Intro: 0:00 Starts @ 3:03 3:29 - "Attention is a skill that can be developed" 7:27 - Reframe attention not as a chore but as something pleasurable 11:58 - Divide and conquer your reading programs 15:46 - Create technology-free zones 19:05 - Summary Outro: 21:14
Perhaps not in your target audience, but I am a lifelong reader who struggles now with attention at 65. I had pretty much given up reading books in favor of the quick dopamine hit of my iPad or phone. Once I decided to read again I found a place in my home that is quiet, make myself a hot drink and light a candle to set the tone. I leave my phone and iPad ina different part of the house during that period. This has proven the hardest aspect. Lastly, I chose much easier fiction book to start, even some YA books and find the shorter length helped me to get back into the reading groove. Lastly, I am always reading two books, one classic, heavier book and one light fiction. The light fiction I take with me when I anticipate a wait, like in a doctor’s office. The heavier one at night in my chair. I am saddened by my own personal struggles with becoming a reader again as I miss the times of being so into a story that I forgot the time…
My solution for more attention is ear plugs! That’s how I can read in almost every environment. By the way, your last few videos on reading really helped me. I’m a working mom and set me goal to 10 pages each day. Drudge through the drudgery. Reading has become more pleasurable and I’m more accountable for when I really don’t feel like reading. Reading more also helps me staying away from social media more. Thanks for making me fall back in love with reading!
Agree, for me is earplugs and classical kusical on it, cause it doesnt distract with words. For me it works like sound canceling. I can be on a coffe, but cause of classical music i dont understand words of others, so it becomes white noise. Or everyday when my girlfriend wants to watch the news or movies.
congrats! i remember trying to get back into reading during covid and it being so hard at first. really happy that you’re finding reading gradually more rewarding
Hi, I am Gen X and I had a great attention span in the past as it was normal. Since the internet hit and we started to take our mobile devices with us that is when I struggled with reading a book. Thank you for this video, I needed this now! 📖☕️
Same! Some years ago I did a quick test on myself. I chose some video and played it until I could feel that itch of my attention wanting to move to something. At that time, it was about 2 minutes. That was years ago. I doubt I can even do one minute these days. I am afraid to check. I wish I could throw my stupid phone to the bottom of the ocean. But family medical and other ongoing crises make that not an option. I HAVE to be on call, 24/7.
38 year old millennial here. Even the 90s feel so much simpler and slower than now. I'm not sure if it's nostalgia or something else. But everything screams for your attention now. I've got a color adjustable reading lamp to reduce eye strain and a cozy wing back chair I specifically use for reading. Occasionally, I'll put on some fireplace ambiance for background noise. Once the cat curls up in my lap, I can't do anything else but read. Mental framing is important, I get to read and enjoy it in the same way that I get to go to the gym and lift. It helps to approach reading, or any other hobby, with the same seriousness a child approaches play.
It was definitely simpler and slower. It was much easier to focus as there was much less stuff calling for attention. We also need to address how our education system is more harmful than helpful, at least in the US. I loved reading as a child. High school completely ruined it for me and I have never been able to get that love back.
@@Champagne_Silk Aw, don't let bad experiences in school steal that from you. That's sad. Start small. Find short books on something that really interests you. Or even short articles / blog posts. Something small that will give you that taste and remind you that reading is a pleasure, not a chore.
@@Champagne_Silk Well, don't give up. I've heard so many people say that college, especially, killed their joy of reading, sometimes for years. But it is possible to get it back. It just may take time and some effort.
Part of shifting my mindset around attention is realizing that multi-tasking is a myth in productivity. Doing multiple things at one time is actually just a distraction heavy situation. It doesn't actually quicken the work you're doing. Of course, you can do your own research. I have some tips for reading in an environment that suits taking in the book. Number one, if you're going to listen to music pick something that doesn't have lyrics so your mind isn't split from trying to understand that words being sung and the words you are reading. Number two, try to calm the mind before reading. If your mind is overwhelmed and overrun by thoughts, I would recommend exercising first. Even just a few stretches and deep breaths can go a long way. This will help you be able to retain the information you're reading better. Number three, change the place you're reading often. Pick a spot outside, in your bedroom, in your living room. Don't stagnate yourself by only having one place to do your reading. This will help you get used to reading in any environment should the need arise. For example if you have to read on a trip because you can't reschedule, it would be good to have that practice of being able to read anywhere.
