This was me and I found a great solution after trying all kinds of things, including white noise.
Wear earbuds or headphones and put on an easy-to-listen-to instrumental song (Tycho’s Awake is a great example). Set it to repeat this single track. Play it on repeat the entire time you’re reading. It shouldn’t be quiet or loud, just enough volume so you don’t hear anything in your surrounding environment.
It will not feel like a solution at first because the song is new to you so your brain is going to want to pay attention to the music. But as it plays repeatedly over time, your brain will stop focusing on the music and treat it as background noise. You’re tricking your monkey mind.
I have been doing this for almost ten years and it has helped me read books, when that used to feel impossible. Tycho’s Awake album and Windsor Airlift’s album called The Moon’s House are my favorite things to listen to. I would start with one song only though until it feels easy. I now listen to a different song from my reading playlist each day.
betterotto t1_jefdrt9 wrote
Reply to Complete silence by d_brasse
This was me and I found a great solution after trying all kinds of things, including white noise.
Wear earbuds or headphones and put on an easy-to-listen-to instrumental song (Tycho’s Awake is a great example). Set it to repeat this single track. Play it on repeat the entire time you’re reading. It shouldn’t be quiet or loud, just enough volume so you don’t hear anything in your surrounding environment.
It will not feel like a solution at first because the song is new to you so your brain is going to want to pay attention to the music. But as it plays repeatedly over time, your brain will stop focusing on the music and treat it as background noise. You’re tricking your monkey mind.
I have been doing this for almost ten years and it has helped me read books, when that used to feel impossible. Tycho’s Awake album and Windsor Airlift’s album called The Moon’s House are my favorite things to listen to. I would start with one song only though until it feels easy. I now listen to a different song from my reading playlist each day.