What I Learned When I Binge-Watched Korean Reality Shows

I’m bad at watching TV.

I’m that guy who can’t stop checking his phone while he watches a movie or a TV show. I watch Netflix as I go to bed at night, slowly losing focus and attention as I drift to sleep. And if I really like a show, I might watch it in split-screen next to a live Twitter feed or Reddit discussion; then half of me will be watching the show live and half of me will be reading what other people think about this show.

I didn’t realize how compulsive this behavior was until I tried watching a Korean TV series called “The Genius.” Since I don’t speak Korean, I have to watch a subtitled version. The only problem is that I can’t follow along with the subtitles on-screen unless I’m actually watching the episode directly and with my full attention. I can’t read something else or distractedly listen to it while I do dishes, because if I don’t read it, I don’t know what’s going on.

When I tried to watch it with full attention, I was amazed at how much I fidgeted. How much I paused the episode to go do something else. How a 60-minute episode could last an entire afternoon when only full attention allowed progress.

I do the same thing with God.

I pray as I go to bed at night, barely awake long enough to ask for things I want–and never awake long enough to hear what He wants from me. I skim the Bible while listening to a podcast in the morning. My mind wanders in worship, unable to stay focused and dialed-in for the length of a single song.

I heard from a mentor that nobody is actually good at multitasking; they just excel at doing multiple things poorly. I finally grok that wisdom. I’ve seen my failings.

Now my question becomes, “How do I give my full attention?”

In How to Read a Book, Mortimer J. Adler gives advice for reading fictional works: “Read it quickly and with total immersion. … Otherwise you will forget what happened, the unity of the plot will escape you, and you will be lost. … Unless you read intensely, you will fail to see the details.”

He is describing fictional literature, but I can’t help but imagine it applies to life in general. How many details do I miss in a movie because I don’t give it my full attention? What emotional nuances or needs do I neglect among my friends and family because half of my brain has moved on to the next topic? How many God-given opportunities went unfulfilled because I didn’t hear His voice calling me to them?

Colossians 3:23 says, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.” I know it won’t be an easy path, but moving forward, I endeavor to serve the Lord, experience life and, yes, even watch TV with my whole heart, my whole mind and my whole attention.