I started reclaiming my attention span 2 years ago and it's been incredibly rewarding. I'm tackling books I never thought I would read and my anxiety has gotten a lot better and my self esteem vastly improved. You all can do it ❤️
I recently started reading Stolen Focus by Johann Hari on a recommendation from another RUclipsr, and I'll follow up when I finish it, but the overall argument is that there are a variety of external factors that have increased in severity recently and that it's not inherently a personal failure. I think that this is a really important mindset, along with your concept of attention as a muscle.
A couple years ago now, I challenged myself to get back into reading/learning. I may not be far into anything but I have read books that I would never have on my own otherwise. Classics, more fiction than ever, and a few Russian works. Cutting out the internet is hard, it's everywhere and too convenient but people should definitely set aside at least a little time to read, do some math equations, write in a journal, whatever/etc. They are skills we are very quickly losing.
As other commenters I am also genX and felt this resonated with me, especially attention as a skill and attention as a reward. Whenever I work on the same item for 3+ hours I feel like I found a 100 USD bill on my doorstep.
Fantastic video! As a millennial, I feel like I've always been failing the newer generation who believe they are dependent upon technology. Social technology boomed during the rise of Gen Z and society did not implement an overall delicate approach for this younger audience. Most of us take our smart phones, tablets and computers for granted in our daily use as these devices primarily cater to a mature demographic. Technology was thrust upon Gen Z immediately and we, as adults, have failed to properly integrate this into their youth in a gradual manner, neglecting the fact that smart devices should not be a one & only tool for self-sufficiency. Thank you for bringing this awareness to the current generation and for future generations to come.
I never annotated in the past, but recently I started doing it and I’ve found that it makes it so much easier to find the last line I read. It has made it easier to read in short periods of time because I don’t spent extra time reading the same thing over and over
My best tip is to read aloud with other people. It's a great way to spend time together, you're always on the same page, you can discuss what's happening as it happens, and you get to pronounce words that would otherwise only live in your head. If you like the performance side to it, you can also laborate with different voices. This also works on non-fiction texts. And I will confess to sometimes reading boring texts out loud to myself in a silly voice :)
I am GenX, so that's... wow, two generations ahead of you. WHAT?! Anyway, even I have seen my own attention span dwindle down to less than a minute sometimes. It's horrible. My heart goes out to people your age and especially the generation after you, who have never known anything but constant scrolling and faces in screens 24/7. Thanks for giving us all some practical and doable steps! I couldn't agree more that attention is a skill. You are right that we fogeys absorbed that skill through an environment that no longer naturally exists. But you can MAKE it exist again. Also, parents, please work with your young children on this issue. You are the key! As with everything else, it's easier to learn something when you are young and haven't yet developed bad patterns/habits, than it is to first have to unlearn those bad patterns/habits. Thanks again, Robin, for giving all of us some genuine hope!
Being an aspiring writer, I as well need to be(or at least feel as if) fully engaged in the state of flow, so with that being the case, I'll feel this state, an all consuming immersive mindset that takes away all sense of time, the outside world, any and all individual cares and subsequently find massive amounts of joy, productivity........ etc. Thanks for these video essays. When feeling down or unmotivated I'll refer back to them and like a magic pill or something of that nature, reading has this element of beauty, tantalizing my intellectual side to no end and I'll find these new beginnings that've been far too elusive as of late.
I think the technological quarantine or removal of distraction is definitely the most important thing to keep in mind when redeveloping focus. I’m 29 now, grew up with a laptop at 8 or 9 instead of an iPad and lived on the computer, but I always carried books around with me as a kid at school (and I still do at work), but I specifically remember it became more difficult to read and complete things when we switched from older phones to smartphones. More specifically I remember when social media became more popular right before smartphones phones blew up scrolling for ungodly amounts of time on the computer at home. Ever since I’ve started sitting in a space where I don’t have other distractions once you get over the initial resistance it’s quick to fall into just doing the thing. The alternative unfortunately is like on my lunch I have my book and my phone in my pocket and more often than not it’s so easy to just throw a video on while I’m eating instead of opening my book. The queues and environment are so important.
I have always struggled with my attention even as a kid, but it became especially difficult to focus as an adult. The point about feeling happy after a focused session really resonates with me. On the occasion that I do focus on something for 1-3 hours, I feel great afterwards, I experience a sense of purpose, a surge of creativity and an increased in self-esteem. I genuinely want to reclaim my attention in order to feel fully happy and alive again. If you happen to see this comment, what is it like reading ancient greek literature for you? Are you reading an English translation along with commentary? I'm from Greece and we read Homer in middle school but I remember very few details. I studied ancient Greek for a total of 6 years but we were also so obsessed with passing exams that I forgot almost everything besides grammar. Wish there was a narrower curriculum that allowed for projects and essays and actual learning than just memorizing answers.
