I’ve read 17 books in the past 49 days. And you can, too. If you give up your phone.
Why hello!
Here’s something that has made my life so much better lately:
Quitting the news.
Which, honestly, seemed impossible for me because:
I used to work in politics.
I actually like politics.
The news gives me a little dopamine hit—especially when it’s bad (just being honest here).
And it was my constant companion, tormenting me pretty much all day long.
But for Lent, I went cold turkey. No news. No news/social commentary podcasts. Oh and I muted everyone who talked about the news on social media (I still love you, but I'm not asking for your opinions on the news when I'm trying to get work done).
And ohmygawd… I did something I thought was completely out of reach instead:
I read SIXTEEN books in 47 days.
For context, I’m usually a one-book-every-6-weeks kind of reader.
(And to be clear, I didn’t dive into the classics right away—I started with quick, candy reads just to break the habit. But now I’m deep into the long, more complex stuff—including a book about the Donner Party that I’ve brought up at multiple dinner parties, which seems inappropriate now that I’m typing this.)
Here’s how I did it:
Anytime I felt that twitchy little I need a break moment, I didn’t reach for headlines—I picked up a book.
My Kindle or a paperback was always with me. (P.S. The public library is my best friend. Full stop. You can get books on your kindle and free audiobooks with their app.)
While cleaning or cooking, I’d either put on music (so 90s of me!) or turn on an audiobook.
And most importantly: I stuck a big red X made of tape on the back of my phone. Every time I reached for it, that X made me pause.
It reminded me:
Do you really want to waste your life on this right now?
That tiny visual nudge helped me interrupt the habit loop.
I’d ask myself:
What kind of life do I want to live?
If I keep distracting myself 50 times a day, what will I miss—in a year, in five, in ten?
My kids. My friends. My own thoughts.
I also started using a new mantra every morning:
CREATE before you CONSUME.
Before reading anything, before listening to anyone else’s voice—I’d do my morning routine, then write, work, or make something.
And it worked.
I broke my phone addiction.
Books replaced the news.
They replaced podcasts.
Then they replaced streaming at night.
And when I stopped streaming at night… I actually got to bed around 9:30/10.
Which meant I could finally wake up early.
(And I even took a few nights to myself to just read for a few hours—my husband took the kids and I'd sit with my book. I KNOW!)
And here's the part that really stuck with me:
Whether you realize it or not, you’re either priming yourself for something good—or for something that drains. Or worse, something puts you in a really bad mood.
And the way our news cycle is structured—even when it feels productive—saps me. And makes me feel unmotivated/generally blah. I'm not a particularly sensitive person, but I really noticed the difference.
Now that Lent is over, I’m not going back.
Because here’s the thing: TIME spent numbing and/or chasing dopamine hits via the news (or social media) adds up.
30 minutes a day on your phone = 180 hours a year.
60 minutes a day on your phone = 365 hours.
That’s 45 full 8-hour workdays.
And unlike scrolling, books and stories don’t chip away at your attention span.
They rebuild it.
They invite you to linger, to imagine, to follow threads that go deeper instead of yanking you in 100 directions and making you feel totally scattered.
So now, I ask myself:
What do I want to do with all that time instead?
For me: I want to read. Think. Write. Move my body. Build something that matters.
And I need good energy to do all of that.
You?
Love,
