Remove the Temptation

I was in a bookstore the other day and most of the browsers around me were scrolling on their phones, except for one gentleman who opted for a chair and magazine to read.

You know our attention and focus have taken a nosedive when we keep scrolling even in a bookstore.

I have a little table stand at home next to my reading chair. The table has a lower shelf where I neatly stack books to read. I used to leave my iPad there as well, to read the online newspaper in the mornings. But I’ve since moved the iPad into my office.

Why?

To remove the temptation. Because sometimes at night I’d reach for the iPad instead of a book and find myself an hour later scrolling podcasts and street photography YouTube channels. And while these diversions are superficially entertaining, I always felt empty afterward. Whereas when I read a great novel, I walk away feeling enriched and inspired and wanting to write.

Aristotle said that we are what we repeatedly do.

So that is the question to ask ourselves. What are we repeatedly doing? And is what we are doing enriching our lives or merely anesthetizing us?