How to Replace Scrolling With Reading? (The Best Habit You Should Develop)
As a teenager, I used to read a lot. Over the years, reading gave way to Netflix, YouTube, social media, and, more generally, all my digital activities.
Understand
Understand
Understand
Jul 17, 2025
9 min
At a time when screens consume more than 60% of our free time, this article is a reflection on how we spend our available hours. It’s also an ode to reading (books), a rebellious act in the economy of attention.
No time to read?
The French love reading. In fact, 68% want to read more (+11 points compared to 2021!). The main obstacle for them? Lack of time: 71% say they “don’t have the time.” Among 25–34-year-olds, this figure climbs to 89%.
I used to be the perfect example of this category—until I recently started reading again.
So, do we really lack time?
In May 2022, the Japanese bookstore chain Kinokuniya launched a campaign called Time to Read.
The bookstore asked its customers how much time they spent on social media each week. Then, they calculated how many books the average person could read in a year with that same amount of time. Here are the results:
Facebook: 35 books
YouTube: 42 books
Instagram: 43 books
Twitter: 22 books
TikTok: 42 books
I found this campaign brilliantly executed, and the results astonishing—it proves that, in most cases, lack of time is just an excuse.
This is the paradox of the digital age: we’ve never had so much free time, yet we constantly feel like we’re racing against the clock. A 2023 study by France’s National Book Center makes this crystal clear:
On average, we spend 22 hours and 48 minutes per week on screens (excluding e-books) compared to 4 hours and 47 minutes reading. That’s a 5:1 ratio 👉 clearly, there’s room to shift those scales, even just a little.
The time is often there, right in our hands, inside a glowing black rectangle.
The Duel: Paper vs Digital
From ancient papyrus to state-of-the-art e-readers, reading formats have evolved significantly. Personally, I find paper has a certain magic. We’re at a crossroads. In France, 71% of books are read in print, compared to 29% in e-book form. Among people under 25, however, 52% read digital books, as they’re “more used to screens.”
Does this difference affect our reading experience?
Two meta-studies (1 & 2) from 2018 shed light on comprehension and retention when comparing paper and digital reading.
The first, analyzing 171,000 readers, found that comprehension is generally better when reading on paper. This is especially true for non-fiction (personal development, business) that requires more cognitive effort.
As for retention, I had a hunch that I remembered things better when I read them on paper—and it turns out I was right. The physicality of a book offers unique advantages:
You can better recall where information is located and the sequence of events.
The sensory experience of holding a book (touch, smell) also helps with memory.
If you want to dive deeper, I encourage you to check out those studies!
To avoid being overly biased, let’s acknowledge the benefits of digital books:
Convenience: An e-reader is a portable library, saving luggage space.
Second brain: Highlighting, taking notes, and revisiting key passages is much easier.
Whether through the tactile feel of a paper book or the glow of an e-reader, reading is an enriching activity. The explorations in this newsletter aim to shift the focus—not just to drastically reduce screen time, but to extract value from the time you spend on screens.
Are you Team Paper or Team Digital?
At a time when screens consume more than 60% of our free time, this article is a reflection on how we spend our available hours. It’s also an ode to reading (books), a rebellious act in the economy of attention.
No time to read?
The French love reading. In fact, 68% want to read more (+11 points compared to 2021!). The main obstacle for them? Lack of time: 71% say they “don’t have the time.” Among 25–34-year-olds, this figure climbs to 89%.
I used to be the perfect example of this category—until I recently started reading again.
So, do we really lack time?
In May 2022, the Japanese bookstore chain Kinokuniya launched a campaign called Time to Read.
The bookstore asked its customers how much time they spent on social media each week. Then, they calculated how many books the average person could read in a year with that same amount of time. Here are the results:
Facebook: 35 books
YouTube: 42 books
Instagram: 43 books
Twitter: 22 books
TikTok: 42 books
I found this campaign brilliantly executed, and the results astonishing—it proves that, in most cases, lack of time is just an excuse.
