I’ve Become a Doomscroller— And I Know It!

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

I work on a farm in Normandy. January and February are always notoriously slack months. The cows are in the stable and as long as they’ve got hay and water, there’s nothing much to do. I could be fixing fences around the fields ready for the summer, but as it’s been raining non-stop for weeks, it’s a perfect opportunity to do all that tedious clerical work I’ve been putting off since the autumn.

I get up early with great intentions. Make some breakfast and read my book. It’s a ritual I’ve stuck to since I was a student, as it was the only time when stuff went into my head, and stayed there.

So far, so good. I’m up early, I’m eating my breakfast, and I’m reading my book. No unnecessary distractions — even the cat is still asleep. Then I go to my office, turn on my computer ready to sort out my tax.

But perhaps I’ll just check the football results and reports from the night before. Why not? Just while I drink my coffee.

So I do that for about fifteen minutes, and then I’m just about to get stuck into my tax when something catches my eye. Oh, what’s that dangling piece of clickbait?

MAN GAMBLES BRAIN IN A GAME OF POKER AND LOSES HIS MIND!

“Click”

Then my day is gone.