working on my attention span

welcome to introspection ft. harsehaj! ⭐️ i’m harsehaj, an 18 y/o always up to something in social good x tech.

this publication is a place for me to reflect on a new topic daily, and send it to your inbox. if you’re new here, sign up to tune in! you reading this is keeping me accountable, so thank you for that. as a treat, i drop cool resources/opportunities at the end. 💌 

btw, feel free to reply with topic ideas you want me to write about for future posts.

onto today’s topic: working on my attention span 📚

my attention span isn’t the best. it’s pretty hard for me to stay focused on one thing unless i’m “in the zone.” making myself sit down and write something consistently has been one way i’m trying to build my attention span back up.

as a kid, i used to be able to read 400-page novels in one sitting. now? i can barely get through 3 chapters unless i’m fully invested and interested in the content.

2 weeks ago, i started reading 10 pages of an actual book or novel (not comics) per day so i can get back into the habit of reading dense text. i still read manga for an hour afterwards though, LOL. i love looking at pictures.

similarly, it’s hard for me to just write continuously. i get distracted by an email notification or slack message, and then dive into some random rabbit hole of work .. somehow ending up filling out random applications? 😭

for someone that doesn’t have the attention span for writing, i do it a lot. so, i decided the only way to engage myself is to do it in a way i enjoy:

• reading books that i enjoy, which aren’t necessarily peak literature, but a step up nonetheless.

• not restricting my writing to one topic and firm guidelines.

• intentionally giving myself time to let my brain wander (when i’m rollerblading!).

it’s a work in progress for sure .. my attention span isn’t anywhere near where i would like it to be, but it’s alright! i set up accountability systems, and experiment with new strategies to boost my attention span consistently.

i’m personally not a fan of completely eliminating things i enjoy from my life because they aren’t adding “value.” i believe joy is 100% valuable, and should be injected throughout our daily lives. i still scroll on tiktok, read manga and let myself go down internet rabbit holes if i really want to. do what you enjoy while being intentional about improving yourself every day. 🧘‍♀️

but, i am finding myself scrolling less and less on tiktok, so that must be a good sign. (:

cool finds of the day 🔍️