This is the paradox of the digital age: we’ve never had so much free time, yet we constantly feel like we’re racing against the clock. A 2023 study by France’s National Book Center makes this crystal clear:
On average, we spend 22 hours and 48 minutes per week on screens (excluding e-books) compared to 4 hours and 47 minutes reading. That’s a 5:1 ratio 👉 clearly, there’s room to shift those scales, even just a little.
The time is often there, right in our hands, inside a glowing black rectangle.
The Duel: Paper vs Digital
From ancient papyrus to state-of-the-art e-readers, reading formats have evolved significantly. Personally, I find paper has a certain magic. We’re at a crossroads. In France, 71% of books are read in print, compared to 29% in e-book form. Among people under 25, however, 52% read digital books, as they’re “more used to screens.”
Does this difference affect our reading experience?
Two meta-studies (1 & 2) from 2018 shed light on comprehension and retention when comparing paper and digital reading.
The first, analyzing 171,000 readers, found that comprehension is generally better when reading on paper. This is especially true for non-fiction (personal development, business) that requires more cognitive effort.
As for retention, I had a hunch that I remembered things better when I read them on paper—and it turns out I was right. The physicality of a book offers unique advantages:
You can better recall where information is located and the sequence of events.
The sensory experience of holding a book (touch, smell) also helps with memory.
If you want to dive deeper, I encourage you to check out those studies!
To avoid being overly biased, let’s acknowledge the benefits of digital books:
Convenience: An e-reader is a portable library, saving luggage space.
Second brain: Highlighting, taking notes, and revisiting key passages is much easier.
Whether through the tactile feel of a paper book or the glow of an e-reader, reading is an enriching activity. The explorations in this newsletter aim to shift the focus—not just to drastically reduce screen time, but to extract value from the time you spend on screens.
Are you Team Paper or Team Digital?
At a time when screens consume more than 60% of our free time, this article is a reflection on how we spend our available hours. It’s also an ode to reading (books), a rebellious act in the economy of attention.
No time to read?
The French love reading. In fact, 68% want to read more (+11 points compared to 2021!). The main obstacle for them? Lack of time: 71% say they “don’t have the time.” Among 25–34-year-olds, this figure climbs to 89%.
I used to be the perfect example of this category—until I recently started reading again.
So, do we really lack time?
In May 2022, the Japanese bookstore chain Kinokuniya launched a campaign called Time to Read.
The bookstore asked its customers how much time they spent on social media each week. Then, they calculated how many books the average person could read in a year with that same amount of time. Here are the results:
Facebook: 35 books
YouTube: 42 books
Instagram: 43 books
Twitter: 22 books
TikTok: 42 books
I found this campaign brilliantly executed, and the results astonishing—it proves that, in most cases, lack of time is just an excuse.
This is the paradox of the digital age: we’ve never had so much free time, yet we constantly feel like we’re racing against the clock. A 2023 study by France’s National Book Center makes this crystal clear:
On average, we spend 22 hours and 48 minutes per week on screens (excluding e-books) compared to 4 hours and 47 minutes reading. That’s a 5:1 ratio 👉 clearly, there’s room to shift those scales, even just a little.
The time is often there, right in our hands, inside a glowing black rectangle.
The Duel: Paper vs Digital
From ancient papyrus to state-of-the-art e-readers, reading formats have evolved significantly. Personally, I find paper has a certain magic. We’re at a crossroads. In France, 71% of books are read in print, compared to 29% in e-book form. Among people under 25, however, 52% read digital books, as they’re “more used to screens.”
Does this difference affect our reading experience?
Two meta-studies (1 & 2) from 2018 shed light on comprehension and retention when comparing paper and digital reading.
The first, analyzing 171,000 readers, found that comprehension is generally better when reading on paper. This is especially true for non-fiction (personal development, business) that requires more cognitive effort.
As for retention, I had a hunch that I remembered things better when I read them on paper—and it turns out I was right. The physicality of a book offers unique advantages:
You can better recall where information is located and the sequence of events.
The sensory experience of holding a book (touch, smell) also helps with memory.
