There was a time when my brain felt sharp.

Not “productive.” Not “busy.” Sharp.

Back in 2018, while preparing for JEE, I used to solve calculus problems for hours. Complex problem-solving became addictive.

I could literally visualize concepts in my head. Functions, derivatives, graphs — it all felt alive.

My brain felt like a high-performance machine constantly training itself.

No Instagram. No YouTube Shorts. No constant dopamine loops.

Just:

• books • problem solving • deep focus • curiosity

And honestly? I miss that version of myself.

The Version of Me That Was Growing Fast

Even during college, things felt different.

I got my first internship in second year. The stipend was only ₹3,000/month.

But I was hungry.

I was:

• coding daily • hitting the gym consistently • learning from docs • reading Stack Overflow threads • discussing problems with senior engineers

Life was slower. But my brain was getting stronger.

If I didn’t understand something:

I searched. I read. I explored. I struggled.

Sometimes I spent hours just trying to understand one concept.

And even when I didn’t find the exact answer... my understanding still improved because of the process.

That struggle built depth.

Then Everything Changed

Final year.

I created an Instagram account.

Reels exploded. YouTube Shorts exploded. LLMs arrived.

And slowly, something changed.

My attention span became fragmented.

Earlier:

I would sit with one difficult problem for hours.

Now:

I switch tabs every few minutes. Scroll. Consume. Refresh. Repeat.

Even learning changed.

Earlier:

• Google search • documentation • Stack Overflow • experimentation • trial & error

Now:

“ChatGPT, solve this.”

Instant answer.

Convenient? Absolutely.

But I started noticing something uncomfortable:

I was consuming more knowledge... while thinking less deeply.

The Dangerous Part Nobody Talks About

The issue isn’t AI itself.

AI is incredible.

The issue is passive cognition.

Reels train your brain to consume. Instant AI answers train your brain to skip the struggle.

And struggle is where deep understanding comes from.

Earlier, if I made a bad Google search: I still ended up reading blogs, forums, docs, and related discussions.

That accidental exploration improved my mental models.

Now?

One prompt. One answer. Done.

Efficient. But sometimes cognitively shallow.

I genuinely feel social media + instant content rewired my brain over time.

Not destroyed it. But reduced its patience for depth.

What I’m Doing To Fix It

I don’t think the solution is “quit technology.”

That’s unrealistic.

Instead, I’m trying to consciously rebuild depth.

Here’s what I’m doing:

1. Replacing Doom Scrolling With Reading

Whenever I feel the urge to scroll endlessly, I try replacing it with books.

Not because books are magical.

Because reading forces sustained attention.

Your brain has to imagine, connect, and think.

That matters.

2. Not Following LLMs Blindly

Now when AI gives me an answer, I try asking:

• Why does this work? • What assumption is being made? • What’s happening under the hood? • Could there be another approach?

I want AI to become a thinking partner. Not a cognitive replacement.

3. Writing Down New Concepts

Whenever GPT introduces:

• a framework • a system concept • an architecture idea • a technical term

I note it separately.

Then later:

I explore it manually.

That small friction helps rebuild curiosity.

4. Spending More Time in Deep Work

I’m trying to train my brain to stay with hard things again.

Less:

• constant switching • instant stimulation • dopamine loops

More:

• reading • coding deeply • writing • long-form thinking

Basically: learning to tolerate boredom again.

My Biggest Realization

Technology didn’t make us stupid.

But it definitely made distraction easier.

And when distraction becomes default, deep thinking slowly becomes optional.

That’s dangerous.

Because the people who will thrive long-term are probably not the ones consuming the fastest.

They’ll be the ones who can:

• think deeply • stay focused longer • ask better questions • understand systems instead of summaries

AI will keep getting smarter.

Which means human depth becomes even more valuable.

That’s the skill I’m trying to rebuild now.

One book. One focused session. One less scroll at a time.

Final Thought

Maybe the real flex in the future won’t be:

“using AI fast.”

It’ll be:

“still being able to think deeply in a world designed to distract you.”