When was the last time you read something over 50 pages long? If it has been a while, a critical part of your brain may be getting ignored. Not just figuratively. INTRODUCING THE DMN Neuroscientists call it the Default Mode Network. It activates during deep reading, long narratives and sustained reflection. WHY THIS MATTERS The DMN is associated with empathy, imagination and the ability to think about consequences over time. It rarely switches on for a tweet. It does not fully engage for a reel. It needs length, patience and the slow build of a story that does not rush to pay you off. THE CONSEQUENCE When we stop engaging it regularly, the habits it supports begin to weaken. What are those habits? Nuance. Perspective taking. Delayed judgment. Ironically these are precisely the things no algorithm can replicate. Or for that matter, no AI. SO WHAT SHOULD WE DO? Stop reading this post. Okay, wait till the end! Pick up something at least 25 pages long and read it continuously. The topic does not matter. Find something that interests you. A few small tricks help: 1. Fix a daily reading hour. Even twenty minutes is enough. Treat it like an appointment. 2. Remove the phone from the room. Your attention cannot compete with an infinite scroll machine. 3. Read physical pages if you can. The brain treats paper differently from a screen. 4. Do not worry about finishing books. The goal is to rebuild the habit of sustained attention. If you follow these steps, soon something interesting may happen. The reading hour expands. You find yourself reading before the hour starts, or after it ends. And then one day you realise you are deep inside a 500 page book and looking forward to the next chapter. PS: Before I sound too high and mighty, I have had my own struggles. I had to work toward this habit and I am still learning. But this year I am on my seventh book. Two of them were over 600 pages long. Still a novice, but getting there. You do not build a deep mind in 280 characters. You build it one long page at a time.