11–20 of 42 posts
I'm a huge podcast and audiobook fan and found that I couldn't stop skimming when trying to read online. This approach helps me to actually stick to reading the words on the screen without distraction.
By hearing AND reading, I find I'm able to retain the information better and I break the cycle of constantly rereading the first sentence of a large paragraph.
- Listening to white noise such as rain sounds (e.g. rainymood.com), which seems to take up some of my brain's attention so that I can focus. It also helps with my tinnitus.
- Using a dedicated reading device with no or few other apps, such as an e-reader or very basic tablet. I use Instapaper to save articles for later reading, which brings me on to...
- Only reading when you have the time to focus, without interruptions or task switching. So no quick article reading during a restroom visit.
- Getting enough sleep, which tends to help with everything except having enough time in the day to do everything.
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 scre…
After an hour or so of going mildly insane, you should get a good 30 minutes of reading in.
A friend told me she went cold turkey on reading anything that scrolls. She said it took about three weeks for her brain to come back. Now she’s back to reading 600 page books. I’ve tried but I can only make it a day or two.
Another thing that had a big impact on me was to reduce internet news & social media consumption to the minimum. I found that reading things on a screen was part of the problem, so I read things only on paper. I still barely use social media and get my news only through weekly newspaper.
It's a nasty habit to skim read and I hope you'll overcome it.
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 wh…
I hadn't read fiction in more than ten years. The first day by the pool I'd read a page then found my mind wandering. By the end of the first day I had a headache, as if my brain was under strain from stretching an old, unused muscle.
The rest of the vacation I couldn't stop reading. Took the Kindle everywhere, tried to steal any moments away from family to get to the next chapter. Funny how the brain works like that.
The post script is of course I returned from vacation and haven't had the same reading rhythm. Turns out new (old) habits are hard.
(1) change of environment -- coffee shop, library, etc. Same principle as WFH separation between work/home -- your brain is wired to environment, often more than you think.
(2) going non-digital -- Rhodia premium paper & TWSBI Eco fountain pen for scribbling little notes (that I never expect to review again -- it's just for building muscle memory. It's ok to take notes that get thrown away!). Electronics are put away.
Also what really helps? Going in with a goal in mind, and a reason for engaging with the material. Not all books are meant to be read and finished.
Economist Tyler Cowen--an omnivorous high-volume reader--has a 50 page rule (if I remember correctly). Stick it out for the first 50 pages, and if you don't feel the book is interesting enough to continue, stop. Just stop. Be comfortable being a book non-completist.
(Caveat: mostly applies to non-fiction.)
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 scre…
Random color visualizations on a separate screen? Isn’t that distracting?
Here's what I've found works for me, for books and articles:
- For books, setting aside dedicated time to read is really useful. This means that I leave my phone in another place, out of reach, so I'm not tempted to pick it up and check Facebook/Twitter/etc. For me, this is somewhere away from other distractions, like my computer / workspace, etc. - Set aside a small amount of time to read without distraction in a setting like this, and grow that amount. Maybe that's 10-15 minutes? Start that out as a routine, and as you get more comfortable with it, add on a little more time. Block out that space and aggressively protect it. I've found that setting aside reading time in the morning, before I open up my computer and check social media, really helps.
Generally, I've found that the more I read, the better I get at it: practice, practice, practice. Treat it like an atrophied skill.
For longer articles, I have a bookmark set up for the newsletter I write (andrewliptak.substack.com), in which I have a short recommended articles section. I reserve this for longer-form pieces, and when I come across something that looks interesting, I bookmark it and come back to it when I'm in a good mindset to actually read the thing (see my above point.) I've set aside other parts of the day (usually at the end) to read these sorts of things.
Another thing that I'd recommend is Pocket.
Another good practice thing for reading is short stories. I typically save them via pocket, and read them when I've got smaller pockets of time to read something.