If you want to dive deeper, I encourage you to check out those studies!
To avoid being overly biased, let’s acknowledge the benefits of digital books:
Convenience: An e-reader is a portable library, saving luggage space.
Second brain: Highlighting, taking notes, and revisiting key passages is much easier.
Whether through the tactile feel of a paper book or the glow of an e-reader, reading is an enriching activity. The explorations in this newsletter aim to shift the focus—not just to drastically reduce screen time, but to extract value from the time you spend on screens.
Are you Team Paper or Team Digital?
Your Phone, Your Rules.
Block apps. Limit time. Grow better habits. Endless possibilities.
Try for free
Your Phone, Your Rules.
Block apps. Limit time. Grow better habits. Endless possibilities.
Try for free
Your Phone, Your Rules.
Block apps. Limit time. Grow better habits. Endless possibilities.
Try for free
The Book: A Tough, Counter-Cultural Challenge
Reading two pages, realizing you weren’t focused, and not remembering anything you just read. Who doesn’t know that feeling?
Opening a book is a litmus test for how much our attention spans have deteriorated.
For me, it’s clear: I have a long way to go to get back to my former level. It’s no surprise—digital has fundamentally changed how we consume content. The volume and accessibility of information have ingrained the habit of skimming texts superficially.
One study even shows how we read on screens (thanks to Marguerite Pometko for this graphic):
The “F-Shaped” Reading Pattern
Text is skimmed: we read the beginning, then diagonally scan the titles and bold text.
Online reading is more superficial and fragmented, focusing on quickly finding key information rather than deep comprehension. You’re probably reading this the same way—and while that saddens me, it helps set the stage for what’s next… 👀
This behavior illustrates the impact of the constant stream of short, fast, and intense content we consume daily. It’s the TikTokification of attention: we’re bombarded with dopamine-inducing formats that erode our focus and make us impatient.
Like an addict, the brain craves its fix faster and more frequently.
Reading a book, with its slow pace and demand for sustained attention, feels dull and challenging by comparison.
Julia Marras put it perfectly in her article Scroll Less to Read More:
“Screens are the undisputed champions in the war for attention. They captivate us with shocking videos, sensationalism, and ever-refined algorithms. Honestly, isn’t the competition unfair for books?”
Reading is an experience that requires patience and immersion, standing in stark contrast to the tyranny of instant gratification. It’s the antithesis of modern digital life: a deep engagement with a theme or a story.
It’s tough—when you’re used to juggling content and multitasking (yes, I made that word up).
It’s tough—to escape the noise and the lure of distractions.
Reading uninterrupted for an hour in 2024 is an act of resistance. It’s the ultimate single-tasking and a way to reclaim your time and mind.
The Oval Room of the BNF (Richelieu Street in Paris), a true marvel.
An Elevating Activity
Harry S. Truman once said,
“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”
Without leaning into the cliché, the examples are plenty: Barack Obama, Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, Naval Ravikant—all have publicly said they are avid readers.
Reading is the key to better understanding the world around us, a true vehicle for knowledge. A good novel can transport you to imaginary worlds, introducing you to fictional souls who sometimes feel so real. And they’re also low-carbon journeys—what’s more modern than that?
Reading a book from cover to cover is a defiant gesture against the attention economy, which uses ever more enticing tricks to monopolize our available time.
Reading is a remedy for the overstimulation that defines our era: it slows us down and gives us perspective. It helps us escape the digital noise—it’s a balm for the distracted mind.
By reading, we activate and train areas of the brain associated with memory, focus, concentration, and critical thinking. As we’ve seen in previous articles, these skills are the true gems of the 21st century.
Reading emerges as a tool against the cognitive decline driven by our excessive digital habits. It helps us break free from ready-made ideas. When we read, we become “dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants,” learning from the greatest minds.
Alberto Manguel said it best in 2005:
“Reading is an elitist activity—but it’s an elite everyone can join.”
In a fast-paced society where effortless pleasure reigns, we naturally reject slow and difficult experiences. And yet, at the end of that effort, we often find profound well-being and mental growth.
