In the Read to Lead challenge, there’s this great activity: replace your screen time with book time. It sounds simple, but it can be a game-changer.
I’ve done this in different ways over the years. As a kid, I loved video games—my Atari 2600 was my world! When I was 16, I got my first computer and spent much time playing Wolfenstein 3D and Doom. Eventually, I realized it was taking up too much of my time. I decided then that I would never play games on my computer again. That rule has stuck for over thirty years.
(If you prefer listening to reading, and with added images…)
Later, when I got my first iPhone around 2009, I fell back into the trap. I played the heck out of Angry Birds and Doodle Jump. One day, I checked the stats and saw I’d spent days of my life on Doodle Jump alone. That hit me hard. In 2010, I decided: no more games on my phone. It’s been that way ever since.
I’ve also owned gaming consoles like the Xbox and still enjoy playing occasionally. But these days, I’m intentional about it. I track my game time and make sure it doesn’t take up more than 20% of my leisure time. I aim for balance, and reading always wins.
To keep myself accountable, I use an app called A-Tracker. It’s on my phone’s home screen. I hit the timer whenever I do something I want to track—reading, music, even gaming. It keeps me honest.
A few years ago, I read Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day, and one of its tips stuck with me: make distractions harder to reach. I cleared my phone’s home screen except for three key apps. Everything else is buried in folders on other pages. Now, when I unlock my phone, nothing lures me in. And I always keep my phone in “do not disturb” mode. Similar ideas are also found in James Clear’s Atomic Habits.
What about TV? I rarely watch. Sometimes I’ll catch a Marvel show if I’m relaxing in the tub or walking on my treadmill, but mostly I keep a “To Watch” list in a note. That way I only watch things I really want to see.
The one big exception: The Good Place. I loved it so much that I binge-watched the whole thing, multiple times. It’s funny and dives into philosophy. That show led me to read How to Be Perfect, written by the show’s creator, and now I’m reading The Good Place and Philosophy, which explores the ideas behind the series.
I don’t binge-watch, but I binge-read. I start one book immediately after finishing another, and often read several simultaneously.
I track my average daily reading time over the past 30 days. I aim for at least 30 minutes daily, but if I only manage 5 minutes one day, I don’t try to “make it up” later. Consistency matters more than hitting the perfect number every single day.
I always have books easily accessible on my phone, so if I have a few minutes, standing in line or waiting somewhere, I can grab a quick reading session. There are no excuses.
One of my favorite habits is reading first thing in the morning. It sets the tone for the day. Even if the rest of my day goes awry, I’ve already made progress with my reading. I look forward to waking up early to continue exploring a good book.
These days, I don’t think of “killing time.” I want to invest it—and reading, even just a page or two, has been one of my best investments.
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