The Tangible Way: Reclaiming Your Attention

I love books. I’ve got stacks of books sitting on my nightstand, stacks of books sitting on my desk, stacks of books on the floor by my desk. Books for work, books about interests of mine, books with fascinating stories. I look at the covers and the table of contents and I’m excited about the possibilities of what I can learn and where I can be transported. But then I look down and there is my phone in my hand. Perhaps I’ll just check a few things there first. You know how that story goes, right? I blast through my book reading time while mesmerized by social media content.

The algorithm is amazing as it offers me up a buffet of things that I will indulge in. Meanwhile all my great books gather dust or serve as very expensive paperweights.

But it’s not just about the algorithm feeding me content. Something else is going on. My actual ability to focus, to stay with something I genuinely care about, has been altered. Recognizing this change within myself inspired me to dig deeper into what’s happening to our brains and attention when we’re constantly plugged in.

What I’ve learned is that social media works like a slot machine. When we scroll and find something interesting or we get likes or comments, our brain gets a little hit of dopamine. And what does that do? It feels good. But our brains adapt, quickly. So we need more stimulation to get that same feeling. Our brains are getting trained to expect a constant stream of stimulating content. It’s not that books are boring, but our brains are getting rewired for something faster.

I’ve also learned that when we’re jumping from one piece of content to another (a video, a post, a comment, another video), our attention is constantly fragmenting. The more we practice that scattered way of focusing, the more it becomes our default mode, even when we’re not on our devices. So we get worse at being able to sustain focus.

If we’re scrolling while also doing something else (texting, watching TV, working, etc.), I’ve learned we’re actually making it worse. We’re practicing not giving our full attention to things. And what we practice is what we’re teaching our brains, that partial focus is enough. But it’s not. Eventually full focus starts to feel uncomfortable and nearly impossible.

So as I consider being surrounded by books I want to read but holding a phone that was picked up without thinking, it makes sense now. My brain has been trained for quick hits. Sitting with one book requires a different kind of attention, the kind I’ve been systematically weakening.

But here’s what I’ve found that gives me hope, attention recovery is possible. And we can experience improvements in our attention within weeks. Some other benefits such as feeling calmer and more present can show up even faster.

And it doesn’t require going completely off-grid to experience these improvements. Small reductions matter. For instance, limiting social media usage to 30 minutes a day, instead of hours shows benefits in improving focus and reducing anxiety. Consistent, intentional changes can make a huge difference. It doesn’t have to be extreme.

There are several things that can help rebuild attention: time in nature, physical movement, meditation, better sleep, and limiting screen time. As I look at these various practices, I recognize they all work because they require us to be present with what’s actually here. They are practices of The Tangible Way, paying attention to what’s real and present.

So what do these practices actually look like and why do they matter?

Spending time in nature is one of the most powerful practices for attention recovery. I’ve learned that even 10 minutes outside can help restore focus. An hour in nature can improve attention and memory by 20%. What is it about nature that makes it so effective? Researchers call what nature provides, “soft fascination.” It offers interesting things to notice without demanding forced focus. This allows the brain’s attention systems to rest and recover. Being in nature also reduces cortisol, a stress hormone that interferes with our ability to focus. And when we’re outside and truly noticing what’s around us (the temperature on our skin, birdsong, light filtering through the trees), we’re engaging with real, tangible sensory experiences. We’re practicing sustained attention on something that isn’t designed to hijack our focus. And nature doesn’t have to be dramatic or somewhere far away to help. It’s right outside our doors. Sometimes when I have a break at the office I’ll step outside rather than reach for my phone. I’m always noticeably a little more grounded and a little more focused when I return.

Another practice that helps rebuild attention is physical movement. Research shows that even just 20-30 minutes of vigorous activity like brisk walking or cycling has positive impacts on focus and cognitive control. Why does movement help? It increases blood flow to the brain, triggers the release of neurotransmitters that help with focus, and even helps new neural connections grow. It also requires that we be present in our bodies, noticing physical sensations in the here and now. It doesn’t require an expensive gym membership or perfect workout. Just physical activity that gets the heart rate up. I always notice that no matter how tired or resistant I am prior to a workout, I’m always much more energized and presently focused when I’m done.

