In the past year or so, I’ve read, watched and researched a lot on the influence of modern media on our brains and in extension, our behaviour. One thing that hit me like a truck – I believe it was in Oliver Burkeman’s 4000 Weeks – was the remark that hardly anyone reads anymore.

I mean, the complaint is as old as the printing press (which was invented around 1450, in case you didn’t know). Scholars have always complained that people should read more, rather than indulge in frivolous pursuits of pleasure. After the arrival of the radio, and then the TV, parents complained that their children had stopped reading in favour of listening/watching.

With the arrival of the internet, the familiar argument arose again. Only this time, we have actual data, and they’re alarming, as are the scientific data pointing towards a much larger problem.

Let’s take a look at people’s reading behaviour, and ways in which you can counteract the trend.

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All the caveats

To start off with, here are a few disclaimers. Of course it’s not true to say “nobody reads anymore”. That would mean joining the age-old chorus of people complaining how everything has gotten worse. It’s much too general and disregards differentiation by things like age, generation, country, social status etc.

However, a degree of generalisation is necessary to tackle a topic as big as this one. Therefore, please know that when something I say doesn’t apply to you, chances are I don’t mean you. I’m aware of the many exceptions to what I’m saying.

What this is about is universal trends that have been substantiated by extensive research. And since this is the blog of a coach, rather than a science journal, I’ll also take into consideration my experiences, both personal and with my clients.

We good? Let’s do this.

Scientific and less-scientific data

Several studies have found that, with the single exception of 2020 (the year of the first lockdowns), book reading has steadily declined since the advent of the internet. On average, the numbers don’t look all that bad, it’s about two or three books fewer per person per year.

However, the development is alarming for two reasons:

1. Two or three books a year over a few decades is a heck of a lot fewer.

2. An average will include people who don’t read, or hardly read at all. No decline there, because they’ve never read in the first place.

All this means that the truly dramatic decline happened to people who used to read lots. I’ve been known to read a book a day in my best years. Of course, this also depends on the book – nobody reads War and Peace in a day, obviously (yes, I know there’s such a thing as speed reading, but I’m talking about recreational reading, for fun, not something akin to an olympean discipline). And while I still love reading and read regularly, there’s no denying that I read less.

A straw poll amongst my friends and clients revealed that I had indeed stumbled on a huge issue.

How we unlearned focus

At first glance, the reason seems to be obvious: With the advent of more, and more readily available new media, the time for each will decrease. Mathematically, if you used to read for three hours every day, you might spend 1 ½ hours in front of the internet now and read only for 1 ½.

The reality is not so clean-cut and obvious, though. Yes, new media have arrived, but at the same time, old media have become more and more accessible and customisable. Decades ago, the TV programme was set, things were on at particular times, and the rest of the time, you did something else to occupy your mind.

These days, TV on demand is the norm. Add to that Netflix and Social Media, and you have constant entertainment available at the push of a button or two.

The worst thing about this is the way our attention span has become so much shorter. While I used to become absorbed in a book for hours, I look up way more often now and sometimes feel the urge to check my phone for messages or emails.

Science has found out that these days, with messengers and chats used even in workplaces, office workers get interrupted so many times, they only get an average of 3 hours’ worth of work done per day. Yes, these are full-time employees! Research has also shown that after each distraction – quickly checking your email or glancing at a message from your boss – you need an average of 23 minutes (!!) to get back to full concentration.

Do the math, and you’ll realise that most people are never fully concentrated at work anymore. And with the habit disappearing, we aren’t concentrating on our passions such as reading, either. We’ve simply unlearned how.

What you can do

If you, like me, miss the sheer number of books you used to read and how much fun it was, here are a few things you can do. If they look familiar: Yes, they’re the same things I suggest for reducing stress and decluttering life in general. It all comes down to the same few issues, to decelerating life and becoming more intentional about your daily choices.

• Remove social and email apps from your phone. Simply turning off notifications doesn’t cut it. Make it so that you’ll only check emails and social media on your computer twice a day.

• On your phone, turn off the notifications for everything else, such as texts and messengers. Check these twice a day, too, and then spend ten minutes or so to reply.

• Have a cut-off time in the evening, after which you’ll no longer use anything involving a screen. Your (offline) Kindle can be an exception! Talk to your loved ones, listen to music, or indeed read a book.

• Take an occasional evening or weekend day to be media free. Dedicate it to walks in nature or, once again, reading.

Reading takes time, but most of all it takes focus. We’re surrounded by hard- and software that were designed with the sole purpose of hijacking our attention. In order to reclaim it, you have to fight for it and be very firm with yourself.

I did it, and I can confirm how worthwhile it is. My ability to concentrate for longer periods of time, is slowly returning, and it feels amazing.