I still remember that Friday evening.
I had just come back from work and taken a hot shower. Winter was slowly easing out, and there was that soft chill in the air, the kind that feels like a quiet January evening. I had rushed home that day because I was reading A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson (the third book, I think), and I really wanted to know what was going to happen next.
I finished dinner, picked the book back up around 10 PM, and then I was gone. Page after page, completely pulled in. When I finally closed the book and the mystery was done, I looked at the clock and couldn’t believe it was 5 AM.
After that, I read a few Dan Brown books. Then I tried Gabriel García Márquez. Picked up a Jeffrey Archer’s book with short stories. The Woman in Black by Susan Hill. I left all of them halfway through. Somewhere along the way, reading stopped being that thing that swallowed time.
I hadn’t thought about it in a while, until it came back to me when I was reading this really nice piece by Anne-Laure on thinking and cognition.
These days, the moment there’s a little discomfort, or even silence, it’s so easy to just pick up the phone and scroll. Short videos, familiar jokes, things that feel relatable enough to keep going. And it made me wonder, when was the last time I read something that made me forget time like that? Or sat with friends and talked without constantly checking the clock?
I’m guessing this isn’t just my story.
Reading does something to us. It slows the mind down. It strengthens our ability to stay with a thought a little longer. I read somewhere that thinking itself might soon become a kind of luxury, not because we can’t think, but because we rarely give ourselves the space to do it. Tech isn’t the villain here; it’s just very good at filling every empty moment.
From what I understand, real thinking needs a few simple things.
Sometimes it’s space. Like when you’re walking without a destination, or standing under the shower and your body is on autopilot. That’s when your mind starts talking to itself, jumping between ideas, connecting things you didn’t even know were related.
Sometimes it’s time. Not trying to force an insight, just letting thoughts wander. No outcome, no productivity, just seeing where the mind goes.
And sometimes it’s a focus. That flow state where you’re deep into something, going down rabbit holes, knowing you should stop but not wanting to because you’re close to figuring something out.
All of these matter. But I’ve started to feel that without that first kind of space, the rest don’t really show up. And without them, it’s hard to make anything that feels honest or meaningful.
To get out of this, I’m trying something simple. I want to build the habit of reading again, especially physical books. No notifications, no quick exits, no endless scrolling. I want forced pauses, the kind where the book doesn’t give you anything more, and you’re left sitting with your own thoughts. Along with that, I’m trying to journal. Just writing about things I read today, or something I came across recently that stayed with me, and I want to think through on my own.
And honestly, writing is hard. Anyone who has actually tried to write knows how difficult it is to turn that messy blob of thoughts into proper words. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve felt like a great philosopher just listening to my own thoughts. Writing gives you a quick reality check; it shows you how different thinking something is from actually being able to say it clearly to another person.
That’s a wrap for today, and before I say goodbye for today, here’s a song to put you in the mood and the quote by Neil Gaiman I’ve been pondering,
You have to finish things; that’s what you learn from, you learn by finishing things.
Please don’t forget to share it with your friends, family, and strangers.
Have a Great Day 💖