When everyone’s shouting for your attention, choosing a book to read can become an act of resistance. Maybe it’s time to stop absorbing and start curating.
In the culture we live in we are inundated with information. Each day is full of news from around the world, social media updates, work emails, texts, and online articles.
Our brains are suffering from this flood of content. While some amounts of information keep us connected to each other and informed, too much is hurting us.
Research is lagging behind in showing how much we are affected by our constantly connected culture. It has seeped into our lives so quietly and taken over so suddenly that we don’t realized the problem until we hit burnout.
I wanted to revive my daily reading habit but it was crowded out by information overload.
When I was in my late 30’s I felt inundated and submerged by the amount of information in my life. I wanted to revive my daily reading habit but it was crowded out by information overload. I realized that if I was to sit for 15 to 30 minutes a day reading I needed to make some mental space.
I took a break from social media on weekdays. With that small change, I found more emotional and mental capacity for reading non-fiction.
Seeing the impact this had on my reading life, I decided to stop looking at news updates and email on my phone in bed before I started by morning routine. With that shift, I found extra time to read a devotional with my morning coffee.
Okay, okay… I can feel you rolling your eyes at me.
I know this is nothing revolutionary. But I can tell you with certainty: this was a big deal in my daily routine.
I went from feeling like I was gasping in mouthfuls of seawater to clutching a red buoy. I was still bobbing around in the ocean but at least my head was above water. I had something secure to hold on to. I could get my bearings for the first time and see how far I had drifted away from what mattered to me. I had perspective to how I want my adult life to be navigated. I could find my way out of the water, back to solid ground.
I realized I had been voluntarily giving away my attention to places that were not worthy of my time. If I was going to consume information I want it to benefit me, not leave me drained and frustrated.
With my reading stack, I guide the direction of my learning instead of being mindlessly lead by others who profit from my attention.
“I’m not going to lie to you—it’s difficult to uncover who we really are when we’ve been receiving the flow for so long. Living unknowingly under the influence has profound, sometimes lasting effects. But it’s okay. Below it all, you are there…. The true you is that little voice that got quieter but was never fully silenced. It’s that gnawing feeling. That tingling sensation. Your inner self is below all the muck waiting for you to rediscover you. You can begin to crack open the nesting dolls of influence to locate your rooted, unwavering sense of self.” – from Raising Hell, Living Well by Jessica Elefante
In each chapter she systematically breaks down how we are influenced and the complicated invisible layers we are up against. By Part VI she shows us how to reconstruct our lives above the influences and in a way that aligns with our values.
There are so many areas where I suspect I have given up my attention unknowingly. But reading through Elefante’s book I finally had words for so many areas that had felt like sandpaper in my life.
Unfortunately, in the society that we live in today, we each have a responsibility to filter the flood of information coming into our homes. There is no longer a reasonable set of guidelines or rules being followed for the flood of content we come up against.
We must create parameters for ourselves and our children or will be caught in a riptide current and pulled under.
Does this mean that I become a monk living on a hilltop no longer participating in our culture? No, of course not. I still participate in social media, enjoy video content online, watch Netflix, and have general updates on what is happening in the world. But I’m aware of what information I am consuming and how often I scroll on my phone.
I pay attention to what I’m paying attention to.
My reading stack is one of those places where I create a subtle resistance to the culture that we live in.
I fight back against the overwhelm by making space for authors I respect. I open myself to deep growth and understanding only to those who deserve a place on my bookshelf.
I carefully choose what noise I allow in.
To go back to our metaphor, I am now in a boat navigating the waters.
“You have to choose a few things, sacrifice everything else, and deal with the inevitable sense of loss that results.” – Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks
Reflection Questions
What are the main sources of noise in your life right now?
Where are you giving your attention that doesn’t align with your values?
What’s one small change you could make to reclaim your focus?
If you had 15 minutes of quiet each day, how would you want to spend it?
We may not be able to escape the digital world we live in, but we can reclaim agency within it. Attention is one of our most powerful resources—and one of the most quietly stolen. When we choose what we read, watch, and scroll with intention, we’re not just protecting our peace—we’re remembering who we are.
This kind of quiet resistance matters.
It doesn’t require a grand gesture. Sometimes, it looks like putting your phone down and picking up a book that stirs your soul. It looks like choosing calm over chaos, purpose over pressure. And it looks like you, gently rowing your boat through noisy waters—aware, awake, and moving toward what matters.
Thanks for reading. If this resonated with you, I’d love to hear what small changes you’re making to protect your attention.
