# Reading in the Age of Distraction By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-02-05 Reading requires discipline. There are many passive ways one could spend one’s time. Watching a program on a streaming service, scrolling through YouTube, watching TikTok. There are any number of things one can do to zone out. It has never been easier to be distracted. We have multiple devices on us all the time that give us near-instantaneous access to almost anything we want to consume. If anything productive is going to be accomplished, one must be disciplined to overcome these distractions. Like most skills, the ability to focus can be developed. The average human attention span is 8.25 seconds. This is brief. Long enough to read a text, not long enough to read a chapter in a book. The attention span ranges from 2 seconds to 20 minutes. This is a wide range. Most who can pay attention for 20 minutes can likely effortlessly pay attention for 2 seconds. Those who can pay attention for 2 seconds will likely struggle to pay attention for 20 minutes. Consequently, there is a strategic advantage to paying attention longer than one’s peers. In fact, in general, it is beneficial to be able to do what everybody else can and some things they can’t. Paying attention is simply one manifestation of this general rule. It takes time to build up one’s skills. Reading in the age of distraction is no different. It is unlikely that one can go from an 8-second attention span to a 20-minute one. Setting a goal of reading for 5 minutes is more reasonable. To that end, starting with [Thinking Analytically: Five-Minute Reflections on Data, Analysis, and Organization](https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Analytically-Five-Minute-Reflections-Organization/dp/B0C9SF26CK/ref=asc_df_B0C9SF26CK/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=663385636736&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7901942609251486504&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9005959&hvtargid=pla-2188523740513&psc=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwvfmoBhAwEiwAG2tqzHZlSFp6nDoUoop61c9VHNgufiTxPBvFXojccgxhwdmw6ysbCFxa5xoCUgoQAvD_BwEL) might be helpful. #### Related Items [[Reading]] [[Attention]] [[Distractions]] [[Skills]] [[Effort]] [[Advice]]