It may seem obvious that limiting screen time is an effective practice to help with attention recovery, but I think it’s important to emphasize that the research is clear on this. Reducing screen time interrupts that dopamine tolerance cycle mentioned earlier. The reinforcement of scattered attention is stopped. Space is created to practice sustained focus on other things. I think back to the weekend that started my exploration of The Tangible Way, when I had my awakening to the impact of screen time on my mood and attention (The Tangible Way: My Weekend Awakening). When I intentionally put away my devices and interacted with real, tangible things, I found a spaciousness of time, a capacity to focus deeper, and much more delight in ordinary things. In fact, it was that weekend I started reading a real book again.

Sleep is not so much a practice as it is a foundational part of everything else. Screen time before bed is a significant disrupter to sleep quality and the sleep deprivation that brings about can seriously harm our ability to focus. How does quality sleep help? Sleep allows the brain to rest, recover, and restore. Scrolling on our devices works against this important process. The brain is in alert mode, through both the light of the screen and the stimulating content being consumed, when it needs to be in wind down mode. Yet scrolling on devices has become a common part of our bedtime routines. I remember when this used to be my prime book reading time, heading to bed earlier to choose from the stack of books on the nightstand.

Meditation is the training of attention itself. The research shows that just 30 days of daily meditation can change how our brains process attention, and even 10 minutes a day improves focus and distraction resistance. How does meditation help with attention recovery? Neural pathways that are responsible for sustained attention are being strengthened. Brain regions involved in attention regulation and cognitive control are being built up. Sometimes I think of it being like strength training for focus. Each time you notice your mind has wandered and bring it back to your breath or body, you're literally building attention capacity. Meditation isn't mystical or complicated. It’s practicing the skill of staying present with something simple and real (breath, sensations in the body, sounds, etc.). When the mind wanders (and it will), you notice and come back. That noticing and returning? That's the practice. That's what strengthens attention. For my own life this has been a game changer. And I notice when I stray from regular meditation practice, I’m not starting back at square one when I return. The capacity for mindful presence is built within and I find it more easily with the practices I’ve done over time. This why I established The Lotus Place, to support people in making meditation accessible and practical for everyday life.

Honestly, recovering our attention isn’t so simple or easy. As discussed in the second post in this blog series (The Tangible Way: Shaking Off the Algorithm), the algorithms we’re exposed to in social media are powerful and sophisticated forces that are created to purposely captivate our attention and keep it there. Our culture normalizes constant connectivity. So if integrating changes in your life to rebuild attention feels overwhelming, that makes sense.

But here’s what I keep coming back to: our attention can recover. The research shows it, my experience confirms it, and that gives me hope. It doesn’t require doing all of these practices perfectly. What is needed is intention and consistency, that’s it. Start somewhere. Perhaps taking a device-free 10-minute walk during a lunch break. Maybe putting the phone in another room before bed. Maybe starting out the morning with a brief meditation practice before ever looking at a device. Pick something that feels accessible and try it.

Our attention is one of our most valuable resources. Where we direct our attention is what shapes our life. It shapes what we remember, what we experience, what we create, and how we show up for the people and things we care about. When that precious resource of attention is fragmented and pulled toward algorithmically-curated content, we’re not fully present for our actual lives. The stack of books gathering dust on my nightstand? That’s not just about reading. It’s about the capacity to be absorbed in something, to follow a thought all the way through, to be fully present with something.

This is what The Tangible Way is about, choosing presence over autopilot, choosing the real over the algorithmic, choosing to pay attention to what is actually here. It’s not about giving up our devices or ending engagement with social media. What it is about is engaging more wisely and being the one in control, not the one being controlled. It’s about making small, intentional shifts back toward what’s tangible. Engaging more with what’s real.

I encourage you to try one practice this week and notice if anything changes. Notice that impulse to reach for the phone out of habit. Notice what it feels like to be fully present without fragmented attention.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have a stack of books calling my name.