QR code alarm: your day starts on the other side of the room.

Most alarms put the off switch right next to your pillow. A QR code alarm moves it to the kitchen or the bathroom. By the time you've got up, walked over and lined up the camera, you're awake enough to make a real decision about your day.

That's why it's the mission we recommend most for heavy sleepers. We compare it with every other kind of mission in the alarm that makes you get out of bed.

1. Pick a spot. The bathroom sink or the coffee machine work well. Choose somewhere well lit, safe to walk to, and where the code won't move.
2. Choose a code. Any QR code or barcode will do, including the barcode on a toothpaste tube or coffee bag. You don't need to print anything.
3. Save it in Tiko. Open your alarm, choose the QR/Bar Code mission, tap Add code and scan it. Tiko needs camera access to scan.
4. Test it. Set an alarm for a minute from now, walk to your spot and scan, so the first real try isn't at 6 a.m.

• A product barcode that lives in one place: shampoo, toothpaste, a coffee bag.
• A printed QR code stuck to the bathroom mirror or the fridge.
• The barcode on a book you keep on a shelf in another room.

Avoid anything that gets used up or moved around, like a cereal box you'll recycle next week. You can save more than one code and choose which one each alarm needs.

• Clear the route. Move anything you could trip over, and avoid stairs in the dark if you can.
• Add some light. A small night light near the code makes scanning faster and safer.
• Make it reachable but not too close. The other side of the bedroom is a start; another room is better.
• Keep a backup alarm for flights and exams, just in case.