Back when we lived without phones, we used to read instruction labels on all and any household cleaning products that were stored in the bathroom.

I bet there too was some obscure newspaper column that advised against that.

Yet, lo and behold, we survived!

> Back when we lived without phones, we used to read instruction labels on all and any household cleaning products that were stored in the bathroom.

Wow, I forgot that I used to do this! And I'd puzzle over whether any ozone was left with all the CFCs being emitted.

But yes, the OP is very edgy take that totally ignores the existence of book/magazine baskets next to toilets. It's a huge plot point in Breaking Bad, for example.

https://youtu.be/cXgg607wuis?t=35 (Breaking Bad 'Hank Figures it Out')

I used to take my laptop or Nokia N810 (remote shell over Wi-Fi with physical keyboard) with me to the bathroom. Nowadays there's cyberdecks, e-readers, ...

Just imagine, there was a person on #debian reading and taking a dump.

Just to reiterate: book good, e-reader bad. Phone good, smartphone bad. Scanning through a physical magazine good, doomscrolling TikTok bad.

Except it is about focused vs. diffuse mode of brain, and usually people underappreciate the latter. E.g. walking during a lunch break, thereby getting inspiration for work, is working. The same can be true for taking a shower, sporting, staring outside at the landscape or stars, or meditating. It will also empower your focused mode later on. And, the author's point seems to be a toilet break is a decent opportunity for this. I agree. On my previous job, I regularly sat for 10-15 min in late morning, and it inspired me. But you cannot force people to not take a device with them to toilet. I mean, unless you're working for NSA or something. Don't judge such, look at total performance / efficiency per hour instead. Or per USD spend on the employee.

As a former smoker, this is also what I appreciated about having a fag (in a time before smartphone and vape were common). Some missed the socializing. I hated that part. It seemed to be more like FOMO on gossip, little substance.

Personally, I just took a book in with me. (I thought everyone did, but apparently not.)

Many share houses, when I was a student, put the film calendar for the local art house cinema on the back of the toilet door. It was the accepted place for it.

Reading on the pot is a time-honoured tradition.

My family had dedicated bathroom reading that sat on the top of every toilet cistern. Usually something like a Far Side comic collection or an "Uncle John's Bathroom Reader."

I don't know about you guys, but I kept a stack of books in the bathroom. I managed to get through a lot of books two or three pages at a time. I don't even know why I stopped.

The Dr. Bronner's label rabbit hole was a common occurrence.

That's some crazy info on that soap bottle.

> Yet, lo and behold, we survived!

The article isn't claiming it'll kill you...

That is a real phenomena for a chunk of the population but I'm trying to understand what it is. Is it ADHD?

I used to take news papers and magazines and sometimes still do. So yes it’s perfectly fine.

”Ei saa peittää” is forever imprinted in me! One of the first memes I think I came across growing up. I remember both kids and grownups spontaneously just saying it.

For many of us Swedes this was the one of the first and few Finnish sentences we ever learnt (it means ”Do not cover” and was printed on electric panel heaters in the bathroom).

We learned Finish from the back of shampoo bottles.

my family's main study there used to be the TV program which came in - hard to believe now - weekly printed magazines.

Don’t forget the SEARS catalogue

https://xkcd.com/1227/

I read magazines or books.

Stack of old magazines - readers digest etc

Also in all sorts of languages. Czech, Slovak, Estonian, French, you name it. A gentle introduction into comparative linguistics :D

Oh yeah, I used to get a huge dopamine rush reading what was in my toothpaste.

Instagram feeds and not toothpaste tubes people.

That brings back so many good memories that were forgotten.

I totally still do this! The random nonsense and just lists of ingredients make me relaxed.

The Dutch have a birthday calendar in the toilet room. And you can use the inspection shelf of the toilet to check for problems in your diet. Plenty of activities to do!

I read about ancient greek mithology