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You should read this New York Times article: “Digital Devices Deprive Brain of Needed Downtime.”

I’m an iPhone owner/addict and a chronic news junkie. Sort of comes with the territory, you know. Waiting in line for a taco, I’m reading the news. Picking up some milk at the grocery store, I read about the latest insurgent attacks in Iraq. Waiting for an interview? I’m getting tips on layout.

And, according to several studies mentioned in the Times article, that’s not good. Turns out I’m not actually taking a break. And taking a break is when real learning takes place.

Among the studies, the article referenced one by the University of Michigan that found folks learn better when they walk in nature that when the walk in an urban area. Too much stimulus, not enough time to process, not enough learning.

Think about it. You read a news story about a family struggling with cancer, say, or another story about an overweight baby. If you talk about it with a friend of yours, you’re more likely to remember it. You stop, talk, think. Lecture classes in universities across the country recognize this. They have time set aside for you to meet in a smaller group, discuss the material, digest it.

But with the advent of the iPhone and other similar devices, you can inundate yourself with information non-stop. With the web, we have infinite information at our fingertips.

I fool myself into thinking I’m being productive. But actual learning isn’t happening. And, if I think about it, I didn’t need the article to tell me this. I just needed to stop, take a second to realize it myself. And that’s the point.

The next time I’m waiting in line – or waiting for anything – I don’t need to open a news app on my phone. I can just take a breath and have a thought. Or even better, offer a prayer.