Ask HN: How can I restore my concentration when reading?

#1

Post by vanilla-almond » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 12:04 PM UTC

Years of skimming text online and rapidly flicking between browser tabs has severely impaired my ability to just stop and read something in print or online with my full attention and concentration. I can't even enjoy a novel sometimes because my mind won't quieten down and instead will wonder off to another thought.

As soon as I attempt to devote my full attention to a text - not skimming but properly reading all the text and concentrating of the meaning of the text - my mind fires off a myriad other thoughts that dilutes any attempt to concentrate on just one thing: the text in front of me.

Have you ever been in a similar situation? How did you overcome it?

Re: Ask HN: How can I restore my concentration when reading?

#2

Post by kirubakaran » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 1:15 PM UTC

> Have you ever been in a similar situation?

Yes

> How did you overcome it?

- I'm able to focus better when I've slept well. This may sound obvious, but realizing this made me go from "Oh no I've damaged my focus by skimming too much!" to "Okay I just haven't slept well today. I'll do what I can."

- Set aside blocks of time and do one thing. I made and use https://crushentropy.com/ for this. I use it everyday and it has helped me a lot. It's like markdown for hi-res scheduling your day.

- Once I have clarity that I have nowhere else to be and nothing else to do right now, I'm able to relax into reading what I'm reading, which at the moment is: "Relevant Search" by Doug Turnbull and John Berryman, which I'm using to improve the search in https://histre.com/ if I may blatantly plug my startup ;) (Tangent: Why is search so broken in all knowledge base apps, bookmarking tools etc?)

- Work your way up. Several years ago, I used to read for 12 hours straight, taking just bio breaks. It was a more carefree time. I'm working my way back up to it. I'm at 2 hours now. It may seem little in comparison, but that's enormous progress from where I was a couple of years ago, so yay!

Re: Ask HN: How can I restore my concentration when reading?

#3

Post by TheAdamAndChe » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 2:03 PM UTC

I used to have this problem. A break from caffeine, forced daily reading, and liberal use of the pomodoro technique pretty much fixed this. It also helped me when I took a several month break from social media and other sites that use machine learning algorithms to maximize engagement.

Re: Ask HN: How can I restore my concentration when reading?

#4

Post by websitescenes » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 2:06 PM UTC

I grew up with this disability and was diagnosed with ADHD at a young age. Are you sure that this is something new are are you just more aware of your tendencies with age? Either way, what helps me is the right environment and preparation. I have to make a space that is distraction free and if that isn’t possible, I rely on noise canceling headphones or random color visualizations in the background on a separate screen. CBD also really helps calm me down but that is probably because I’m on the spectrum as well..

Re: Ask HN: How can I restore my concentration when reading?

#5

Post by gdubs » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 2:08 PM UTC

The book “The Distracted Mind” is a pretty good overview of the science behind this. In terms of how to alleviate distraction, they recommend taking restorative breaks like walking in nature, standing up, making tea, etc. Even looking at pictures of nature can be effective. If you can substitute these breaks for the constant need to flip over to some other novel stimulus, over time you can build up your attention span. (Also, for me, I find meditation can really help build your focus over time. You can start with concentrating fully on your breathing for ten breaths, and work up gradually from there. Even a few very “mindful” breaths can be very effective.)

Re: Ask HN: How can I restore my concentration when reading?

#6

Post by chrismeller » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 2:09 PM UTC

I’ve found that, like anything else, you can train yourself out of this kind of behavior simply by being conscious of it.

If you’re reading something on the web, pull the tab out into its own browser window and maximize it. If your OS of choice has a “silence notifications” option, use that. When you realize that you’ve gotten sidetracked just remind yourself that that’s not good and return to what you were doing.

Essentially this is a lite version of some mindfulness therapies. Over time actively centering yourself back in the moment will help your concentration just like it helps with anxiety.

While it doesn’t really help you, I thought I’d also relate a bit of an anecdote. For years and years I had a list of some of the “classics” that I felt like I should read because they were apparently so monumental we have to force every high school kid in the US to read them. For years I tried and made no progress - I could sit down with a fiction novel and be lost for hours, so it wasn’t my concentration, but any time I picked up something by (for example) Dickens I would spend three minutes actually reading and then my mind would wander. At some point I would notice that I’d been reading the same paragraph over and over and give up, disappointed in myself again.

Eventually I just realized that I simply hate Dickens and no amount of effort was going to make me start liking him. I had to admit that I was just never going to get that feeling of awe that I felt like I should have for any of his works and gave up and moved on to books I actually liked.

It won’t work if it’s something for work, but perhaps you’ve been focusing on things you feel like you should learn, but don’t really want to learn.

Re: Ask HN: How can I restore my concentration when reading?

#7

Post by jihadjihad » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 2:09 PM UTC

Keep it simple: be intentional, and practice. Get in the habit of reading long-form works on a regular cadence. You don't need to hoist Proust's In Search of Lost Time into your lap, pen in hand, ready to take notes in the margins. Just grab something interesting to you that you can engage with and be stimulated by. Play some classical or other instrumental music in the background if you prefer. If you have thoughts about the work as you're reading, jot them down and follow up with them later. The point is to make a concerted effort to tune everything else out except the work and your thoughts about it--you can stop to look around the scenery but don't ever take your foot off the gas.

Re: Ask HN: How can I restore my concentration when reading?

#8

Post by hoodwink » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 2:10 PM UTC

Make sure you’re disconnected while trying to read. Either a physical book or Kindle.

It helps to ritualize this disconnection by walking to a park or special reading chair.

Re: Ask HN: How can I restore my concentration when reading?

#9

Post by Veen » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 2:12 PM UTC

TheAdamAndChe wrote: post #3

I used to have this problem. A break from caffeine, forced daily reading, and liberal use of the pomodoro technique pretty much fixed this. It also helped me when I took a several month break from social media and other sites that use machine learning algorithms to maximize engagement.

I can second the benefits of Pomodoro for reading. I use it often for work, but I was resistant to structuring reading into chunks. But, after experimentation, I found Pomodoro helped me to maintain focus and get through books without a wandering mind.

Re: Ask HN: How can I restore my concentration when reading?

#10

Post by hombre_fatal » Mon, Apr 13, 2020, 2:13 PM UTC

I know what you're talking about and consciously trying to read books again basically repaired my severely atrophied attention span.

There was a period where I sheepishly don't even think I read a single article on HN. Just the title and then straight to the comments.

Retraining myself to be able to sit down and read a book apparently exercised the same muscle that lets me click into internet articles and read the whole thing. I just noticed that after I had a daily book habit for a couple months, I magically was reading articles again at some point.

Of course, sitting down with a book is the whole challenge in the first place. But at least you're away from the laptop and you have a fighting chance.