Millennials that tsk-tsk at Gen Z for short attention spans are forgetting that OUR generation ABSOLUTELY got older people panicking or there-but-for-the-grace...ing US for short attention spans. Everyone was saying television was rotting our brain and Millennials don't trawl third spaces with our friends like it was the 1950s or we're always at the mall and learning that mass-produced consumption and image was the same as identity or values... I don't think we got news reports claiming that university students can't read through The Decameron in 3 days uphill through the snow like the good ol' days-but I am at least halfway suspicious that the pearl-clutching is something that really happens to every generation, rather than some curse upon the iPad Babies and nobody else. Television provided an increase in visual vocabulary, while the internet can provide an environment in which being able to evaluate a lot of diverse information very quickly is a necessary skill. Tips to hone better attention in an academic setting is absolutely helpful-I'm a fan of bullet journaling myself-It's only that I can't help remaining suspicious that the panic is partly a generational scapegoating exaggeration? In addition to then, like, how it's not a Kids These Days thing but Life Circumstances These Days thing and we all have post-pandemic compromised brain-faculty.
You’re forgetting, and I recall old people saying in the sixties/ seventies, we had a recent invention. Television. We were put in front of the tv. It was used as a baby sitter. Constant changes in attention. Adverts and sound bites. Square eyes, short focus. Could a buggerd me up. Wish I read more as a kid
Millennial here. The exact age to grow up offline and spend my whole adult life with social media. It’s killing me! Trying to rebuild and watching the younger folks struggle. This is a real problem, people! And no individual’s fault either.
Something clicked in my brain, I normally use an audiobook anytime I can, but perhaps it's time I sit down and read the book. This comment is more for me to organize my thoughts and understand what I just watched. I need to enjoy the feeling of focus and not only that I need it to be just difficult enough to derive pleasure and a sense of accomplishment. So I guess it's time I ditch the audio books, well not completely. Before I tried to highlight and note everything I thought could be important, perhaps I need to read and try to understand the text before I analyze smaller details. Most importantly I need to stay consistent I say I'm going to read books on top of books for school but I get burnt out after school books so I need to divide and conquer so I'm not too drained to read the illiad, yes I'm also reading the illiad mostly because of the musical named Epic. I'm starting to regret not getting the physical book for my class, curse my procrastination. Reading the book on computer or phone is similar to reading in a distracting environment maybe I need to invest in the paperback. Well I'm going to attempt to find a great spot to set up shop and get to reading perhaps my school laptop would be ideal for minimal distractions. Now that I organized my thoughts I'm going to post this anyways instead of copying and saving It to my notes. We'll maybe I'll do both; reading time.
We now have many more options to direct our attention to and we naturally seek the reward of excitement vs. calm reading for long periods of time that produce slow contentment.
Nah, not at all a problem of younger people only. I'm 44, used to read like a monster (started reading for pleasure as a child, then degrees in Economics and History etc) but after smartphones (2011, in my case), my attention spam went down the drain. A few months ago I deleted social media apps and things have improved a little. Not enough though. Not enough... It's tough.
56 here. My attention span has evaporated. It's horrible. But he does have a point that younger people don't know anything different because they grew up this way. Even his generation has some dim memory of Before. The generations after him don't even have that. It's a difficult situation. But it's not impossible. I think the bigger problem is convincing people that it even IS a problem.
I would’ve loved if the video was more directed towards attention span in general, and not only about reading, maybe an idea for a future video. Great tips regardless :)
Discipline is sometimes definitely more important than inspiration. Inspiration is definitely important (obviously) but shouldn’t be a primary mover to your progress/development in something.
Well... there are two ways of looking at the "this generation is fucked" statement. On one hand it doesn't do anything for the individual who wants to increase their attention span, because it's definitely malleable. On the other it does accurately describe the general situation, because we know that majority of people will go the path-of-least-resistance route, and thus remain where they are (and/or get worse with time). As always, good video!
