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I don't know about kids, but my sample size one is that as short-form dopamine-hit content has exploded in the last 10-15 years, and especially the last 5, my a
by Workaccount2 2y ago
I don't know about kids, but my sample size one is that as short-form dopamine-hit content has exploded in the last 10-15 years, and especially the last 5, my ability to read books has collapsed.
- mattgreenrocks 2y agoIt's not gone forever, you're just habituated to paying attention for shorter amounts of time. You can train it back up when you're ready.
- Workaccount2 2y agoI have a fantasy of getting an airbnb in the woods for a month while leaving my phone and laptop at home. Not possible at all with my current life and job, but man I could do with an attention reset.
- tourmalinetaco 2y agoWhy not try to practice tech minimalism? Personally I’ve found great success in even just limiting my smartphone to a feature phone.
- ghaff 2y agoI did an ocean crossing a few months back and I succumbed to the siren call of Starlink. Really should have just caught up on my Kindle.
- NoGravitas 2y agoBuy an e-book reader, and load it with a mix of fiction from genres you like, and non-fiction on topics you're interested in. Make it your primary form of entertainment. You'll build your patience and reading stamina back up in no time, cabin in the woods not needed.
- mattgreenrocks 2y agoNothing stuck for me until I found books in subjects I was interested in at the time. Then I built it back up, ever so slowly.
- morkalork 2y agoTry anthologies of short stories, it's what I've been reading since covid times. Easy to pick up, put down, and return weeks later with no worries about forgetting a million plot threads or characters.
- hn_throwaway_99 2y agoI recommend the book "How to break up with your phone". I liked it because I thought it gave good practical advice on reducing the most detrimental effects of a smartphone. One of the reviews on the back flap is something like "<This Author> is the Marie Kondo for the mind", and I thought that was a great description.
- marcosdumay 2y agoAre you too stressed out to have fun reading them, or are you expecting to suffer through an entire book you don't like out of virtue or something? Most kids I see around are easily on the first category.
- disqard 2y agoI'd like to recommend Johann Hari's "Stolen "Focus" to you. You'll probably recognize several patterns, personal and systemic, that are fighting against (y)our ability to maintain the focus needed for many worthwhile tasks. Knowing is half the battle :)