Deep reading and focus are competitive advantages—and we are losing both.
We recently wrote about digital dementia—how an overload of distractions and constant stimuli leads to internet brain and is ultimately making society dumber. Here, we want to narrow in on a specific skill—deep reading, a skill we think is perhaps most important of all—and offer a simple program for you to maintain (or reclaim) it in your own life.
It seems that we are reaching a boiling point or threshold for what may unfold over the next two to five years. There will be those who push back and save their brains, and then everyone else. It’s not to say society is automatically screwed; we aren’t complete doomers. Rather, we think it’s more like the late 1950s and early 1960s when it became clear that tobacco was harmful. Those who realized this early and quit (or didn’t smoke, to begin with) fared much better off. The decline of deep reading, deep thinking, and deep attention feels similar.
First, some context: minutes spent reading per day have declined markedly since 2003 across all age groups.
It’s not just that people are reading less; we are getting worse at reading too. Literacy scores started tanking in 2012.
The decline in reading impacts all age levels, beginning in primary school:
People struggle to pay attention to just about anything, let alone a book. Research shows the average person’s attention span is 47 seconds. Yet deep reading confers many benefits above and beyond watching a video or skimming an article.
These benefits include developing a richer understanding of a topic, increasing your ability to pay attention, enhanced creative thinking, empathy, calm, and stability.
Deep reading, or full engagement in a book, is good for mind and spirit, and it is also a competitive advantage in today’s knowledge-based economy.
What follows are seven practical rules for a deep reading habit. Each is based on the latest research and real-world practice. Put them together and it could change your life. Even reading for just 60-90 minutes per week offers tremendous benefits—not only what you learn in a book, but also the ability to settle into an activity that doesn’t fry your nervous system and trains you to be more considerate, thoughtful, and non-reactive.
1. If possible, use a hardcopy book
Research shows you comprehend and connect information best when you read physical pages.
There are two main reasons for this:
• You eliminate distractions and multi-tasking, which e-reading and audiobooks invite.
• The brain evolved for tactile experience. Studies show recall is higher with physical pages.
To be explicit, there is nothing wrong with audiobooks or eBooks. Both of us listen and read them from time to time; especially with young kids and chores and dogs to walk, audiobooks are particularly great. Any reading is better than no reading! And yet, the evidence is pretty clear that it’s just not the same as reading a physical book.
2. No digital devices nearby
Even if your phone is facedown on silent or your laptop is closed and asleep, the mere sight of these devices, and everything they represent—not to mention the willpower it takes not to check them—is a huge distraction.
Keep your digital devices in a separate room when you want to focus on deep reading. It’s not hard to do and the benefits are tremendous.
3. Read with a pen or highlighter
The more you engage with the book, the better. There is a big difference between:
• Passive reading: being read to
• Active reading: being in conversation with
The latter promotes further absorption of the material and more creative insight. If you are reading fiction this is probably less important (though you may still have to underline or highlight specific passages) but for non-fiction, we find it can enrich the experience, often increasing self-reflection and turning reading a book into a deeper conversation with the author.
4. Keep a notebook at the ready
Even if you are fully engaged in reading, random thoughts will pop into your mind: Emails to write. Groceries to get. Conversations to have. Ideas for your next big project. Random problems you solve.
All of this is great! Just jot them down to offload your brain and get back to the book in front of you.
5. Read for at least 25 minutes
It takes time to get into a groove. Again: there is nothing wrong with reading in the nooks and crannies of your day or listening to an audiobook while walking your dog, but this is not the same as deep reading.
Schedule it. Make it a regular practice. Even if only a few days per week.
6. Deep reading is like a muscle—you’ve got to train it
The ability to pay full attention and get absorbed in a book is built over time. It may be hard at first (especially if you are rusty), but it gets easier. Eventually, it becomes enjoyable once again.
Be patient and stick with it. It’s worth it.
7. Read as much as you can
Books are the best bargain out there. There is no better place to get a rich distillation of insights and wisdom.
We’ve helped 4-time Olympians move on from sport simply by recommending books. We’ve helped founders navigate rough waters the same way.
-Brad and Steve
