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I read a lot of dead tree books – it's easier on my eyes and after looking at screens all day I want a break. I also tend to find devices distracting, even if n
by gdubs 9y ago
I read a lot of dead tree books – it's easier on my eyes and after looking at screens all day I want a break. I also tend to find devices distracting, even if notifications are off and I'm reading something – the device itself is a habit trigger for distraction.
But I've noticed that sometimes it will take me longer to get through my stack of books from the library. I'm interested in them, but it made me wonder about my reading speed. There's compelling research that speed reading doesn't really work in the same way as reading at a pace that's comfortable for you – and anyway, I'm a somewhat fast reader.
So I started to wonder about the root cause of my slow reading, and having listened to an interview with Cal Newport recently – and having read a lot generally about distraction – I had a realization: it wasn't my reading speed that was slowing me down. It was self interruption.
Last night I tried some of the basic techniques used in mindfulness meditation – being aware when my mind was wandering, acknowledging the random thought, and gently bringing my attention back to what I was reading. It felt like a form of exercise. Meditation after all is considered a 'practice'.
It made me realize that there are ways to start clawing back the capacity for deeper concentration that has been scrambled by the constant notifications and dopamine rewards of social media, and for me, reading is one of them.
Oh, and I burned through three chapters in relatively short time.
- loco5niner 9y agoI have had the same feeling. I have noticed that my reading has slowed, and I really struggle to get through "long form" reading these days. I really do think the biggest influences in this are the tldr; aspect of the internet and self-interruption. Thanks for the mindfulness meditation mention, I'll try it out. * also, what other things have you been reading about distraction besides Cal Newport?
- gdubs 9y agoA few off the top of my head: A book I often recommend is "The Organized Mind", by Dan Levitin. He focuses heavily on the prefrontal cortex – executive function, etc. But the takeaway for me was his analysis of how much it 'costs' the brain to context switch. "Flow" by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi is considered a classic on the subject. An interview that's been on my mind recently is this one from 2013 on multitasking with Stanford Psychology professor Clifford Nass: http://www.npr.org/2013/05/10/182861382/the-myth-of-multitasking http://www.npr.org/2013/05/10/182861382/the-myth-of-multitas...
- keyboardhitter 9y agoI am using very similar techniques on my hour long bus ride to work and back. An extra benefit to commuting with public transit, if you ask me. I got so sick of checking the same apps on my phone over and over when I got bored during the ride. Really felt like I was doing my brain a disservice. I've finished a book or more each month. If my reading slows to a halt, I stop, watch the passengers or look outside the window, and acknowledge my thoughts. Depending on how much is on my mind, it can take a while to begin reading quickly. Some days, I don't read quickly at all. Other days, I don't want to stop reading when I finally have to leave the bus lol. Because I've been doing this every day for about a month, my habits are leaking into other free time I have in the evenings and weekends. I feel way more aware of when I'm browsing the net for quick bursts of dopamine vs. when I'm actually seeking knowledge and/or conversation.
- quest88 9y agoI've started to acknowledge random thoughts by keeping an idea/thoughts doc. I write down my thought in the doc and tell myself I can come back to it later if I still care about it. I rarely open the doc otherwise. So far it has helped me stay focused on what I'm working on.
- loco5niner 9y agoI used to (ok, still do but I'm doing better) fill my browser bar with tabs I was planning on "getting to". Now, I have a bookmarks folder I can put them in with the same thought, I can come back to it later if I still care about it. Same as you, I really don't.