Good point - Co-signing the evening reset and no-phone rule. Two tweaks that made mine stick: charge the phone outside the bedroom and use a cheap alarm clock and put a lamp on a timer so the room is bright before you stand up. Keep a 60‑second breakfast ready (hard‑boiled eggs or egg wraps) and a “first three moves” card by the bed - leash, water, shoes - then play one song and be out the door before it ends. At night, do a 7–10 minute reset race with your roommate; the sink, mail, and sneakers vanish fast when there’s a clock and a partner.
Good plan and one tweak that helps with swings: set your fixed paycheck using the average of your lowest three months from the last year rather than 80-85% of the overall average, then revisit quarterly. Add a stage-zero target of one month's rent plus utilities so housing is locked in first, then build to one month bare-bones, three, and six. After three months, tack on a small move fund or laptop-replacement cushion, since those are common "emergencies" for renters and freelancers.
