As someone who took pride in losing herself in a book for hours on end until the real world receded entirely from my consciousness, I have to admit — with a certain degree of shame — that my concentration span has been shot to hell over the past few years. Like so many others I find myself endlessly distracted when I sit down to read — or write, or watch TV, etc.
The culprit is, of course, social media, to which we have all become hopelessly addicted. The siren call of Instagram distracts us from when we are trying to get some work done. Doomscrolling beckons when we should be engaging with family. And so on.
Over the past few months, however, I have been trying to get my concentration back to how it was in the good old — pre-social media — days. And these are just some of the rules I have laid down for myself.
No phones by the bedside. I know that it is convenient to set an alarm on your phone and keep it on the bedside table. But I find that the temptation to scroll X until late into the night — and then first thing in the morning — is irresistible. So I have invested in an old-fashioned alarm clock and leave my phone in the living room while I sleep. And so far it’s working a charm.
Mobiles down at mealtimes. Yes, that’s an ironclad rule in my household. No phones at the table when we eat lunch or dinner. I don’t care if you’re expecting an important call or need to check something urgently. If you need to do that, step away from the table. But if you’re sitting down to eat, no phones allowed. Try conversation instead. You will be amazed by how fun that can be.
Airplane mode is my friend. Bitter experience has taught me that the temptation to scroll through my socials while writing leads to an immense drop in productivity. I find myself going down rabbit holes on the internet when I should be writing the climax to my spy novel. So now, when I sit down to write, I turn on airplane mode and concentrate on my book instead. And, what do you know, my daily word count has doubled as a consequence.
Say no to ‘multitasking’. You know what I mean: When you turn on a series on your streaming platform of choice and then instead of actually watching the show, you get distracted by something a friend has posted on Instagram or a news items posted on X. When your attention is divided like that, your brain retains nothing: not the show you are allegedly watching or the social media content you were consuming on the side. So now, when I switch on the TV to watch something I make sure that my phone is out of reach so that I am not tempted to scroll alongside. And it’s been quite the game changer!
From HT Brunch, May 09, 2026
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