If you find your ability to pay attention to long-form content slipping away, you may be headed for attention fatigue. These tips can help restore your attention span.
I’ve recently noticed my attention span shrinking.
When scrolling through suggested reels on Instagram, I find myself flicking to the next one, and the next one, often before it’s completely finished … even if it’s a subject I’m interested in. I’m irritated by this while simultaneously being pulled to the next thing. My brain didn’t used to feel so scattered.
If you, too, wish to restore your attention, there are things we can do to ensure our brains maintain their ability to think critically and digest longer content for the long haul in this digitally driven world of bits and bytes.
There is simply so much short-form content at our fingertips each day, and many of us, myself included, have gotten into the habit of giving our divided attention to much of it. As someone who has always loved to read books, especially long ones, this trend concerns me.
It’s not just the rectangular screens in the palms of our hands — on a daily basis, we’re also managing work projects, traffic, news, family, and a myriad of other things that require our attention. This can all lead to attentional fatigue, which can cause distraction, issues focusing, and overwhelm.
And it starts young. In a 2025 study of school-age children, short-form video use was associated with an increase in inattentive behaviors. In a
Restorative practices can help us find balance amid the chaos.
Incorporating analog activities where you can in your daily life is a great way to reclaim your attention and prevent that attentional fatigue. Embrace physical media, use an old-school clock in your bedroom instead of using your phone as an alarm, and write your to-do lists by hand.
Create an analog basket or bag full of things like your current read (in physical form), a coloring book or a crossword, and maybe a craft project that helps you to reach that mindful flow state — more on that below! Things like puzzles and LEGO are other great ways to do this.
evening chill“I’m trying to read more in the evenings. I’m currently reading “1984,” which has been gathering dust on my bookshelf for ages. I’ve been surprised at how quickly I’ve flown through it when my phone isn’t immediately within reach.
“There’s something really relaxing and intentional about the whole experience of listening to vinyl: opening the album, looking at the artwork, spreading out the insert to pore over the lyrics, and pottering around my flat while the music plays.”
— Chloe Szilagyi, editor
Quotes represent individual opinions. All content is strictly informational and should not be considered medical advice.
Many of us were taught that multitasking is a virtue, and though it does have its uses, it’s not always the best choice. Multitasking is even linked to memory loss.
Doing one thing at a time reduces stress, helps build focus, and creates room in your brain for new thoughts. You can practice monotasking with activities like reading, walking, eating, or creating, to name a few.
If you feel the urge to start multitasking to be more productive, pause, take a deep breath, and remind yourself that you’ll likely get more done if you don’t split your attention.
start small“I like to monotask these days! The main thing that’s helped me build that skill back up is starting small. Instead of expecting myself to just sit down and focus nonstop for an hour on one task, I sit down with the intention to focus for 15 minutes on that task. By the time I’ve done that, I’m usually in the zone again.
“I also like to remember how good flow states feel and think about that when I start something I don’t particularly want to do. I know I enjoy and do my best work when I get into a flow, so I think of longer tasks as a nice opportunity to potentially get into that mental space again.”
— Lois Zoppi, market editor
The flow state is a mental state in which your full, individed attention is given to an activity, whether that be writing, painting, tai chi, cooking, running, coding, playing an instrument, or any other number of things.
Artists of all kinds often lose track of time when in a state of flow and may even describe it as transcendental. Athletes may describe it as “being in the zone.”
There’s no one way to reach a flow state, but focusing on something you’re passionate about and motivated to do, reducing distractions, practicing mindfulness, and establishing a routine that works for you may help.
Another thing? Not trying too hard may help!
There’s nothing wrong with consuming media, art, etc., but this is a reactive process. If that’s all you do, it can be draining and stressful. Creating, on the other hand, is proactive.
Creating, even if it’s not meant for others to see, means you’re spending less time consuming and boosting your mental health, reducing stress, facilitating inner growth and confidence, and embracing a truly human experience. It can also help you enhance brain function and process and release emotions.
In nature, you can more easily monotask and get into a flow state. It’s also a great place to turn off any digital devices and go analog. Spending time in nature for just
Time in nature can also reduce blood pressure and help prevent or manage hypertension, reduce depression and anxiety, and provide restoration from attentional fatigue.
Some research notes that the strongest nature experiences, such as camping in the backcountry, may be the most restorative — but simply walking the pathways of a garden closer to home is also beneficial.
slow hobbies“I’ve recently started really trying to look after my houseplants and garden. It’s by nature a slow hobby. Same with things like outdoor walks, hikes, foraging, identifying plants/birds, etc.
“Also, for going seriously offline, taking a back up phone that can only make calls and texts when you go out for walks can stop you from trying to take photos or check apps. I haven’t taken things that far, but I have been avoiding taking photos and trying to mentally ‘capture’ what I’m seeing for myself.”
— Alice Porter, editor
As the need to break our habit of mindlessly reaching for our devices grows, we’re seeing some useful tools emerge.
A few editors on our team recently tried Brick, the phone lock that promises to help you stop scrolling. Most of those editors said they’ll continue to use Brick.
a physical roadblock“Brick has cut my screen time in half for what I feel like are “junk food” apps and I find myself generally feeling less anxious because I’m not getting sucked into passively scrolling on social media. It’s forced me to be very intentional with my time and I feel more productive and less stressed as a result.”
— Angela Purcaro, Senior director of social media strategy
There are also many apps that reduce phone distraction.
I’ve been using Opal for several months, which enables custom time limits and has other features that encourage focus. While it has helped reduce my overall time on social media, I’ve admittedly found ways around those time limits on occasion.
time limits“I use a browser plug-in to limit time on certain sites — it really works. When the message comes up that I’ve been on there for 10 minutes, it reminds me that this isn’t important, and that I could be doing more fulfilling things with my time.
— Amy Murnan, editor
a moment to pause“I typically need to be doing two or three things at once, and I’ve found that, the older I get, the harder it is to focus on just one thing. I recently installed a plugin that limits my social media use on the laptop to just 10 minutes per site per day (you can adjust the time to your preferences), and it’s starting to help me not load up a social media site while I’m waiting those few seconds for another web page to save or load.
“It’s early days, but it seems to be having a positive effect with keeping my attention more on the task in hand and less on the temptation of mindless distraction. It may seem like a short amount of time, but those seconds add up, and at the end of the day I feel like I’ve wasted less time.”
— Amy McLean, editor
Practice paying attention to long-form content, listening to someone without checking your phone, and observing something in nature for 10 whole minutes. Or, start with just 5 minutes. Reach for phone-free activities, practice doing one thing at a time, and enter that creative flow state whenever you can.
Don’t hesitate to use tools to help you reduce your screen time, though you may have to try a few before you find one that works for you.
Practice these things as often as possible, and get in the habit of checking in with yourself to ask, “Is this how I want to be spending my time?” I, for one, won’t be tossing my phone off a cliff anytime soon (though I might envision it), but I do aim to live more, be present, and scroll less.