I take the opposite approach. Rather than reducing distractions, I make reading more stimulating. (Even if I clear all external distractions, I'll still get dis

I take the opposite approach. Rather than reducing distractions, I make reading more stimulating. (Even if I clear all external distractions, I'll still get distracted by wandering thoughts.) For tech books, I have clear criteria for taking notes. (And I take them on paper, so I'm not switching between apps.) Some of the criteria are arbitrary, just to help me pay attention. The big non-arbitrary criteria is, "Every time I see a word/term, and I'm not 100% sure I know its precise meaning in the current context, I write it down (leaving some space to flesh it out later.)" Then I add other observations about the book's meaning for that term as I read. Of course, that's just one example. My point isn't about taking better notes (though it may increase the quality of your notes.) It's that you can make reading more stimulating by treating notetaking as a game with clear/specific rules. If anyone has tips for non-technical books, I'm all ears. I haven't cracked that code yet.