Let’s be honest with ourselves for a moment. Doomscrolling is fun sometimes. That’s why it’s so addicting. It lets us turn our brains off after an exhausting day at school and work. Unfortunately, doomscrolling is starting to lose its appeal. It’s time to do away with the brainrotting and bring back old school hobbies. However, it’s been so long since we truly connected to anachronistic hobbies that it may be difficult to transition back after social media has shortened our attention spans. I may not know much about other hobbies, but I know reading. So, my retired reading baddies, this one’s for you.
The first thing to unlearn is the shame. If you’ve read for the majority of your life, you’re going to try and go straight back into the heavy chapter books you were used to. This will not work. Your brain has adapted to the shortened content form of TikTok and Instagram reels. Attempting to jump into the deep end when you’ve forgotten how to tread water will be quite difficult. This is where unlearning shame comes in. You will feel regret that you can’t do what you used to. Remember that it’s okay. Be patient with yourself as you learn how to re-engage with things that require longer attention spans.
Now, getting into the actual reading part. Because we are training our brains to re-engage with long form content, we need to start small. Pick a novel that doesn’t have a ton of world-building or jargon. Clear your area of sensory distractions by turning off your ringer and putting your phone away. Set a timer for 10 or 15 minutes. Until the timer runs out, you must be reading. Like with meditation, it’s okay if your attention drifts. But it’s important to recognize when it happens and refocus on reading. Do this three times a week to start. This ensures your brain is being retrained while not being fatigued.
Once you feel more confident in your ability to stay focused, start increasing the length of the timer. If you still feel nervous about “failing,” increase the time in five minute increments. This will allow your brain to feel the dopamine of achieving goals while still expanding your brain’s attention span. You likely won’t see results overnight. This will need to be a consistent process, just like working out. After all, your brain is a muscle.
Eventually, through consistency, you will be able to upgrade from time limits to chapter limits. Here, the goal will be to try and finish a singular book in a week. See how many chapters are in the book and divide it up into seven days. Don’t immediately try to overwhelm yourself and pick a book with 50 chapters unless you’re sure you can handle it. The reason this process is working as well as it is is because you’re taking it slow and steady. You’ll be able to read those 50 chapters soon, a hundred chapters if you want. For now, start with 20 or 30 and keep building upward.
Soon enough, you’ll be able to replace doomscrolling with reading, making your brain stronger. Your attention span will increase. Tasks that took forever will be a snap because of the power your brain wields. Finally, you’ll be able to reconnect with the hobby you loved. Think of all the worlds you’ll be able to consume, the lives you’ll get to escape to. Reading is a powerful escape just like doomscrolling. It just takes a little more effort. With this handy little guide that breaks the process down into small increments, you’ll be back to your speed reading era in no time!
