wattage warm lamps or dim to minimum; turn off fluorescent/cool-white overheads), Activate screen night mode (warm-tone shift on all devices — phone, laptop, tablet), Avoid bright cool-spectrum sources (don't enter brightly lit rooms; if you must, minimize exposure time). (3) During this hour, prefer activities compatible with dim warm light: reading (paper or e-reader with warm backlight), conversation, gentle stretching, journaling. (4) Automate what you can: schedule night mode activation, use smart bulbs that shift automatically, set overhead lights on timers. Each automated component reduces the chance of forgetting. (5) This is a structural intervention (Design weekly adjustments as structural changes…) — the lighting change happens to the environment, not to your willpower. Set it up once and let it run automatically.