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How to Read Books When You Have ADHD

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Re: How to Read Books When You Have ADHD

#61

Post by arethuza »

Gene_Parmesan wrote: post #35
Hiopl wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As somebody with ADHD, I can't consume audiobooks at all. My mind just starts to wander 10 seconds in and eventually I realize I haven't been listening for the past half-hour. It's the same with talks or lectures on YouTube, though I've found that putting them at 2x speed helps to keep my attention. I really do need a book in text form, because it allows me full control over how quickly or in what order I consume it.…

Yeah same here. I only tried audio books once or twice, it just didn't do it for me. I need the physical images of the words in front of me in order to keep them in my head. I've also found physical books to be much more forgiving of micro-distractions. When some sound from across the house distracts me, all I need to do to "pause" the reading is... stop reading. My eyes can wander around the page briefly and I don't…

I consume a lot of audiobooks - but I can really only listen to them in certain contexts when I am doing something else that requires a certain level of concentration: driving, gardening, cooking, cleaning and most of all walking. If I try and listen to them without doing something else I just fall asleep and I can't listen to them when doing something that requires a lot of concentration either.

I now have a lot of unused Audible credits because of the recent lockdown here which is lifting on Friday!

Re: How to Read Books When You Have ADHD

#62

Post by retSava »

shoto_io wrote: post #38
qart wrote: post #32

For the benefit of people like me, I'm quoting the part of the article that should have been at the top. > 1. Create a Word or Google document to track your books if spreadsheets fill you with fear. > 2. You don’t need to read the whole book. Write down your ONE thing from the part of the book you did read. > 3. Review the document weekly, to keep the ideas fresh in your mind. > 4. If you find that you stopped implem…

I wonder if all this clutter can be avoided somehow. I mean basically all other text is there for search engines only.

Don't forget that you also need to add filler so you can shove a couple of ads in the middle of the stream. Add a side-story about your uncle that is completely irrelevant so you have room for one ad more! Then paginate the thing so the ads on the sides + top and bottom can reload for more impressions. And we feel it's important to offer our readers a nice flow, so add some history events so the back-button doesn't work properly anymore. And don't forget the modal to subscribe to the newsletter!

Re: How to Read Books When You Have ADHD

#63

Post by jarenmf »

she11c0de wrote: post #24

I don't have ADHD but often find it hard to finish books too. I honestly think that there's a lot of books that are simply not worth reading. Reading a book is quite a commitment (may take up to a month for me). I often lose interest once I realize that whole book is a single idea that could be summed up in a blog post but stretched to fit 300 pages.

Exactly. Most books are bloated. No one would publish a 20 pages book, if something is going on a book format it needs to hit a certain size.

Re: How to Read Books When You Have ADHD

#64

Post by teekert »

yigitcakar wrote: post #48

The article lacked substance but I am glad that we are talking about reading with ADHD here. I don't feel guilty about not finishing books because most of the times if I force myself to finish a book that I don't find interesting enough, I don't remember the information in the book anyway. Over time I have learned to trust my brain, and figured that it will remember the important parts I read. If the book bores me th…

I don't have the diagnosis but certainly recognize add elements in how I navigate the world. My conclusion was that there are actually quite a lot of books that just start out great and objectively become worse as the page count goes up (like The subtle art of not giving a F. You really start feeling "yeah, ok, I get it." There are also books that are the other way around (like Atlas shrugged) where you struggle through the first half and then almost read the second half in one go.

Re: How to Read Books When You Have ADHD

#65

Post by RaceWon »

Pictograph instructions: that's the real SOB of ADHD.

Reading novels is not a chore for me, depending. I typically find an author I like and then read the the hell out of his writing. Stephen King short stories are a pretty good place to start imo if you want to get into reading (again), though I started with Vonnegut myself.

I am a famous re-reader of books btw. Its like slipping into a comfortable "another world" for me. Pure escape.

The benefits of ADHD far outweigh any of the negatives for me. I wouldn't trade the Hyperfocus I possess when I drive and/or race with being able to tell my right from left (without consciously thinking which hand I write with) or being able to find my way across towns without navi For ANY amount of money.

I did try ADHD meds for a few weeks once--but it wasn't for me. I am who and what I am.

Re: How to Read Books When You Have ADHD

#66

Post by tudorw »

yigitcakar wrote: post #48

The article lacked substance but I am glad that we are talking about reading with ADHD here. I don't feel guilty about not finishing books because most of the times if I force myself to finish a book that I don't find interesting enough, I don't remember the information in the book anyway. Over time I have learned to trust my brain, and figured that it will remember the important parts I read. If the book bores me th…

Great comment, I nearly read all of it, go me ;)

Re: How to Read Books When You Have ADHD

#67

Post by bruce343434 »

retSava wrote: post #62
shoto_io wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if all this clutter can be avoided somehow. I mean basically all other text is there for search engines only.

Don't forget that you also need to add filler so you can shove a couple of ads in the middle of the stream. Add a side-story about your uncle that is completely irrelevant so you have room for one ad more! Then paginate the thing so the ads on the sides + top and bottom can reload for more impressions. And we feel it's important to offer our readers a nice flow, so add some history events so the back-button doesn't w…

[continue reading this article]

Re: How to Read Books When You Have ADHD

#69

Post by shoto_io »

retSava wrote: post #62
shoto_io wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I wonder if all this clutter can be avoided somehow. I mean basically all other text is there for search engines only.

Don't forget that you also need to add filler so you can shove a couple of ads in the middle of the stream. Add a side-story about your uncle that is completely irrelevant so you have room for one ad more! Then paginate the thing so the ads on the sides + top and bottom can reload for more impressions. And we feel it's important to offer our readers a nice flow, so add some history events so the back-button doesn't w…

These are great tips! Can I hire you as SEO/Ad/site structure consultant??

oh, btw: haven't you forgotten to mention the Outbrain Ads that look like articles in the bottom of the page?

Re: How to Read Books When You Have ADHD

#70

Post by tgaj »

Gene_Parmesan wrote: post #41
joshka wrote: post #8

TL;DR: you have many unread books, here's 4 more to add to the unread pile. Don't read all your books, accept that you'll fail and redefine success.

Not sure if this comment was meant in earnest or not, but to be quite honest, "accept that you will sometimes fail" and "redefine what success means" were actually two very important steps in my journey to accept what my limitations were. I didn't get diagnosed until 28, meaning I had had a fairly long life of not succeeding at things, but also not realizing that I flat out was unable to succeed at them. So having to…

I can't agree more. Too many people with ADHD are unhappy because they compare to normal people. You can't. ADHD is like not having an arm or leg. You never will be able to do some things and with others you will need a lot of special training. And that's fine. The challenge is to find what is worth to fight for. And many things are not. Be mindful.
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