Hi Robin, i know it's out of context and really really weird... but do you know Babel by RF Kuang? Somehow whenever i read the book, i always got the imagination that Robin (the main character's of the book whose name is same like yours) is You hahaha. The character somehow fits perfectly to you. Ofc there are differences but i never found a character in a book is so similar with a real human being. Let alone you both are into the world of literature, readings, and dark academia 😭😭😭
I can read as long as possible if I force myself Problem is what happens with that information I used to just glance over text once biology and be Number 1 student always scoring 100%, until a point came where I wasn`t interested and even hated it, that`s the same for every subject I hate as well. Straight F`s . I always do well at my favorites. I used to learn for fun and out of curiosity, but school does an amazing job at destroying these things My goal now is to regain my curiosity and never stop learning
I think 2020 was the turning point for me, when the pandemic-induced increase in technology use finally tipped the balance over to me gradually losing my attention span for reading. I now rely on the ebb and flow of mental energy to keep me invested in books. Sometimes I’ll read a thick fantasy novel in 1 week, then I’ll go three months with my Kindle gathering dust. I think “technology use” is too vague a thing to address though, for me it’s more that tech these days incentivises rapid context switching and what keeps me from reading is not a lack of interest, but this now-ingrained feeling that I’ve got something else I should be doing. Technology has become too much of a lifestyle rather than just a tool that helps us and I resent how much of my personal life is lived with a screen in front of me. I think that society’s general idolisation of technology, be it hardware or software, is a real problem and I’m actively searching for ways I can reduce tech use short of living in a sealed cave 😅
Having a specific place, mood and rewards really does sharpen attention, mine was binge-watching One Piece that was a THOUSAND episodes (1122+) but setting a where, when and rewards, helped me get caught up with the latest episodes after 2 ½ months, my only problem is that instead applying the same practice to going back to reading I got sucked into more anime content, leading to my now routine of watching 5 hour long gaming/yapping streams of Vtubers (fancy anime avatar voiced by a real person like Ironmouse or Shoto or Vox Akuma) it's very parasocial please don't get sucked in like me (loneliness-epidemic).. my gaawd this is already too long.. I really need to get my priority straight since I already know the formula into cultivating "an attention-span." 😅 (also I'm 27)
You say “we weren’t given the roadmap”. As a Gen X myself, let me tell you that we weren’t given a roadmap either. We were - quite almost literally - thrown into situation. Look at how many say that the way they learned to swim was by being thrown into the water. No instruction. No roadmap. You also said that there was a lot of content switching when studying. This is quite normal. What we learned, by force, to do was to do one task at a time. That’s the roadmap: train yourself to do one thing at a time, take it as far as you can and when you can’t anymore, stop, take a break, move on to the next task. That will also teach you to deal with frustratio. Many seem to associate focus with reading. Understandable. However, there are other avenues, such as: - watch a movie without your phone around - watch TV old style, with commercials and all - build something with your hands (Lego don’t count). - mow the lawn, gardening, create your own mini garden - walk around without your phone or anything in your ears - drive with the radio only. No podcast. Just do one thing at a time.
I am generation X and I can tell you , if I were your generation I would not even have a career because it is too much distraction right now , so I understand these generations very well. By the way I read a lot but recently i have seen myself reading more online because am trying to have not too many books at home and being minimalist . But I realized that having kindle app on my computer is not good . I have a question for you and the audience , would you recommend a kindle to read??? in order to do not be temp by all the things in my PC????
Focus! The best way is to become an obsessed psychopath (average people will think of this in a bad way) with whatever curiosities, interests, dreams, passions, ambitions, goals, and even hobbies you have in your life.
![Felix "Unfair" | [Stray Kids : SKZ-PLAYER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Oswujxm2Ag0/mqdefault.jpg)
Intro: 0:00
Starts @ 3:03
3:29 - "Attention is a skill that can be developed"
7:27 - Reframe attention not as a chore but as something pleasurable
11:58 - Divide and conquer your reading programs
15:46 - Create technology-free zones
19:05 - Summary
Outro: 21:14
Perhaps not in your target audience, but I am a lifelong reader who struggles now with attention at 65. I had pretty much given up reading books in favor of the quick dopamine hit of my iPad or phone. Once I decided to read again I found a place in my home that is quiet, make myself a hot drink and light a candle to set the tone. I leave my phone and iPad ina different part of the house during that period. This has proven the hardest aspect. Lastly, I chose much easier fiction book to start, even some YA books and find the shorter length helped me to get back into the reading groove. Lastly, I am always reading two books, one classic, heavier book and one light fiction. The light fiction I take with me when I anticipate a wait, like in a doctor’s office. The heavier one at night in my chair. I am saddened by my own personal struggles with becoming a reader again as I miss the times of being so into a story that I forgot the time…
I am a decade younger than you. Technology has destroyed all of our attention spans!
