A Cure for ADD?

I have trouble sitting still. I like the feeling of the moving car and the idea that I’m always headed somewhere. 

To stop, to be still feels counterintuitive. Especially in this world of snapchats, vines, instagrams (et al), where the poignant 140 character statement, check-in, outburst, or a well timed selfie can give you a blip of notoriety.

Yes, I enjoy knowing what other people are up to, who is releasing a new album or the latest shenanigan from my manager Peter Hill’s dog chopper. All of those things are great, and Chopper is literally the coolest dogs in LA.

BUT, I also get anxiety when I spend too much time on my computer and phone. It’s not just a feeling of inadequacy about all of the grand things people are doing or dreaming up, but I just feel like my head is full of fluff. It feels a little shallow -- as if we are overindulging here.

Yes, we are more connected than ever. Yes, there is inherent value in blogs, posts, articles, but overall there is a lack of depth and storied engagement. As if the access has created this fever to move through information faster. We skim, we want to get to the point and move on. 

The other day 'roommate' sent me an article “15 things you need to know if you love a person with ADD”. I laughed when i read the title. I’m such a sucker for these catchy, organized “everything you need to know is right here” articles. They hit the nail on the head though:

• “They need space to pace”,
• “Piles are their preferred system of organizing their things”
• “They have a problem staying focused”.
• (I mean, that’s me to a T.)

I started to think about my issues with focusing and how I’ve had three different books in my bag this tour, and I've literally only read online articles and one story from the May issue of GOOD. That got me thinking...

When was the last time I read a book?

Not sure I can honestly answer that one.

My nature to keep moving or switch from one task to another every five minutes isn’t conducive to sitting down and reading, but I recall turning to books in the past when I need an escape, writing inspiration or getting over a break up. 

I did a little research online and the light bulb got brighter. According to mic.com - reading helps your memory, your focus, increases sleep and even empathy. 

“In this increasingly Twitter- and TV-centric world, it's the regular readers, the ones who take a break from technology to pick up a paper book, who have a serious advantage on the rest of us.” 

Reading other articles and studies I found people claiming that reading was actually a bit of a ‘quick fix’ for stress and had positive effects on the mind. Just six minutes of reading a day can reduce stress by 68%. What!?

My mind looked for the fine print -- what about e-readers vs. actually paper books? I’ll let you dig into that more if you really want to maximize your potential.

Long story short. It turns out reading might be a solution to this increasingly shallow, ADD life that we are all perpetuating. Now I just need to stop talking about it and take my own advice — follow through seems to be the hardest part. 

I need a little push though, anyone have any book recommendations?

Here are a few I’ve enjoyed; The Alchemist. Kite Runner. Atlas Shrugged. As a Man Thinketh.