My Phone-addiction And Attention-span Problem

And How I'm Trying To Fight It Through Reading

Love this photo I took last week

Hello!!!

This is Joyie and welcome back to my little bookish corner of the internet where I talk all things books!

This week I finished Haruki Murakami's The City And Its Uncertain Walls, and then started Banana Yoshimoto’s Kitchen. But the week has been busy, and I’m reading the book in Japanese so it’s taking me a while. Have you been reading anything this week?

Now, as you know, last week I went to watch Robert Eggeres’ Nosferatu. I enjoyed that film (although I think I enjoyed the experience of going to watch a movie more). But as the film was playing, I started to get more and more impatient. I even thought it was a bad idea, going to the movie and I should’ve just watched it at home on my laptop instead. Because then I wouldn’t have to watch it in one sitting.

This is a problem with me, I’ve noticed for a while– I can’t watch things. I’m way too impatient. And maybe there’s also an effect of ‘watching’ video essays on YouTube, I kind of can’t sit still just staring at a screen. I play them in the background while doing something else, like maybe drawing or just tidying up my laptop, whatever. And every time this happens, I’m reminded of all those headlines about our apparently receding attention span.

But I’m not fully convinced yet, because on the other hand, I can sit still for hours reading a book, and not get impatient. If it really was an attention span problem, shouldn't I have trouble doing that as well?

My theory is that reading is more of an active task or maybe to me it is more of an active task, unlike watching.

A movie will be playing on its own even if you look away for a minute or two, but for reading, that’s not gonna happen. Unless you’re actively choosing to skip parts, they’re not gonna get skipped on their own, books can’t get read on their own.

Also, growing up, I wasn’t allowed to watch TV, and was encouraged to read, so it might be a me problem where I’ve developed the habit of reading but not the habit of watching. Who knows.

But recently, I’m also starting to get a little frustrated with my phone addiction, especially at night. I go to bed, and take my phone, totally planning to put it away after ten to fifteen minutes. But before I know it, it’s 3 am, and I have work in the morning, and hate myself.

Therefore, I’m trying this practice where before going to bed, instead of looking at my phone, I read a few pages. I think with the phone, it’s all over the place– I watched one camping video and now YouTube is recommending thirty more, and there’s also a new video on how dinosaurs went extinct, and another comparing Kafka and Camus. It’s too much stimuli, all coming together, which is not helping my brain calm down.

In comparison, with reading, it takes all my thoughts and channels them towards that one book which helps my brain calm down.

I genuinely hate how I’m so sleep-deprived all the time and for no good reason, so let’s see how this turns out.

What about you? Are you good at controlling your phone use, or are you also like me? I'd love to know!!!

For more of my bookish ramblings, you can also find me on Instagram

Also, if you’d like me to write for you, you can contact me at joyiewrites@gmail.com

That’s it for today, I'll be back in your inbox next week.

Until then,

Joyie 🌻