why can't i concentrate reading

JeffH

I'm having trouble concentrating while reading, and I'd love to become a better reader because there's a lot I want to read. My mind will just drift to other things, Which causes me to re-read and then pretty much accomplish nothing.

I thought initially it was because I hadn't been reading often, but now I have read quite a bit the past 6 months (every other night more or less for about an hour or so) and it hasn't gotten much better. Certain stuff goes down easier than others (George RR Martin, Dark Tower stuff is easier to read than descriptive-heavy stuff like Mieville and reading Wolfe takes a while), but even easy to read stuff I'll find myself drifting. Any suggestions?

BlochWave

Martin...went down easily?

huh

Everybody rereads to some extent, and yah it does depend on how much you're focusing on the reading. The reason Martin, who I (double negative time!) wouldn't classify as NOT descriptive heavy(plus he requires frequent checks of the appendix)goes down easier is most likely simply because you're more interested in that novel and care more.

Sometime in the last four years I abandoned my previous practice of reading every single book I bought to completion. Especially books people had recommended or I really expected to like. Assuming you're not surrounded by obvious distractions(ok time to turn on American Idol, crank the radio, and read!)and you're in the mood to read(obviously you're gonna have trouble concentrating if you just got fired and wrecked your car on the way home)I would classify "not able to concentrate" as "not liking the book", or perhaps more nicely, "not really being interested in the book." Keeping your interest and focus is really the writer's goal

Aldo

I have to read a lot of scientific articles and usually the subject doesn't really interest me past the introduction and conclusions, but I still have to read it all anyway. I noticed it was easier to pick up the important bits by underlining them. When I am really at a loss I start reading the text out loud, sometimes it makes a paragraph "click" better and other times it'll distract me enough as I try to pronounce one of those 6+ syllable words to continue reading.

Maybe this doesn't work when you're reading for fun. If you don't have deadlines to reach you shouldn't have to drag yourself through the text. Just read when you feel like it and do something else when you don't.

Sarcastro

BlochWave wrote: »

Sometime in the last four years I abandoned my previous practice of reading every single book I bought to completion. Especially books people had recommended or I really expected to like. Assuming you're not surrounded by obvious distractions(ok time to turn on American Idol, crank the radio, and read!)and you're in the mood to read(obviously you're gonna have trouble concentrating if you just got fired and wrecked your car on the way home)I would classify "not able to concentrate" as "not liking the book", or perhaps more nicely, "not really being interested in the book." Keeping your interest and focus is really the writer's goal

This guy. This is the guy.

Being a writer, I know that I should ingest a certain amount of literary fiber. But man, does it ever bore the crap out of me. I don't want to read tales of personal triumph in the face of overwhelming adversity, unless that triumph comes in the form of a magic sword and a shitload of bullets. Theres a big difference between appreciating a book technically, ie, to critically acclaim it, and actually getting into the damn book.

I'm glad Hemingway shot himself, and Margaret Atwood should die in a car fire; but if you're looking to hone one's writing, they definately have something to offer. If you just want a story to enjoy though, pick up something... well, something enjoyable.

Turgor

The real key here is that most likely the things you struggle with reading are the things that do not interest you or stimulate your mind. That is not to say that you do not want to read it or that whatever you are trying to read is poorly written. It is more precisely like eating. Burgers, sweets, and other not-so-good-for-us foods are very palatable and easily consumed in mass quantities, and conversely, vegetables, fruits, and the like are much harder to force ourselves to be in the habit of eating.

Your mind works the same way. It likes to read the things it finds enjoyable and tries to avoid the tedious tasks. Just like your diet, your mind requires training. If you keep reading things that challenge your mind and make a habit of not just going for the things that go down easily, you will find it becomes easier over time to pick up and read those things that interest you, but aren't read easily.

ChopperDave

I find that underlining/highlighting key passages, or certain lines that strike me as particularly moving/well-written/unique/whatever helps me to concentrate. It's much easier to maintain your concentration when you are actively involved in the process.

Also, try to set aside a place to go specifically for reading. The mind works by association, and you'll find that if you try to read in places where you normally do other things, your mind wanders. In other words, reading in bed (mind goes "sleep!"), the chair where you normally watch TV (mind goes"watch TV!"), your computer desk (mind goes "surf the internet!"), or the breakfast/dinner table (mind goes "eat!") will all be bad news for your focus. Is for mine, anyway.

corcorigan

Being bored and wandering off to do something more interesting, or at least easier, is normal...

Trowizilla

I've always found that, even for stuff that doesn't immediately grab my attention, I focus much more easily if I have someone to discuss the book with. In a lot of my classes (I was an English major), books I'd previously been sorta "meh" about really got more interesting to me when I could read and say, "Oh, Character A's relationship with his dad is a lot like how he deals with authority later on!" (or whatever) and plan on bringing that up in class. Maybe you could find someone who is reading/has read the same book? Or even just a friend you can give short "updates" to? When the boyfriendthing and I read in the same room, we'll tell each other if something cool happened in our books, even though he reads mostly non-fiction and I'm a fantasy buff.

Quid

I'm in the same boat as you and I've started to come to the realization that at this point in my life there's just a lot of other things I'd rather do than read. And I used to love reading. At first I was worried but I've accepted the books will always be there should my interest in them ever pick up again. So I'm down to pretty much only reading books by authors I get excited about releasing a book and maybe the occasional one my girlfriend recommends to me. Otherwise I've started going weeks now with no heavy reading and I'm okay with that.

Something I'd recommend if it's possible though: Books on CD/iPod. They're excellent for road trips if you have to drive, or even for commutes and listening to them in parts.

Horus

Also when you read use your finger to guide your eyes, it makes you more focus on what you are reading not wondering around to whats on the next page.

Quoth

Having taught reading at several grade levels (including college) I can say that one of the most useful techniques I have found for getting through boring stuff is to come up with a list of questions and answer them in advance, then after the chapter/section. Things like:

What happened and why?
What are the characters like?
Who wants what and why?
Who/what is stopping them and why?
Does anything get described in a lot of detail and why?
Did any of the characters change from previous chapters?

Those are just some random questions that apply to most fiction, but it's best to come up with ones that are specific to the book. Like let's pretend you're picking up Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. Before you even start reading, prepare questions and answer them; that way, when you're reading you can compare your expectations to what actually happens.

Who is Howl? Some guy with a moving castle
Why does he have a moving castle? Moving castles are cool
What does he do with his moving castle? Moves around a lot
Does anyone live in the castle with him? Yes, his wife and three kids
what is going to happen to him? His castle will break and he will have to fix it

You get the idea. Then when you finish the first chapter, you go back to your questions and answer them now that you know the answers. Then you come up with questions for the second chapter based on what happened in the first, and so on.

Having expectations and questions in mind keeps your brain actively engaged in the reading, the same way it is when you're, say, skimming a history book looking for a specific name or date. And this method works just as well for history, science, etc. as it does for literature.