My solution for more attention is ear plugs! That’s how I can read in almost every environment. By the way, your last few videos on reading really helped me. I’m a working mom and set me goal to 10 pages each day. Drudge through the drudgery. Reading has become more pleasurable and I’m more accountable for when I really don’t feel like reading. Reading more also helps me staying away from social media more. Thanks for making me fall back in love with reading!
Agree, for me is earplugs and classical kusical on it, cause it doesnt distract with words.
For me it works like sound canceling.
I can be on a coffe, but cause of classical music i dont understand words of others, so it becomes white noise.
Or everyday when my girlfriend wants to watch the news or movies.
congrats! i remember trying to get back into reading during covid and it being so hard at first. really happy that you’re finding reading gradually more rewarding
Hi, I am Gen X and I had a great attention span in the past as it was normal. Since the internet hit and we started to take our mobile devices with us that is when I struggled with reading a book. Thank you for this video, I needed this now! 📖☕️
Gen Y here, and same. I used to be a bookworm, completely absorbed by a book for hours. I now can’t concentrate to read for more than 20 minutes 😭
Same! Some years ago I did a quick test on myself. I chose some video and played it until I could feel that itch of my attention wanting to move to something. At that time, it was about 2 minutes. That was years ago. I doubt I can even do one minute these days. I am afraid to check. I wish I could throw my stupid phone to the bottom of the ocean. But family medical and other ongoing crises make that not an option. I HAVE to be on call, 24/7.
38 year old millennial here. Even the 90s feel so much simpler and slower than now. I'm not sure if it's nostalgia or something else. But everything screams for your attention now.
I've got a color adjustable reading lamp to reduce eye strain and a cozy wing back chair I specifically use for reading. Occasionally, I'll put on some fireplace ambiance for background noise. Once the cat curls up in my lap, I can't do anything else but read. Mental framing is important, I get to read and enjoy it in the same way that I get to go to the gym and lift. It helps to approach reading, or any other hobby, with the same seriousness a child approaches play.
It was definitely simpler and slower. It was much easier to focus as there was much less stuff calling for attention. We also need to address how our education system is more harmful than helpful, at least in the US. I loved reading as a child. High school completely ruined it for me and I have never been able to get that love back.
@@Champagne_Silk Aw, don't let bad experiences in school steal that from you. That's sad. Start small. Find short books on something that really interests you. Or even short articles / blog posts. Something small that will give you that taste and remind you that reading is a pleasure, not a chore.
@ Yea it’s sad. I do miss it but I don’t get the same joy from it. It’s just not the same.
@@Champagne_Silk Well, don't give up. I've heard so many people say that college, especially, killed their joy of reading, sometimes for years. But it is possible to get it back. It just may take time and some effort.
Part of shifting my mindset around attention is realizing that multi-tasking is a myth in productivity. Doing multiple things at one time is actually just a distraction heavy situation. It doesn't actually quicken the work you're doing. Of course, you can do your own research. I have some tips for reading in an environment that suits taking in the book. Number one, if you're going to listen to music pick something that doesn't have lyrics so your mind isn't split from trying to understand that words being sung and the words you are reading. Number two, try to calm the mind before reading. If your mind is overwhelmed and overrun by thoughts, I would recommend exercising first. Even just a few stretches and deep breaths can go a long way. This will help you be able to retain the information you're reading better. Number three, change the place you're reading often. Pick a spot outside, in your bedroom, in your living room. Don't stagnate yourself by only having one place to do your reading. This will help you get used to reading in any environment should the need arise. For example if you have to read on a trip because you can't reschedule, it would be good to have that practice of being able to read anywhere.
I started reclaiming my attention span 2 years ago and it's been incredibly rewarding. I'm tackling books I never thought I would read and my anxiety has gotten a lot better and my self esteem vastly improved. You all can do it ❤️
The fact that your video got
1. Skill
2. Pleasure
3. Consistency
4. Environment
I like the idea of technology quarantine zones
I recently started reading Stolen Focus by Johann Hari on a recommendation from another RUclipsr, and I'll follow up when I finish it, but the overall argument is that there are a variety of external factors that have increased in severity recently and that it's not inherently a personal failure. I think that this is a really important mindset, along with your concept of attention as a muscle.
Will check the book out! Added to my list.
I second the recommendation for 'Stolen Focus'!
