As part of my endless and possibly futile quest to be a less pathetic version of myself, I’ve embarked on a campaign to stop watching TV and movies. For me it’s low hanging fruit - some people really love movies, but I honestly can’t remember the last time I watched something that I truly enjoyed. It’s just something to fill dead time when I’m too tired to think. It BOTHERS me that I’ve spent so many hours mindlessly watching shows that I didn’t even like. I feel like I’m wasting my life every time I watch TV.
I’ve tried reading and podcasts with limited success. They’re good to a point, but the type of content I like is usually either pretty heavy or requires some thought (philosophy, human rights, law, etc. are my areas of interest), and I’m increasingly having trouble with my attention span too.
I already cancelled Netflix a long time ago, but I just never found a good replacement for it. Usually I find myself doomscrolling or watching the same few movies I already own or playing chess on my phone. I decided when I started that I’d let myself finish watching the shows I already followed, but just wouldn’t expose myself to any new ones. Now one of the last two shows that I had been following has been cancelled (which is understandable, the last season was AWFUL) and the other won’t have a new season for a while because of the strike (go strikers), so I’d really like to make TV and movies a non-factor in my life.
So I’m looking for advice here. What other activities are less of a waste of valuable time but not mentally tasking? Has anyone had success improving their attention span? I’d love to become a bookworm but goddamn is it ever hard to keep my ass on a chair long enough to get through more than two chapters. I don’t even know why my attention span is so bad - I actually used to tear through book and had no issue concentrating until about 5-10 years ago.
Any ideas?
Learn to play an instrument. Try a hobby; crafts, woodwork, painting. Learn a language. Join a local chess club. Volunteer for a local charity. Just keep trying stuff until you find something that is right for you.
Duolingo is the most productive addiction I have!
Do the books have to be heavy? What about audio books?
I really enjoy reading but haven’t got much time for it, audio books have helped with that in the sense that I can still consume stories while doing other things.
I really enjoy going for long walks in the forest with my dog while listening to a good book. Few things beat that.
As for your concentration difficulties, that sounds like something you perhaps should investigate? Is it rooted in something lifestyle related, like stress? Or maybe it’s something you might need medical aid for? It sounds rather debilitating so it’s probably best not to ignore it.
Do you enjoy writing? I find it deeply rewarding to write fiction, and when I feel too strung out to produce anything worthwhile, I go through my work to edit/improve.
I also feel like I should try this. Anyways are you planning on doing something with them or just for fun and yourself? Are you writing a big story or just bits of something like animators usually do?
for some unknown reason I’m very intersted in story telling, and your hobby, but idk why, never tried doing it myself.
Learn lock picking. Hours of endless frustration until it literally clicks and it feels amazing. Plenty of free (short) tutorials online (I used the MIT guide to lock picking at the time), or the lock picking lawyer on youtube.
Any kind of exercise. Don’t need much thinking to do things like walking, yoga, body weight exercises. It’s even encouraged to let go of your thoughts.
Have you tried reading when you go to bed?
That’s the only time I read and it helps me to concentrate and also helps with falling asleep.
Well I guess it depends how much free time you have each day. Books, meditation, exercise (or even just going for a walk), cooking your own meals, getting more sleep…those things fill a lot of time in the evenings if you’re working full time. If you have more time than that, consider volunteering at local organisations that need help. Or find new hobbies that don’t involve looking at a screen and involve spending time with other people.
I’ve successfully replaced too much screen time with reading. To do so, I always have at least one “heavy” book (typically non-fiction) and one light book (typically fiction) that I’m reading at the same time, mixed with constant access to both (kindle with synchronized kindle apps) and a strong desire to change my habits. It takes time but is well worth the effort.
Your desire for change is the most important step, don’t belittle it. Many people never have that voice. Let it fuel you. Small changes will build into a big transformation if you foster them.
This is my thing: e-ink. I have a color e-ink tablet and a color e-ink phone. I can technically watch video on them, but… Just no. I can technically doomscroll, but again, it’s not the same. It’s easier on my eyes, doesn’t mess with my circadian rhythms, still lets me text friends, look up directions, Google trivia, etc. Plus, all my ebooks, all my podcasts, all my music. Great battery life, too.
I have never looked into eink phones, which do you use?
I tried the Yotaphone 2 back in the day. It had dual screens, and it worked for a while then died, then I got a Hisense A5. Wildly underpowered, no Google, black and white only. I still use it sometimes as a dedicated e-reader or for audio streaming. Currently using a Hisense A7cc, which I really like, although still no Google. I use Aurora Store to get my apps, and a whole bunch of Google replacements like One Calendar, Waze, NewPipe, Edison Mail, etc. My tablet is an Inknote + C, which I just got, and which took some getting used to, but no complaints so far except the price.
