Distractions

One of the latest trends is "unplugging." I kind of like the idea because I survived the first 19 years of my life without a cell phone just fine. I stumbled across this post and it gave me some more ideas to chew on.

i know that i won’t ever give it up cold turkey. & to be honest i don’t want to, even after these revelations, but i do really hope that i can be more aware & that the people around me can to. there is honestly nothing worse than talking to someone & they take out there phone & look away from you. people underestimate the importance of eye contact & good conversation. it’s rare to have someone’s full attention. i want to give it. & i plan on being as hands free as possible when in the midst of my friends & family.

For me, I was shocked when I looked at my year end list at the beginning of the year; I keep a running tally of books I read and last year, I didn't even break 30.

Now granted, it was my first full year of owning a house and let's face it, Netflix isn't going to watch itself.

But I've noticed something else. My attention span isn't even what it used to be. And it went through the floor and hit the basement subfloor when I got a smartphone. I enjoy being connected and sharing photos, but the instant gratification of clicking meant that other things have suffered.

I would choose tv over reading at night. My commute isn't the worst I've ever had but I'm still worn out by the time I get home and after staring at a computer screen for most of the day, I want to turn my brain off. But it also means I have a pile of books that have stayed untouched and stagnant on my bookshelf. It means I pick the less challenging books to read.

I don't like that.

I want to reacquaint myself with getting lost in a book. Or going on a walk without checking my phone. I consider myself luckier than younger folk (and wow, do I sound old saying that!) because I didn't get internet in my house until I was in high school and even then, it was dial up. (That noise will haunt my dreams.) I know what it's like to not be attached to technology and I want more of that.

One of my goals for this year was to clear out all the books that had been sitting and so I've started reading a few pages each night before sleep steals me.

Here are the first two:

It helps to center me and since I usually daydream in the shower, reading lets me focus and relax before bed.

Does anyone else have this problem?