A couple years ago now, I challenged myself to get back into reading/learning. I may not be far into anything but I have read books that I would never have on my own otherwise. Classics, more fiction than ever, and a few Russian works. Cutting out the internet is hard, it's everywhere and too convenient but people should definitely set aside at least a little time to read, do some math equations, write in a journal, whatever/etc. They are skills we are very quickly losing.
As other commenters I am also genX and felt this resonated with me, especially attention as a skill and attention as a reward. Whenever I work on the same item for 3+ hours I feel like I found a 100 USD bill on my doorstep.
Fantastic video! As a millennial, I feel like I've always been failing the newer generation who believe they are dependent upon technology. Social technology boomed during the rise of Gen Z and society did not implement an overall delicate approach for this younger audience. Most of us take our smart phones, tablets and computers for granted in our daily use as these devices primarily cater to a mature demographic. Technology was thrust upon Gen Z immediately and we, as adults, have failed to properly integrate this into their youth in a gradual manner, neglecting the fact that smart devices should not be a one & only tool for self-sufficiency. Thank you for bringing this awareness to the current generation and for future generations to come.
I never annotated in the past, but recently I started doing it and I’ve found that it makes it so much easier to find the last line I read. It has made it easier to read in short periods of time because I don’t spent extra time reading the same thing over and over
Loved your point about focusing on the pleasure of focusing your attention and using it to do what we actually find pleasurable!
My best tip is to read aloud with other people. It's a great way to spend time together, you're always on the same page, you can discuss what's happening as it happens, and you get to pronounce words that would otherwise only live in your head. If you like the performance side to it, you can also laborate with different voices. This also works on non-fiction texts. And I will confess to sometimes reading boring texts out loud to myself in a silly voice :)
Watching old black and white movies helps my attention lengthen. If I feel overly distracted, watching a good old movie usually helps.
so true! in old movies the camera would stay steady sometimes for an entire scene. sooo different to movies and media today
Thanks for sharing your knowledge about this topic. Great video!
I am GenX, so that's... wow, two generations ahead of you. WHAT?! Anyway, even I have seen my own attention span dwindle down to less than a minute sometimes. It's horrible. My heart goes out to people your age and especially the generation after you, who have never known anything but constant scrolling and faces in screens 24/7. Thanks for giving us all some practical and doable steps! I couldn't agree more that attention is a skill. You are right that we fogeys absorbed that skill through an environment that no longer naturally exists. But you can MAKE it exist again.
Also, parents, please work with your young children on this issue. You are the key! As with everything else, it's easier to learn something when you are young and haven't yet developed bad patterns/habits, than it is to first have to unlearn those bad patterns/habits.
Thanks again, Robin, for giving all of us some genuine hope!
This resonates so much to me at the moment
Being an aspiring writer, I as well need to be(or at least feel as if) fully engaged in the state of flow, so with that being the case, I'll feel this state, an all consuming immersive mindset that takes away all sense of time, the outside world, any and all individual cares and subsequently find massive amounts of joy, productivity........ etc. Thanks for these video essays. When feeling down or unmotivated I'll refer back to them and like a magic pill or something of that nature, reading has this element of beauty, tantalizing my intellectual side to no end and I'll find these new beginnings that've been far too elusive as of late.
Many thanks for this. It seems that I need to be retrain myselfoften. Thanksforthre steps.❤
Thank you man! I'm reading the illiad for school myself!
Greatly appreciate you sharing this information, Robin. Thank you. I'll report back in a couple weeks.
I think the technological quarantine or removal of distraction is definitely the most important thing to keep in mind when redeveloping focus. I’m 29 now, grew up with a laptop at 8 or 9 instead of an iPad and lived on the computer, but I always carried books around with me as a kid at school (and I still do at work), but I specifically remember it became more difficult to read and complete things when we switched from older phones to smartphones. More specifically I remember when social media became more popular right before smartphones phones blew up scrolling for ungodly amounts of time on the computer at home. Ever since I’ve started sitting in a space where I don’t have other distractions once you get over the initial resistance it’s quick to fall into just doing the thing. The alternative unfortunately is like on my lunch I have my book and my phone in my pocket and more often than not it’s so easy to just throw a video on while I’m eating instead of opening my book. The queues and environment are so important.
Kam knights Speeding reading book has great tips about retaining information and enjoying your reading ❤ great video
I have always struggled with my attention even as a kid, but it became especially difficult to focus as an adult. The point about feeling happy after a focused session really resonates with me. On the occasion that I do focus on something for 1-3 hours, I feel great afterwards, I experience a sense of purpose, a surge of creativity and an increased in self-esteem. I genuinely want to reclaim my attention in order to feel fully happy and alive again.