Tips for Getting Back into Reading
#1 - Start Small
One of the reasons we often give up too quickly is because our goals are too ambitious at the start. If you’re not used to reading, let me be real with you: you’re probably not going to finish Game of Thrones Volume 1 (over 1,000 pages in paperback!).
Instead, try starting with short stories or shorter novels. Ideally, pick ones divided into chapters, making it easier to break your reading into manageable chunks.
Next, don’t force yourself to read for five hours straight. If you’re not focused, you’ll just end up “reading without reading.” It’s pointless: you won’t understand the story, you’ll get bored, and you’ll abandon the book. Instead, aim for small, consistent goals, like 15 minutes a day or one chapter at a time.
#2 - Small, but Repeated
30 minutes a day doesn’t sound like much? Maybe. But over the course of a year, if you stick with that habit, you’ll have enough time to read 36 books!
What matters isn’t “binge-reading” your book to the point where you’re sick of it and feel “relieved” to finish the last page. It’s about savoring the act of reading, entertaining yourself a little each day, and building a habit that makes you want to keep going.
For example, on the Apple Books app, you can set a daily reading goal. It’s super easy—it calculates your daily reading time for you and encourages you to read a little every day. I set the goal myself and, starting from zero, I’ve already finished 18 books this year!
#3 - Remove Friction
One common issue is forgetting your book. Either it’s a physical book you don’t think to carry with you, or it’s digital, hidden in some app on your phone. Meanwhile, Instagram? It’s sitting pretty, right there on your home screen.
No wonder it becomes our go-to over reading. So let’s flip the script! On my end, I’ve added a Books widget. It’s bigger than a regular app icon, shows the cover of the book I’m reading, and even displays my goal or percentage progress.
It might sound trivial, but it’s not! These small changes can make a big difference in keeping reading top of mind.
#4 - Set a Daily Ritual
Struggling to prioritize “good apps” over the bad ones? We’ve got a solution to help. With Jomo, available for free on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, we’ve designed a perfect feature: Good Apps First.
Here’s how it works: Your favorite app (Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat…) gets blocked until you’ve spent a certain amount of time on a more beneficial app (like Duolingo, Medium, or Books). You won’t have a choice—TikTok stays locked until you’ve read. It’s no longer a question of willpower; the system takes care of it for you!
And trust me, it works. For me, I set this rule to block YouTube. As a result, not only have I read a bunch of books (just 15 minutes a day!), but I’ve also drastically cut down my YouTube time.
Why not give it a try? Turn reading into your daily habit and make screen time work for you instead of against you!
I’ll leave you with a quote from Victor Hugo:
“To read is to drink and eat. The mind that does not read grows thin like the body that does not eat.”
The Book: A Tough, Counter-Cultural Challenge
Reading two pages, realizing you weren’t focused, and not remembering anything you just read. Who doesn’t know that feeling?
Opening a book is a litmus test for how much our attention spans have deteriorated.
For me, it’s clear: I have a long way to go to get back to my former level. It’s no surprise—digital has fundamentally changed how we consume content. The volume and accessibility of information have ingrained the habit of skimming texts superficially.
One study even shows how we read on screens (thanks to Marguerite Pometko for this graphic):
The “F-Shaped” Reading Pattern
Text is skimmed: we read the beginning, then diagonally scan the titles and bold text.
Online reading is more superficial and fragmented, focusing on quickly finding key information rather than deep comprehension. You’re probably reading this the same way—and while that saddens me, it helps set the stage for what’s next… 👀
This behavior illustrates the impact of the constant stream of short, fast, and intense content we consume daily. It’s the TikTokification of attention: we’re bombarded with dopamine-inducing formats that erode our focus and make us impatient.
Like an addict, the brain craves its fix faster and more frequently.
Reading a book, with its slow pace and demand for sustained attention, feels dull and challenging by comparison.
Julia Marras put it perfectly in her article Scroll Less to Read More:
“Screens are the undisputed champions in the war for attention. They captivate us with shocking videos, sensationalism, and ever-refined algorithms. Honestly, isn’t the competition unfair for books?”
