About This Experiment
The average adult reads fewer than five books per year, yet spends over two hours each evening on screens. This experiment reclaims one of those hours for reading. Not articles, not social media threads, not audiobooks -- a physical book held in your hands, with pages you turn.
Reading a physical book engages the brain differently from screen-based content. It requires sustained focus, builds empathy through narrative immersion, and does not emit blue light that disrupts sleep. Studies show that reading for just 30 minutes before bed significantly improves sleep quality and reduces stress levels. One hour gives your mind enough time to genuinely absorb a new world, idea, or perspective each evening.
How To Do It
- Choose a book you genuinely want to read. This is not homework. Pick fiction, non-fiction, biography, poetry -- whatever excites you. If you do not have a book, visit a library or bookshop before starting.
- Set a consistent reading time each evening. The hour before bed works best for most people, but any screen-free evening hour is fine. Set a gentle alarm to remind you.
- Create a reading environment. A comfortable chair or propped-up pillows, a warm lamp, and a cup of tea. Make it a space you look forward to returning to.
- Put all screens in another room. This is essential. If your phone is beside you, you will check it. Physical distance is the most reliable form of discipline.
- Read for one hour. If you finish a book mid-week, have a second one ready. Do not let the gap between books become a screen-time relapse.
- Before sleeping, log three things: pages read, sleep quality the next morning (1-10), and screen cravings (1-10, where 1 is no craving).
What To Track
Pages Read
Track the number of pages you read each evening
Sleep Quality
Rate how well you slept the following morning
Screen Cravings
Rate the urge to check screens from 1 (none) to 10 (intense)
Tips For Success
Have the book visible and ready
Leave your book on your favourite chair or pillow with a bookmark in place. The easier it is to start, the more likely you are to sit down and read instead of defaulting to a screen.
It is okay to switch books
If you are 50 pages in and not enjoying it, switch. Life is too short to force-read a book you dislike. The goal is to build the reading habit, not to finish a specific title.
Read what you love, not what you "should"
Thrillers, romance, science fiction, graphic novels -- all count. Do not let literary snobbery stop you from reading. The best book is the one you cannot put down.
Track pages, not time
An hour is a guideline. Some evenings you will read 60 pages, others 20. Both are fine. The metric of pages read is more motivating than clock-watching.