If you happen to see this comment, what is it like reading ancient greek literature for you? Are you reading an English translation along with commentary? I'm from Greece and we read Homer in middle school but I remember very few details. I studied ancient Greek for a total of 6 years but we were also so obsessed with passing exams that I forgot almost everything besides grammar. Wish there was a narrower curriculum that allowed for projects and essays and actual learning than just memorizing answers.
Millennials that tsk-tsk at Gen Z for short attention spans are forgetting that OUR generation ABSOLUTELY got older people panicking or there-but-for-the-grace...ing US for short attention spans. Everyone was saying television was rotting our brain and Millennials don't trawl third spaces with our friends like it was the 1950s or we're always at the mall and learning that mass-produced consumption and image was the same as identity or values...
I don't think we got news reports claiming that university students can't read through The Decameron in 3 days uphill through the snow like the good ol' days-but I am at least halfway suspicious that the pearl-clutching is something that really happens to every generation, rather than some curse upon the iPad Babies and nobody else.
Television provided an increase in visual vocabulary, while the internet can provide an environment in which being able to evaluate a lot of diverse information very quickly is a necessary skill.
Tips to hone better attention in an academic setting is absolutely helpful-I'm a fan of bullet journaling myself-It's only that I can't help remaining suspicious that the panic is partly a generational scapegoating exaggeration? In addition to then, like, how it's not a Kids These Days thing but Life Circumstances These Days thing and we all have post-pandemic compromised brain-faculty.
I love your videos.
You’re forgetting, and I recall old people saying in the sixties/ seventies, we had a recent invention. Television.
We were put in front of the tv. It was used as a baby sitter. Constant changes in attention. Adverts and sound bites. Square eyes, short focus.
Could a buggerd me up. Wish I read more as a kid
GenX old fogey here. Raised on TV, basically. But it's not too late!
Millennial here. The exact age to grow up offline and spend my whole adult life with social media. It’s killing me! Trying to rebuild and watching the younger folks struggle. This is a real problem, people! And no individual’s fault either.
Thank you!
Something clicked in my brain, I normally use an audiobook anytime I can, but perhaps it's time I sit down and read the book. This comment is more for me to organize my thoughts and understand what I just watched. I need to enjoy the feeling of focus and not only that I need it to be just difficult enough to derive pleasure and a sense of accomplishment. So I guess it's time I ditch the audio books, well not completely. Before I tried to highlight and note everything I thought could be important, perhaps I need to read and try to understand the text before I analyze smaller details. Most importantly I need to stay consistent I say I'm going to read books on top of books for school but I get burnt out after school books so I need to divide and conquer so I'm not too drained to read the illiad, yes I'm also reading the illiad mostly because of the musical named Epic. I'm starting to regret not getting the physical book for my class, curse my procrastination. Reading the book on computer or phone is similar to reading in a distracting environment maybe I need to invest in the paperback. Well I'm going to attempt to find a great spot to set up shop and get to reading perhaps my school laptop would be ideal for minimal distractions. Now that I organized my thoughts I'm going to post this anyways instead of copying and saving It to my notes. We'll maybe I'll do both; reading time.
Your first immersion comment…💥
We now have many more options to direct our attention to and we naturally seek the reward of excitement vs. calm reading for long periods of time that produce slow contentment.
Nah, not at all a problem of younger people only. I'm 44, used to read like a monster (started reading for pleasure as a child, then degrees in Economics and History etc) but after smartphones (2011, in my case), my attention spam went down the drain. A few months ago I deleted social media apps and things have improved a little. Not enough though. Not enough... It's tough.
56 here. My attention span has evaporated. It's horrible. But he does have a point that younger people don't know anything different because they grew up this way. Even his generation has some dim memory of Before. The generations after him don't even have that. It's a difficult situation. But it's not impossible. I think the bigger problem is convincing people that it even IS a problem.
I am leaving this comment on day 1 of reading books. More people should watch this video!
I would’ve loved if the video was more directed towards attention span in general, and not only about reading, maybe an idea for a future video. Great tips regardless :)
God. Damn. I wanna hang out this guy. What a presence!
Denzel character in movie Equalizer used same location, reading in a a cafe the 100 books.
Not me having trouble making it through the first 2 minutes of this video 💀💀
Discipline is sometimes definitely more important than inspiration. Inspiration is definitely important (obviously) but shouldn’t be a primary mover to your progress/development in something.
just left tiktok, this video found me lets goooo
Well... there are two ways of looking at the "this generation is fucked" statement.
