How many times have you heard someone say that time is moving too fast? For me, I hear it all the time. The concept of our lives flying by is something I’ve talked about with multiple family members and friends. In college, whenever we were overwhelmed with the speed at which our time as undergraduates was moving, my best friend’s favorite thing to say was “Time isn’t real.” Unfortunately, time is real, and we only get one life to soak it all in. 

Doomscrolling

It’s clear to me that the reason why time feels like it’s moving so fast is because of how wrapped up in technology we are. How many hours in a day do you spend on your phone or computer? Probably a lot more than hours spent outside in the real world experiencing life. I’m very guilty of “doomscrolling,” defined by Merriam-Webster as “to spend excessive time online scrolling through news or other content that makes one feel sad, anxious, angry, etc.” Summertime is coming to an end and I’ve found myself reflecting on last fall and shocked at how quickly this fall is approaching. I’m 25, and it feels like every year since 21 has blended into one. I often blame this on the pandemic–that conveniently started in March 2020 right on my 21st birthday. But now, I’m wondering if my increased social media use is the real culprit. 

Stolen Focus

This week I started reading Stolen Focus by Johann Hari. It’s opening my eyes to how frequently I use social media and the real effects it’s having on my life and productivity. This book came into my life at the perfect time when I’ve been reflecting on how fast the years are going. In this book, Hari embarks on a journey to write a novel entirely internet-free. His descriptions of the world around him and how integrated technology is, make me realize I could benefit from more offline time. When Hari said “When you are unable to pay sustained attention, you can’t achieve the things you want to achieve…you want to set up a business, but your life dissolves instead into a blur of Facebook posts that only make you feel envious and anxious,” I felt called out. This last year has gone by exceptionally fast, and I wonder how much more I could’ve accomplished if it weren’t for constant doomscrolling. Stolen Focus is opening my eyes, and I vow to make a change so that this next year hopefully doesn’t feel quite as fast.