5 Signs You May Have Rabbit Hole Syndrome

The Observerist

What You Think Is a Healthy Level of Productivity May Be Signs of Rabbit Hole Syndrome.

Rabbit hole syndrome is a phenomenon that can happen when you’re reading one article, then it leads to another and another until you’ve forgotten why you’re reading. Usually, this can be caused by clicking on an interesting link, but sometimes it just happens with no conscious decision. What’s worse is that these rabbit holes often lead us down an Internet-hole where all we do is look at cat videos or buy things we don’t need online instead of finishing our work for the day. If this sounds like something you’ve done today, here are 5 signs of rabbit hole syndrome:

1) You find yourself reading articles, but not finishing them — This means you don’t remember what the article was about because you got distracted by another article. If you found yourself saying “hmmm this is interesting, I’ll just read one more…” but then didn’t remember what the first was about when you finished it, this could be a sign of rabbit hole syndrome.

2) You were searching for something specific and can’t remember why — It’s hard to go back and forth between multiple tasks without losing track of the original task. If we’re using Google to do research for your essay on WWII and then cannot find the website that has the information you need because you’ve lost your train of thought, you may have fallen into a rabbit hole.

3) You have a zillion tabs open — The more articles you have opened, the greater risk of falling into a rabbit hole. If you didn’t close your tab after an article and now you have 15 that are unrelated to each other, it’s time to stop reading.

4) You’ve been browsing for hours finishing nothing — After a while, your eyes can get sore from staring at so many words at once. If you find yourself starting an article but giving up halfway because it’s too overwhelming or boring, this is a sign of rabbit hole syndrome.

5) You have a list of articles saved that you have yet to read — If there are articles on your bookmarks tab, you don’t remember how they got there, you might have solved the mystery of falling down rabbit holes.

What to do when Rabbit Hole Syndrome happens

Identify the triggers for your Rabbit Hole Syndrome. These triggers could be time of day, types of articles you find interesting or external factors like too much caffeine. Make it a point to stop reading completely when you feel your attention waning.

Set limits for yourself that are below what will lead to Rabbit Hole Syndrome. Build up an immunity over time by doing this so you can be productive again without needing to set limits.

Develop routines for yourself that give your mind rest and contribute to the next day’s productivity. For example, after you read 10 articles per day, stop reading completely for the rest of the night if they’re distracting you from accomplishing your larger goals.

Identify what is most important to you for tomorrow and make sure that it has your attention before it starts, or else Rabbit Hole Syndrome will get worse!

Conclusion

Rabbit hole syndrome is a common problem for those who work from home or have an office job where they can read as much as they want. Rabbit hole syndrome happens when you read one article, then it leads to another and another until you’ve forgotten why you started reading.

If Rabbit Hole Syndrome is happening to you, be sure to set limits for yourself that are below what will lead to Rabbit Hole Syndrome to build up an immunity over time by doing this so you can be productive again without needing to set limits. Make sure that tomorrow’s top priority has your attention before it starts, or else Rabbit Hole Syndrome will get worse! When Rabbit Hole Syndrome happens, stop reading immediately because Rabbit Hole Syndrome will get worse if left untreated!