How Do I Build “Cognitive Fitness”? | Monday Advice

Not long ago, I published a splashy op ed for the New York Times. It was titled, There's a Good Reason Why You Can't Concentrate. Now, it argues that technology is rapidly diminishing our ability to think and that this is a major problem for both the individual as well as the success of our society more broadly. In it, I propose that the solution is a revolution in cognitive fitness, not unlike the physical fitness revolution that emerged in the second half of the twentieth century. Here's how I conclude the piece. I write, my intention is to spur a shift in understanding that can build into a larger revolution. I'm done seeding my brain, the core of all that makes me who I am, to the financial interest of a small number of technology billionaires or the shortsighted conveniences of hyperactive communication styles. It's time to move past fretting about our slide into the cognitive shallows and decide to actually do something about it. Now, this essay has made the rounds and I'm proud of it. But there's one question that I've been asked more than any other by people who read it. How do I become more cognitively fit? I gave a few ideas in the essay, but people want a more systematic brain fitness routine, a sustainable way to push back against the digital forces trying to make us dumber. Well, it's Monday, which means it's time for a Monday advised episode of this show, which seems like the perfect opportunity to dive deeper into this question. Alright? So, here's the plan, in the weeks since this piece has come out, I've refined my cognitive fitness program into five different components and I'm going to go through each of these. I'll justify why each makes sense and then give some practical advice for making that component work. Now, these five components add up to a basic cognitive fitness plan that I think basically everybody should consider adopting. So if you've been feeling like you've literally been losing your mind to technology and you're ready to start taking back control, then this episode is for you. As always, I'm Cal Newport, and this is Deep Questions, the show for people seeking depth in a distracted world. And we'll get started right after the music. Alright. So let's get started with our first component here. We'll do a reveal, and it is read every day. I think this is a very effective tool, in physical fitness rather, there's a, a very effective idea is that you need to lay a base of regular activity. This is my inspiration here. So, in physical activity, physical fitness, we might say for example, you need to walk at least seven to 10,000 steps a day. This is associated with all sorts of positive health benefits. Well, I think we need a similar base layer of fitness when it comes to cognitive training and I think that should be reading. Reading rewires …