I realized something kind of embarrassing recently.

I kept saying I wanted to read more, but I also kept telling myself I didn’t have enough time.

Then I would pick up my phone “just for a second,” open Instagram or TikTok out of habit, and suddenly 30 minutes were gone. Sometimes more.

The worst part? I wasn’t even having fun the entire time.

I wasn’t watching something I was excited about. I wasn’t learning anything particularly interesting. Most of the time, I wasn’t even choosing what I was looking at.

The algorithm was choosing for me, and I was just scrolling through it. I needed to stop scrolling!

I’d finally look up and wonder, “How did I even get here?”

So, I decided to test something simple:

What would happen if I swapped some of my screen time for reading time?

I Didn’t Want an Extreme Digital Detox

I wasn’t interested in deleting every app from my phone, and I was definitely not going to suddenly become a perfectly disciplined person who wakes up at 5 a.m. to read classic literature by candlelight.

That is simply not my thing.

I wanted to see whether I could make reading easier to choose than scrolling, because I think that is the real problem.

I want to read. I almost always want to read. But my phone is right there, and my book usually isn’t.

The phone scrolling wins because it is the easiest option.

Make Your Current Book Impossible to Ignore

The first change I made was incredibly simple: I started keeping my current book somewhere I could see it.

I stopped leaving it tucked away on a shelf, buried under other books, forgotten inside a random tote bag, or sitting on my nightstand until bedtime.

I needed the book to be visible throughout the day.

Apparently, I need to be reminded that I am currently reading a book and that reading is an available activity before 10 p.m.

That sounds ridiculous, but it is true.

I will forget that picking up my book is an option, yet somehow remember to check the same app 27 times.

So now, my current read travels around the house with me.

The One-Page Rule

Here is the swap I started testing:

Every time I caught myself reaching for my phone out of habit, I paused and asked:

Do I actually want to be on my phone right now, or am I just bored?

When the answer was boredom, I read one page instead.

Just one.

“Read for an hour” feels like a commitment. It sounds like something I need to schedule, prepare for, and have enough uninterrupted time to complete.

One page feels doable. And usually, once I read one page, I read another.

That is the trick. Starting is the hardest part.

Scrolling Steals Time Without Asking

I rarely notice how much time is passing while I scroll.

It is not like I pick up my phone and consciously think, “I would now like to donate the next 42 minutes of my life to random content I will not remember.”

It just happens.

I check one thing. Then I check another thing. Suddenly, I am watching a video from someone I do not follow about a topic I do not even care about.

Reading feels different.

Time feels slower in a good way. I am aware of what I am doing. My attention begins to settle, and my mood changes.

Scrolling often leaves me feeling restless. When I finally stop, I think, “Well, that was a waste of time.”

Reading leaves me feeling like I actually did something with that time, even when I am reading purely for entertainment.

Think of Your Book Like a Stanley Cup

The habit reminded me of drinking water.

When my Stanley is sitting next to me, I drink water all day. I can easily finish two full cups. When it is nowhere in sight, I apparently forget water exists.

The same thing happens with books.

Once I see the book, pick it up, and read a page, continuing feels much easier. The visible book interrupts the automatic habit of unlocking my phone. It gives me a tiny moment to make a different choice.

Instead of opening an app without thinking, I see the book and remember, “Oh yeah, I’m reading that.”

That reminder has helped me more than repeatedly telling myself to have more discipline. Discipline is unreliable. Making the better option easier is much more effective.

You Cannot Choose What You Cannot See

I once learned something similar from a closet organizer: If you cannot see something, you forget you own it.

Apparently, the same rule applies to books.

When my current read lives only on my nightstand, I associate reading with bedtime. I do not naturally think about reading during a free five minutes in the middle of the day.

By keeping the book visible, I am reminding myself that reading can happen anytime.

I can read while waiting for something to cook. I can read before an appointment. I can read one page instead of checking Instagram again.

Those tiny moments add up.

Did It Actually Help Me Read More?

By the end of my little experiment, I did not magically become someone who never scrolls.

I still like my phone and social media, but my screen time went down, and I read more than I normally would have.

I didn’t force myself into an intense reading challenge. I didn’t set an unrealistic daily goal. I simply made reading more visible and easier to start.

That was enough to change my behavior.

How to Try This Reading Habit

Keep your current book somewhere you will see it during the day.

When you catch yourself reaching for your phone automatically, pause and ask whether you genuinely want to use it or whether you are simply bored.

Then read one page.

One page is small. It does not require a huge commitment, but it is still more reading than you would have done while scrolling.

Your book can travel around the house with you. Put it next to you on the couch, on the kitchen counter, in your bag, or anywhere you regularly reach for your phone.

The goal is to place the book in front of you before the scrolling habit takes over.

Make Reading the Easier Choice

I cannot simply hope I will magically remember to choose my book after my brain has already fallen into the social media trap.

I need the reminder to happen first.

So, I am keeping my current read where I can see it. The next time I reach for my phone because I am bored, distracted, or acting on a subconscious habit, I am going to read one page first.

One page might seem small, but small reading habits still count. And once you start, you might keep going.

Would you try this habit? Or do you have another reading habit I should stack onto it?

Because reading habits are kind of my love language.