On one hand it doesn't do anything for the individual who wants to increase their attention span, because it's definitely malleable. On the other it does accurately describe the general situation, because we know that majority of people will go the path-of-least-resistance route, and thus remain where they are (and/or get worse with time).
As always, good video!
Hi Robin, i know it's out of context and really really weird... but do you know Babel by RF Kuang? Somehow whenever i read the book, i always got the imagination that Robin (the main character's of the book whose name is same like yours) is You hahaha. The character somehow fits perfectly to you. Ofc there are differences but i never found a character in a book is so similar with a real human being. Let alone you both are into the world of literature, readings, and dark academia 😭😭😭
I can read as long as possible if I force myself
Problem is what happens with that information
I used to just glance over text once biology and be Number 1 student always scoring 100%, until a point came where I wasn`t interested and even hated it, that`s the same for every subject I hate as well. Straight F`s . I always do well at my favorites.
I used to learn for fun and out of curiosity, but school does an amazing job at destroying these things
My goal now is to regain my curiosity and never stop learning
I think 2020 was the turning point for me, when the pandemic-induced increase in technology use finally tipped the balance over to me gradually losing my attention span for reading. I now rely on the ebb and flow of mental energy to keep me invested in books. Sometimes I’ll read a thick fantasy novel in 1 week, then I’ll go three months with my Kindle gathering dust. I think “technology use” is too vague a thing to address though, for me it’s more that tech these days incentivises rapid context switching and what keeps me from reading is not a lack of interest, but this now-ingrained feeling that I’ve got something else I should be doing. Technology has become too much of a lifestyle rather than just a tool that helps us and I resent how much of my personal life is lived with a screen in front of me. I think that society’s general idolisation of technology, be it hardware or software, is a real problem and I’m actively searching for ways I can reduce tech use short of living in a sealed cave 😅
Having a specific place, mood and rewards really does sharpen attention, mine was binge-watching One Piece that was a THOUSAND episodes (1122+) but setting a where, when and rewards, helped me get caught up with the latest episodes after 2 ½ months, my only problem is that instead applying the same practice to going back to reading I got sucked into more anime content, leading to my now routine of watching 5 hour long gaming/yapping streams of Vtubers (fancy anime avatar voiced by a real person like Ironmouse or Shoto or Vox Akuma) it's very parasocial please don't get sucked in like me (loneliness-epidemic).. my gaawd this is already too long.. I really need to get my priority straight since I already know the formula into cultivating "an attention-span." 😅 (also I'm 27)
100 I feel like the phone is the new TV
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You say “we weren’t given the roadmap”. As a Gen X myself, let me tell you that we weren’t given a roadmap either. We were - quite almost literally - thrown into situation. Look at how many say that the way they learned to swim was by being thrown into the water. No instruction. No roadmap.
You also said that there was a lot of content switching when studying. This is quite normal.
What we learned, by force, to do was to do one task at a time.
That’s the roadmap: train yourself to do one thing at a time, take it as far as you can and when you can’t anymore, stop, take a break, move on to the next task. That will also teach you to deal with frustratio.
Many seem to associate focus with reading. Understandable. However, there are other avenues, such as:
- watch a movie without your phone around
- watch TV old style, with commercials and all
- build something with your hands (Lego don’t count).
- mow the lawn, gardening, create your own mini garden
- walk around without your phone or anything in your ears
- drive with the radio only. No podcast.
Just do one thing at a time.
Never been this early!
Generation X rocks.
lmao
I am generation X and I can tell you , if I were your generation I would not even have a career because it is too much distraction right now , so I understand these generations very well. By the way I read a lot but recently i have seen myself reading more online because am trying to have not too many books at home and being minimalist . But I realized that having kindle app on my computer is not good . I have a question for you and the audience , would you recommend a kindle to read??? in order to do not be temp by all the things in my PC????
Gotta say generational stereotyping is a waste of time. I agree with what you said, focus takes practice.
Look up Marina Abramovic: counting the rice
I was first but forgot to press send🙉
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Tip 0: Read what you love until you love to read.
- Naval
Worked for me
Focus! The best way is to become an obsessed psychopath (average people will think of this in a bad way) with whatever curiosities, interests, dreams, passions, ambitions, goals, and even hobbies you have in your life.
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I love your content, I just wish you would stop cursing.
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22 minutes? Wayyy too long