Reading is an experience that requires patience and immersion, standing in stark contrast to the tyranny of instant gratification. It’s the antithesis of modern digital life: a deep engagement with a theme or a story.
It’s tough—when you’re used to juggling content and multitasking (yes, I made that word up).
It’s tough—to escape the noise and the lure of distractions.
Reading uninterrupted for an hour in 2024 is an act of resistance. It’s the ultimate single-tasking and a way to reclaim your time and mind.
The Oval Room of the BNF (Richelieu Street in Paris), a true marvel.
An Elevating Activity
Harry S. Truman once said,
“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”
Without leaning into the cliché, the examples are plenty: Barack Obama, Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, Naval Ravikant—all have publicly said they are avid readers.
Reading is the key to better understanding the world around us, a true vehicle for knowledge. A good novel can transport you to imaginary worlds, introducing you to fictional souls who sometimes feel so real. And they’re also low-carbon journeys—what’s more modern than that?
Reading a book from cover to cover is a defiant gesture against the attention economy, which uses ever more enticing tricks to monopolize our available time.
Reading is a remedy for the overstimulation that defines our era: it slows us down and gives us perspective. It helps us escape the digital noise—it’s a balm for the distracted mind.
By reading, we activate and train areas of the brain associated with memory, focus, concentration, and critical thinking. As we’ve seen in previous articles, these skills are the true gems of the 21st century.
Reading emerges as a tool against the cognitive decline driven by our excessive digital habits. It helps us break free from ready-made ideas. When we read, we become “dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants,” learning from the greatest minds.
Alberto Manguel said it best in 2005:
“Reading is an elitist activity—but it’s an elite everyone can join.”
In a fast-paced society where effortless pleasure reigns, we naturally reject slow and difficult experiences. And yet, at the end of that effort, we often find profound well-being and mental growth.
Tips for Getting Back into Reading
#1 - Start Small
One of the reasons we often give up too quickly is because our goals are too ambitious at the start. If you’re not used to reading, let me be real with you: you’re probably not going to finish Game of Thrones Volume 1 (over 1,000 pages in paperback!).
Instead, try starting with short stories or shorter novels. Ideally, pick ones divided into chapters, making it easier to break your reading into manageable chunks.
Next, don’t force yourself to read for five hours straight. If you’re not focused, you’ll just end up “reading without reading.” It’s pointless: you won’t understand the story, you’ll get bored, and you’ll abandon the book. Instead, aim for small, consistent goals, like 15 minutes a day or one chapter at a time.
#2 - Small, but Repeated
30 minutes a day doesn’t sound like much? Maybe. But over the course of a year, if you stick with that habit, you’ll have enough time to read 36 books!
What matters isn’t “binge-reading” your book to the point where you’re sick of it and feel “relieved” to finish the last page. It’s about savoring the act of reading, entertaining yourself a little each day, and building a habit that makes you want to keep going.
For example, on the Apple Books app, you can set a daily reading goal. It’s super easy—it calculates your daily reading time for you and encourages you to read a little every day. I set the goal myself and, starting from zero, I’ve already finished 18 books this year!
#3 - Remove Friction
One common issue is forgetting your book. Either it’s a physical book you don’t think to carry with you, or it’s digital, hidden in some app on your phone. Meanwhile, Instagram? It’s sitting pretty, right there on your home screen.
No wonder it becomes our go-to over reading. So let’s flip the script! On my end, I’ve added a Books widget. It’s bigger than a regular app icon, shows the cover of the book I’m reading, and even displays my goal or percentage progress.
It might sound trivial, but it’s not! These small changes can make a big difference in keeping reading top of mind.
#4 - Set a Daily Ritual
Struggling to prioritize “good apps” over the bad ones? We’ve got a solution to help. With Jomo, available for free on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, we’ve designed a perfect feature: Good Apps First.
Here’s how it works: Your favorite app (Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat…) gets blocked until you’ve spent a certain amount of time on a more beneficial app (like Duolingo, Medium, or Books). You won’t have a choice—TikTok stays locked until you’ve read. It’s no longer a question of willpower; the system takes care of it for you!
