I know I'm not alone in this, so let me share how I'm fixing my brain.
How do I know I'm not alone? First, there's a lot of data out there showing this is a big problem. Second, even the kids are noticing it. There's a recent trend on TikTok where Gen Z and younger kids are responding to their impulse to constantly distract themselves by intentionally sitting and doing nothing for up to an hour a day. You may be thinking "Doing nothing is what they do all day!", but this is different: They're putting away their phones and literally doing nothing. They're trying to break their habit of pulling out a device every time they're bored. I'm glad to see it.
If you're addicted to your phone, you may need to take that kind of drastic measure; maybe not. My problem wasn't my phone. I've never been prone to scrolling endlessly on my phone. I do that on my computer. I have a job where I spend a lot of time waiting with nothing to do. So I scroll. Since 2020, I've been working mostly from home, and after work, I'm prone to logging off and just staying at my computer, scrolling. Not that I was scrolling TikTok or Instagram reels. I do have a Facebook account, but I also spent a lot of time reading articles, blogs, and other short form text content.
And my tolerance for length was getting pretty low. Give it to me in 1000 words or less. Long articles better have headings so I can skim. I lost the patience to read anything long, anything that required much thought.
So I made myself log off, get up and go in another room, and read a really long book. It was one of those things I'd bought and had been meaning to read for a while. I followed that with another. Then another. It's been several months now, and I can feel a difference. The gears have been greased; things are working better in my head. I'm sure it's not completely fixed, but I'm moving in the right direction.
I really think we're all in the same boat here. Sure, everyone's not equally bad; some literally cannot put down their phone, while others simply don't make the time to read anymore. We can all do better. We need to. It's not just better for you; it's better for our society.
You need to make time to read. Books. I know you're busy. The kids are in all kinds of activities, something's not working on the car, the dishes need to be done, the fence needs painting, and on and on it goes. If you make the time, you'll be glad you did.
Make it easy. Pick something you've been wanting to read. You may already have the book in your house. If not, splurge and get a nice copy. Preferably on paper. I still read Kindle books, but hard copy has real benefits. Put your phone on "do not disturb" and read for a while.
If there's no book you've been putting off, try reading a commentary on your favorite book of the Bible. I'd suggest one that's not too technical, either a teaching commentary or a devotional one. If that doesn't appeal to you, let me offer some suggestions:
If you've never read CS Lewis' The Great Divorce, it's amazing. You want something more of a classic? How about Pilgrim's Progress? There are modern English versions if you prefer. If you'd rather "learn something", try William Mounce's Why I Trust the Bible. If you want something more devotional, it's a great time to start Advent: The Once and Future Coming of Jesus Christ by Fleming Rutledge.
Or just pick up the latest novel everyone's talking about. The main thing is to focus on long form reading for an extended period of time. If you've only got 15 minutes a day, do it — you'll read the average book in a month. You can read 12 books a year at that rate. Or you can read War and Peace twice. Whatever. But if you can read longer, do.
Whatever you read, however much you can read, I encourage you to read. Fix your brain. You'll be better for it. We'll all be better for it.
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