Are you distracted?

Distracted dad

We live in The Age of Distraction. Maybe, fifty years from now, historians and cultural commentators will look back and call us the distracted generation. It’s not hard to see why. Never before in human history have we had such constant, instant access to an obscene amount of information—most of it irrelevant to our daily lives. Every day, we are bombarded with more news, notifications, updates, entertainment, and opinions than entire civilizations encountered over centuries. Our brains were never designed to process this volume of input, and yet we expect them to. Over time, the result is mental fatigue, shallow thinking, and perhaps most concerning of all, a growing inability to exercise self-control in limiting what comes into our lives.

We’ve all experienced it. We’ve all been there: sitting in the living room with our wife and children, physically present but mentally miles away. Our bodies are on the couch, but our minds are immersed in a different world—scrolling endlessly through social media, reading the latest headlines, distracted by games, or texting friends. The most important people in our lives are sitting right in front of us, and yet we’ve left them for something else. At first, it may not seem like a big deal. The distractions feel harmless. But over time, the opportunity cost quietly accumulates. Each time we check out mentally, we miss a moment that could have been meaningful. I think back on conversations I could have had with my wife—conversations that could have deepened our connection, strengthened our partnership, maybe even changed the course of our marriage. I think of the chances I had to invest in my children, to listen, to teach, to play—and how often those opportunities were traded for a digital world that left me emptier than before.

Does it really matter if I’m distracted?

Maybe that’s the wrong question. Maybe the better question is: What do I love? Because what I love most will inevitably shape my actions. If I love myself more than my family, then it makes sense to indulge my every whim, to chase whatever entertainment or distraction promises an immediate hit of pleasure or escape. But if I say I love my family—if I really want to love them—then I need to change. I need to choose them, not just in word, but in action. I need to shift from a life of distraction to a life of focus.

That shift isn’t easy.

The first steps are always the hardest. But every journey begins with a small act of intentionality. We’ve put together a list of simple, practical ways to start reclaiming your attention, your presence, and your focus. Don’t feel like you have to do them all at once. Pick one. Try it for a week. Or come up with your own step that fits your family’s rhythm and needs. If the idea of going cold turkey feels overwhelming, start small. The goal is progress, not perfection.

Here are some ideas to get started:

  • Sell or donate your TV. Give it to someone else or get it out of your house entirely.
  • Rearrange your home so that the TV or entertainment center is no longer the focal point of the living space.
  • Turn off all notifications on your phone so you’re not constantly interrupted by beeps, buzzes, and pings.
  • Leave your phone in your bedroom for an entire day once a week, giving yourself a break from being constantly “on call.”
  • Institute a no-phones-at-the-dinner-table rule, creating space for real conversation without digital interference.
  • Play a board game or go to the park as a family instead of defaulting to watching TV or movies together.
  • Switch out your smartphone for a “dumb” phone, reducing the temptation to check apps and feeds throughout the day.
  • Take 15 minutes a day to sit in silence, alone with no technology, no radio, no distractions. Learn to be still again.

It doesn’t take grand gestures to change a distracted life into a focused one. It takes small, deliberate steps, repeated daily. Every moment you reclaim is a gift—not just to yourself, but to the people you love most.

Distracted dad

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