Summary

Last year, I averaged over a book a week, totaling around 60. This year, I only managed two by March, distracted by excessive phone use. A data plan change curtailed my screen time, leading me back to reading, and inadvertently, to more mindful living.

Last year I read about 60 books. That is an average of 1 or more a week. I just like to read and I’m a curious person, so I can’t stop myself from buying books.

This year, from January to the end of March, I only read 2 books. How did that happen, I asked myself? I think I got caught up in the easily available distraction of my mobile phone and spent too much time mindlessly scrolling through reels of Instagram (well, not only).

Not great. It’s just a waste of time.

So what did I do to change that? To be honest, in this case the change was involuntary. At the end of February I changed my mobile phone subscription to a lower tier, and last week I suddenly got a message saying I was out of data.

I have WiFi at home, of course, but it meant that being out and about came with a (re)discovered sense of just being and enjoying what’s there in the moment.

So yesterday, on my way home, I came across a bookshop and decided to go in. I bought two books, one of which I finished this morning (Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, written in 1953 – I highly recommend it, as it also fits perfectly with our current times).

Here I am, about to start the second book after a long walk – and may even find time to watch Howl’s Moving Castle by Ghibli Studios (and even find time for LinkedIn).

Has it changed my life? Will this text change yours? Probably not. But it might make you question your own phone habits. Maybe you could benefit from having moments of boredom?

Especially the ones that eat up the most precious thing in our lives: Time.

And it doesn’t matter if it’s your time at work or time in general. Make the most of it.