I go through phases where reading is a breeze, can easily knock out between 1 and 3 books in a week. However, in times of stress I can find it so hard to keep my focus on a book. My eyes will read but my mind isn’t absorbing, it’s off worrying about something else. In these periods, I usually have to put the book down and turn on TV.
I want to try to power through. Does anyone have advice for focusing on a book when the mind wants to wander?
by mipstar
2 Comments
People generally focus on getting into habits in a vacuum. For example, “Reading 30 minutes before bed, every night.” Or “Wake up and go for a run.”
What I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older (I’m not that old), is that it helps me when everything about my life is very routine or planned. How I wake up, how I work, how/when I eat, when I clean up….the entire day needs to be dedicated by a routine for me. Not just one or two random things individually that can be affected by the other non-routine things.
Anyway, my point is…having a routine or system for everything in my mind has allowed me to declutter, even in the most stressful of times and mentally “move” from one phase of the day to the next, without the prior affecting my current.
EDIT: …or, I guess you can just pop a pill the teenagers are doing these days for ADHD and the like.
Maybe turn on an audiobook? Sometimes my tired brain just can’t handle active reading.