And trust me, it works. For me, I set this rule to block YouTube. As a result, not only have I read a bunch of books (just 15 minutes a day!), but I’ve also drastically cut down my YouTube time.
Why not give it a try? Turn reading into your daily habit and make screen time work for you instead of against you!
I’ll leave you with a quote from Victor Hugo:
“To read is to drink and eat. The mind that does not read grows thin like the body that does not eat.”
The Book: A Tough, Counter-Cultural Challenge
Reading two pages, realizing you weren’t focused, and not remembering anything you just read. Who doesn’t know that feeling?
Opening a book is a litmus test for how much our attention spans have deteriorated.
For me, it’s clear: I have a long way to go to get back to my former level. It’s no surprise—digital has fundamentally changed how we consume content. The volume and accessibility of information have ingrained the habit of skimming texts superficially.
One study even shows how we read on screens (thanks to Marguerite Pometko for this graphic):
The “F-Shaped” Reading Pattern
Text is skimmed: we read the beginning, then diagonally scan the titles and bold text.
Online reading is more superficial and fragmented, focusing on quickly finding key information rather than deep comprehension. You’re probably reading this the same way—and while that saddens me, it helps set the stage for what’s next… 👀
This behavior illustrates the impact of the constant stream of short, fast, and intense content we consume daily. It’s the TikTokification of attention: we’re bombarded with dopamine-inducing formats that erode our focus and make us impatient.
Like an addict, the brain craves its fix faster and more frequently.
Reading a book, with its slow pace and demand for sustained attention, feels dull and challenging by comparison.
Julia Marras put it perfectly in her article Scroll Less to Read More:
“Screens are the undisputed champions in the war for attention. They captivate us with shocking videos, sensationalism, and ever-refined algorithms. Honestly, isn’t the competition unfair for books?”
Reading is an experience that requires patience and immersion, standing in stark contrast to the tyranny of instant gratification. It’s the antithesis of modern digital life: a deep engagement with a theme or a story.
It’s tough—when you’re used to juggling content and multitasking (yes, I made that word up).
It’s tough—to escape the noise and the lure of distractions.
Reading uninterrupted for an hour in 2024 is an act of resistance. It’s the ultimate single-tasking and a way to reclaim your time and mind.
The Oval Room of the BNF (Richelieu Street in Paris), a true marvel.
An Elevating Activity
Harry S. Truman once said,
“Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers.”
Without leaning into the cliché, the examples are plenty: Barack Obama, Elon Musk, Warren Buffett, Naval Ravikant—all have publicly said they are avid readers.
Reading is the key to better understanding the world around us, a true vehicle for knowledge. A good novel can transport you to imaginary worlds, introducing you to fictional souls who sometimes feel so real. And they’re also low-carbon journeys—what’s more modern than that?
Reading a book from cover to cover is a defiant gesture against the attention economy, which uses ever more enticing tricks to monopolize our available time.
Reading is a remedy for the overstimulation that defines our era: it slows us down and gives us perspective. It helps us escape the digital noise—it’s a balm for the distracted mind.
By reading, we activate and train areas of the brain associated with memory, focus, concentration, and critical thinking. As we’ve seen in previous articles, these skills are the true gems of the 21st century.
Reading emerges as a tool against the cognitive decline driven by our excessive digital habits. It helps us break free from ready-made ideas. When we read, we become “dwarves standing on the shoulders of giants,” learning from the greatest minds.
Alberto Manguel said it best in 2005:
“Reading is an elitist activity—but it’s an elite everyone can join.”
In a fast-paced society where effortless pleasure reigns, we naturally reject slow and difficult experiences. And yet, at the end of that effort, we often find profound well-being and mental growth.
Tips for Getting Back into Reading
#1 - Start Small
One of the reasons we often give up too quickly is because our goals are too ambitious at the start. If you’re not used to reading, let me be real with you: you’re probably not going to finish Game of Thrones Volume 1 (over 1,000 pages in paperback!).
