How to Fix Your Attention Span and Become a Better Reader (Advice from a Teacher)

Описание: I was a history and literature teacher for a decade. I loved it, but I needed a break. When I left the classroom and got a remote job in education publishing, I experienced digital burnout. Constant screen time, social isolation, and scrolling hurt my brain, destroyed my attention span, and hijacked my love of reading. I had been a lifelong reader, but in 2024, I didn't read a single book. That was a wakeup call for me. I spent a year working to heal my attention span, improve my focus, and become a better reader. I wanted to love reading again. But first, I had to regain my ability to focus on the page. It was really hard to retrain my brain, but after a year of working on it, my attention span returned, my life transformed, and I'm back to reading great books every day.

Time stamps to each chapter are below:

00:00 My Digital Burnout
3:13 Finding Motivation
4:31 What Reading Can Give Us
5:26 Read Physical Books
7:08 Choose the Right Book
8:16 Read Every Day (at the Right Time of Day)
10:04 Sit with Discomfort
11:30 Challenge Yourself Incrementally

In this video, I offer personal advice on how to fix your attention span through reading. I share about corporate burnout, screen addiction, bad habits, and the downsides of multitasking. Then, I offer 5 tips on how to get started if you want to scroll less and read more this year. These are my takes on choosing the right book, reading at the right time of day, challenging yourself, and sitting with discomfort. I also talk about why physical books may be preferable for those who do not have a visual impairment or other disability that requires access to screens, screen-readers, or other digital accommodation.

Note: This is not expert clinical or medical advice -- just a personal account from a teacher and reader. If you have ADHD, a learning disability, a visual impairment, or a medical condition that impacts your attention or ability to read for sustained periods, this is not meant to replace the advice of trained specialists familiar with your situation and accommodations.

Thanks for watching! I'd love to hear about your relationship with reading and learn what books are currently holding your attention!