As I’ve been attempting to write the last several years, I have found that I am unable to concentrate very well. I used to listen to music almost every time I wrote, and now I feel that I am unable to do so now without getting distracted. I used to be able to write almost anywhere, regardless of what was going on around me, and now I can’t even be in the same room as my partner while trying to write. So what happened?
Nearly a quarter of adults believe they have undiagnosed ADHD. I think that if I did, my therapist would have brought it up and we would have diagnosed it by now. So I don’t think that’s it.
Rather, I think that we live in a world in which you never need to think if you don’t want to. What I mean is that you have a distraction device in your pocket right now. You’re likely even reading this on it, which I understand the irony of. But cell phones and their connection to the internet make it so you never need to live without some kind of stimulation.
And it’s kind of silly, when you think about it. Each of us has a device in our pocket more powerful than the computers NASA used to put people on the moon. But we rarely use it to engage our brains. Sure, there are apps like Duolingo, Songsterr, and a thousand others to help you learn things, but mostly what I do on my phone is scroll.
I scroll through Bluesky, YouTube, and my Google News Feed, unsure what I’m even looking for. When I catch myself just scrolling, I make myself put my phone away. I’ve mostly stopped pulling it out of my pocket when I’m walking from my shop to the office. When I sit on the couch enjoying my morning coffee, I read a book instead of scrolling. I haven’t broken my cell phone’s hold over me. But I’m definitely making strides in that direction.
-\-
What would you suggest as a way to improve my attention span?
The Chimerical Dark 