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mjr4189 t1_j5qb7ap wrote

Are you enjoying the book? Up until recently my issue with reading was I always tried to read books that I thought I should like, but they weren’t actually holding my interest.

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Rzera95 t1_j5qhkgl wrote

Audiobooks are a godsend. I haven't been able to sit down and read an entire book in almost a decade, but I can sure plow through an entire series through audible. I've got serious ADHD, so I can let myself get physically distracted with cleaning or driving while my brain focuses on the book.

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DaughterWifeMum t1_j5qqbp0 wrote

Audiobooks are definitely a godsend. Depression killed my attention span. Not being able to read made it worse because reading was my coping mechanism. Finding audiobooks may have literally saved my life. I can do things while "reading", and doubly helpful, I still get reading in being a full-time stay at home mom.

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annakom t1_j5qtx2l wrote

For reading text having fidget toy to play with helps focusing at least to some people

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Nbardo11 t1_j5q8t6c wrote

White noise/brown noise

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masterddit OP t1_j5q8wlq wrote

Interesting. Never thought of this. Will give it a try, thanks

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Nbardo11 t1_j5q9sgu wrote

Hope it helps! I have adhd and while it isnt a silver bullet it does greatly increase my chances of being able to focus or concentrate for an extended period of time. The noise provides some stimulation without being distracting.

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HardKnockRiffe t1_j5qonog wrote

Brown noise really changed my life. I had tried white, pink, and grey noise before to no avail, and then my buddy told me to check out brown noise. It's interesting how different frequencies interact with different people.

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ddohert8 t1_j5qckjx wrote

Try getting out of the house. That helps me, I always read better when traveling or on vacation.

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bbqchips1337 t1_j5qf12c wrote

Assuming you don't have ADHD or something, and assuming you used to be able to, what other people are suggesting. But it takes practice, and it won't happen overnight.

I used to read a lot in school, then with college and work, I stopped having the time and energy and would only read short articles and newsblog sort of things. When I finally achieved some semblance of a work/life balance, I found it agonizing to try and read again.

You could also try starting with comics, manga, or graphic novels too. I felt part of my problem was "training" my brain to being able to read again. Also the usual be well rested, and not stressed nonsense too. Having a nice place to read and not having toworry about distractions too.

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hikelake22 t1_j5t87qi wrote

I also had to re-train my brain. I set a timer for a certain amount of time (start small, maybe with five minutes) and wouldn't let myself do anything else until the timer went off. Then increase the time. This isn't necessarily "fun," but it can retrain your brain so that reading is enjoyable and engrossing again.

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WhiffCityUSA t1_j5ql2c4 wrote

Practice. When I first started reading as an adult I could barely make it through 10 pages without succumbing to some distraction. Now I can sit and read for as long as I want.

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jwpfeiff t1_j5tw6e5 wrote

Learn to read faster. I used to lose focus, and realized my reading speed wasn’t keeping up with my processing speed. The slow pace made me bored and frustrated.

To read faster: I’m no expert, but what works for me is basically scanning chunks of words with my eyes, and moving quickly across the lines — while trusting that my brain is processing what it’s seeing. I actually retain more of the information this way, surprisingly. Experts can chime in with more detail, but this has worked for me.

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ArcOnToActurus t1_j5vcbmy wrote

This is the way. Then a book starts to feel more like a movie rather than a bunch of words.

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keepthetips t1_j5q8di8 wrote

Hello and welcome to r/LifeProTips!

Please help us decide if this post is a good fit for the subreddit by up or downvoting this comment.

If you think that this is great advice to improve your life, please upvote. If you think this doesn't help you in any way, please downvote. If you don't care, leave it for the others to decide.

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SpoiltChaos t1_j5qcjbm wrote

Follow the words you are reading with your finger

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annakom t1_j5qtn5p wrote

Or use ruler to block the rest of the paragraph so you don’t loose line

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SalmonOfNoKnowledge t1_j5qd8i4 wrote

Are you sticking to one genre? Could you be a little burnt out on it? Maybe a change will help?

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1daBread t1_j5qe39h wrote

Here's the neat part, you don't!

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aloofman75 t1_j5qfg5k wrote

Read more interesting books.

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NetLibrarian t1_j5qfgbw wrote

Unless you're trying to learn something from the book, it's fine not to finish it.

A book that's a good match for you will be hard to put down, not hard to finish.

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diadcm t1_j5qgerq wrote

Noise canceling headphones, ear plugs, focus on your breathing, remind yourself to slow down, reread sections if you spaced out, audiobooks.

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KickedRocket t1_j5qimbw wrote

Whats really helped me is removing myself from places I sleep. I found myself not paying attention at all if I tried reading in bed or on the couch but if I tried an area I never slept or associated with resting/sleep my attention would drastically increase. Sometimes the material can be dry as well so I for one experiment with audiobooks as well if I find I'm having a hard time with reading the material.

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violetbugs t1_j5qmp6p wrote

I like to go for a run or a long walk with my dog to tire myself out first. If I haven’t done anything all day and try to read, it just won’t work.

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SaysPooh t1_j5sr8pk wrote

Books with pictures

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EmilyLovs t1_j5st7r7 wrote

You have to build focus like a muscle.

Social media, phones, constant distractions have destroyed the ability to focus.

Your phone is making you stupid. This is just a visceral effect you notice. But it is making you stupid in so many other areas.

You want to focus thru a whole book? Then trade your smart phone in for a flip phone.

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TryingNotToBeOne t1_j5u5ega wrote

Consider sitting at a table by the window. Sofas are just too comfortably relaxing. Turn off/ mute phone, have a glass of water/drink nearby. Enjoy the book, skip sections that are not entertaining or just change books. Leasure reading is just that, be entertained.

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