Loss of Focus

[The Hammer]

I used to be an avid reader up until about 14 years ago. Now, despite my desires to read and attempts to do so, I seem to be unable to sit down and focus long enough to be able to read more then a couple pages at a time.

Any experience anything similar? Have you found a method that helps you to read more consistently?

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I used to be an avid reader up until about 14 years ago. Now, despite my desires to read and attempts to do so, I seem to be unable to sit down and focus long enough to be able to read more then a couple pages at a time.

Any experience anything similar? Have you found a method that helps you to read more consistently?

I'm ADHD as heck and reading got really hard after my environment changed so much right after covid lockdown and I no longer read nearly as much.

In my experience treating reading like a muscle that needs to be exercised helps. Setting time aside, picking a distractionless space, realistic goals, downtime after short bursts working up to longer sessions. That sort of thing.

Edit: also forgiving yourself for only being able to do a little bit. Guilt only cements self doubt and reading as an unwanted chore you're obligated to do instead of want to do.

 

[ChristineM]

I used to be an avid reader up until about 14 years ago. Now, despite my desires to read and attempts to do so, I seem to be unable to sit down and focus long enough to be able to read more then a couple pages at a time.

Any experience anything similar? Have you found a method that helps you to read more consistently?

I used to read much, words fascinated me, perhaps because i never saw any in my younger days, they were refreshing, even magical. But now... Well i blame RF ;-)

 

[JustGeorge]

I blame RF, too.

Well, kinda.

I still read, and read a fair amount, but I don't find it as easy to crash with a book like I used to. I suspect the allure of 'instant gratification' you get from the internet(in general) makes it harder to hold the focus.

I fight through it. I'll read a few sentences aloud. I'll leave the area where the computer is(harder for a person that has internet in their pocket).

 

[sun rise]

I used to be an avid reader up until about 14 years ago. Now, despite my desires to read and attempts to do so, I seem to be unable to sit down and focus long enough to be able to read more then a couple pages at a time.

Any experience anything similar? Have you found a method that helps you to read more consistently?

Interesting question.

I'm a bit the same but to me all my volunteer work tires me out and that's part of the picture. The other part is that I started to see a lot of fiction as being based on the same basic plot and after a few books I got bored. I did get a boost when I started reading all of Terry Pratchett's Discworld series but I've not found anything compelling since.

So my question to think about is what is getting in the way?

 

[rocala]

I first experienced this in my mid-teens which really messed up schooling. In a couple of years, I had got back to normal. I have been a very keen reader ever since. Recently the problem has returned. I get around the worst of it by having several books on the go. I make sure they are different subjects too and this does help. It is not ideal but it is the best I can do.

 

[bobhikes]

I used to be an avid reader up until about 14 years ago. Now, despite my desires to read and attempts to do so, I seem to be unable to sit down and focus long enough to be able to read more then a couple pages at a time.

Any experience anything similar? Have you found a method that helps you to read more consistently?

I'm a habitual reader as well and high stress will stop me from reading and also effect my focus on other things. The other obvious thing is that I don't like what I'm reading either the style or the content.

 

[Twilight Hue]

I used to be an avid reader up until about 14 years ago. Now, despite my desires to read and attempts to do so, I seem to be unable to sit down and focus long enough to be able to read more then a couple pages at a time.

Any experience anything similar? Have you found a method that helps you to read more consistently?

I think if the reading material was interesting and engaging enough, there would be no problem at all. I think it takes motivation to read and if there is little or none to peak ones interest, it just falls aside.

Maybe, as well, it has to do with so much access to audio and video where someone else does the reading, it just becomes easier where before in the past, it wasn't so accessible as it is now.

I think as an example, most just watch the news rather than read it from a physical newspaper.

 

[The Hammer]

I think if the reading material was interesting and engaging enough, there would be no problem at all. I think it takes motivation to read and if there is little or none to peak ones interest, it just falls aside.

Maybe, as well, it has to do with so much access to audio and video where someone else does the reading, it just becomes easier where before in the past, it wasn't so accessible as it is now.

I think as an example, most just watch the news rather than read it from a physical newspaper.

That's a fair assessment about access to differing media.

The thing is I do read. All day typically. News articles online. The forum here (even when not posting), research papers, and journal articles.

But whenever I grab a book that I bought with gusto and interest, which is still there, and sit down to read, my brain becomes a squirrel with a caffeine addiction. I want to read, but my attention gets yanked three ways from Thorsday. Cats, the dog, my wife, the tv, doesn't matter all becomes a constant barrage of **** I need to pay attention too.

 

[The Hammer]

I'm a habitual reader as well and high stress will stop me from reading and also effect my focus on other things. The other obvious thing is that I don't like what I'm reading either the style or the content.

That's true and I've been in mostly high stress situations since about that period. Life is chaotic at times.

 

[crossfire]

Put a book in the bathroom and read it while you are doing your business there. Maybe this might help to get you unstuck.

 

[Twilight Hue]

That's a fair assessment about access to differing media.

The thing is I do read. All day typically. News articles online. The forum here (even when not posting), research papers, and journal articles.

But whenever I grab a book that I bought with gusto and interest, which is still there, and sit down to read, my brain becomes a squirrel with a caffeine addiction. I want to read, but my attention gets yanked three ways from Thorsday. Cats, the dog, my wife, the tv, doesn't matter all becomes a constant barrage of **** I need to pay attention too.

Maybe that's it. You just require a nice quiet moment, a comfy chair, favorite beverage, and that book will be beckoning for a good relaxing read. :0)

 

[The Hammer]

Put a book in the bathroom and read it while you are doing your business there. Maybe this might help to get you unstuck.

I'll stay there until my knees are numb haha

 

[Quintessence]

This might be something to talk to your health care providers about. Maybe that sounds silly, but an inability to focus can be caused by a lot of things, some of which can be mental health or medical conditions.

Why Can’t I Focus?

Certain habits and health issues can shorten your attention span. Learn what to look out for and how to get back on track.

www.webmd.com

On a more mundane level, something I notice university students don't understand about reading is that it isn't a passive activity. If you are loosing focus - and assuming there aren't other mental health and physical health factors in play - it is because you are not reading but skimming and not thinking. Reading involves thinking. Thinking keeps you engaged. It's when you can't think that you will drift off of focus. Different types of material are more or less demanding in that department. It's why college students should be reading throughout the week in smaller chunks because you will loose focus after your thinking brain gets full from how dense the textbooks are. It isn't about how many pages you read at once. Take the pace you need and don't worry about how it compares to others.