Instead, try starting with short stories or shorter novels. Ideally, pick ones divided into chapters, making it easier to break your reading into manageable chunks.
Next, don’t force yourself to read for five hours straight. If you’re not focused, you’ll just end up “reading without reading.” It’s pointless: you won’t understand the story, you’ll get bored, and you’ll abandon the book. Instead, aim for small, consistent goals, like 15 minutes a day or one chapter at a time.
#2 - Small, but Repeated
30 minutes a day doesn’t sound like much? Maybe. But over the course of a year, if you stick with that habit, you’ll have enough time to read 36 books!
What matters isn’t “binge-reading” your book to the point where you’re sick of it and feel “relieved” to finish the last page. It’s about savoring the act of reading, entertaining yourself a little each day, and building a habit that makes you want to keep going.
For example, on the Apple Books app, you can set a daily reading goal. It’s super easy—it calculates your daily reading time for you and encourages you to read a little every day. I set the goal myself and, starting from zero, I’ve already finished 18 books this year!
#3 - Remove Friction
One common issue is forgetting your book. Either it’s a physical book you don’t think to carry with you, or it’s digital, hidden in some app on your phone. Meanwhile, Instagram? It’s sitting pretty, right there on your home screen.
No wonder it becomes our go-to over reading. So let’s flip the script! On my end, I’ve added a Books widget. It’s bigger than a regular app icon, shows the cover of the book I’m reading, and even displays my goal or percentage progress.
It might sound trivial, but it’s not! These small changes can make a big difference in keeping reading top of mind.
#4 - Set a Daily Ritual
Struggling to prioritize “good apps” over the bad ones? We’ve got a solution to help. With Jomo, available for free on iPhone, iPad, and Mac, we’ve designed a perfect feature: Good Apps First.
Here’s how it works: Your favorite app (Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat…) gets blocked until you’ve spent a certain amount of time on a more beneficial app (like Duolingo, Medium, or Books). You won’t have a choice—TikTok stays locked until you’ve read. It’s no longer a question of willpower; the system takes care of it for you!
And trust me, it works. For me, I set this rule to block YouTube. As a result, not only have I read a bunch of books (just 15 minutes a day!), but I’ve also drastically cut down my YouTube time.
Why not give it a try? Turn reading into your daily habit and make screen time work for you instead of against you!
I’ll leave you with a quote from Victor Hugo:
“To read is to drink and eat. The mind that does not read grows thin like the body that does not eat.”
Credits
This article is a revised version of Edition #21 of the Screenbreak newsletter created by Julien Rousset. With his permission, we're sharing this high-quality content with you today! So many thanks to Julien. 😌
Photographies by Unsplash, Lummi, ScreenBreak and the Internet.
[1] Les Français et la lecture en 2023, CNL.
[2] Aparicio, Ballenghein - Est-il plus facile de lire sur écran ou sur papier?, Slate, 2023.
[3] Avetisyan - The Importance of Reading Books in the Digital Age: Why Traditional Reading Still Matters, Medium, 2023.
[4] Sheetal - The Digital Age Dilemma: How Technology Has Altered Reading Habits, Medium, 2023.
[5] Mitjana - Pourquoi est-ce que je n'arrive pas à me concentrer quand je lis ?, Nos Pensées, 2022.
[6] “Time to Read” encourages us to read instead of looking at social networks, Eslogan, 2023.
[7] Chu - La simple vérité que cache la lecture de 200 livres par an, Medium, 2017.
[8] Maurot - Alberto Manguel : « La lecture est une manière de résister », La Croix, 2021.
[9] Hurt - Will you learn better from reading on screen or on paper?, ScienceNews Explore, 2021.
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Continue Reading…
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The Joy Of Missing Out
© Crafted in Europe. All rights reserved to Jomo SAS, 2025
The Joy Of Missing Out
© Crafted in Europe. All rights reserved to Jomo SAS, 2025
The Joy Of Missing Out
© Crafted in Europe. All rights reserved to Jomo SAS, 2025