How to Concentrate when Reading

February 17, 2021

Muhammad Nouman

If a voice inside your brain keeps nagging at you for being unable to sit down with a good book and indulge into its unknown world without any distraction, you are not the only one. Looking at that half-read book sitting on your desk for the past few months can be quite uncomfortable, especially if you used to be a voracious reader before. A recent survey conducted by Pew Research Center revealed that almost a quarter of US population accepted not reading even a single book in any format for over a year. This highlights that people aren’t reading as much as they used to do in the past which is an alarming situation considering the therapeutic effects of reading on individuals.

The year 2020 has been a wild ride and, while we’ve stepped into 2021 with better hopes, the importance of indoor activities cannot be denied. The impeding use of technical devices like smart phones not only has a harmful influence over people but it is also hindering our ability to cherish our favorite books. This addiction of technology is inculcated in our daily lives to such an extent that we want every information to be provided to us within seconds in a concise form. We repeatedly switch from one application to another, and upon receiving a notification, we immediately drop everything and check it out. Such habits lessen our concentration span and make it hard for us to indulge ourselves into activities like reading that demand persistent attention.

Scrolling our Instagram feed for hours doesn’t require any effort but reading a book seems like a strenuous task that asks for a lot of concentration. Use of technology in excess is affecting our brains in harmful ways such that we don’t find it difficult to look at a screen straight for hours. This programs our minds in such a manner that retaining information for longer periods of times becomes impossible for us because everything that we see and perceive is fleeting and passes by quickly. Hence, we bring you fourteen incredible ways to concentrate when reading so you can curl up with that half-read book and finally get to know its long awaited ending. =)

Try doing concentration exercises

Once you’ve decided to work on your concentration issues that have been holding you back for quite a while, it’s best to begin your journey from basic steps. To get your focus on its track once again, you can start simple and basic concentration exercises like meditation. Sit in a quiet place and try taking deep breaths as it helps to empty your mind of invading thoughts and makes you focused.

You can also get some movement in your meditative sessions by setting your cell phone aside and going out for a walk for an hour. Try being mindful, take deep breaths during the walk and observe little details of the natural world around you to help improve your concentration abilities. Moreover, listening to meditative music or using applications like Headspace that help you with guided meditation can also better your attention span.

Focus on your diet and nutrition

Your diet has a crucial influence on your ability to concentrate. The things that you eat or drink ultimately determine the health of your body and mind. As a healthy body makes a healthy mind, it is important to keep your body well hydrated and well fed so it can strengthen your mind and its functions. While caffeine intake makes you feel geared up for all those reading tasks, it is best to work on solutions that help you in the long run.

To get that dopamine flowing in your blood stream, upping your protein intake is a good initiative. Preparing your food using dopamine-inducing ingredients like eggs and milk can aid you in focusing better as dopamine is the hormone that is responsible for improving your concentration abilities.

Remove distractions

Having all those distractions around you can never let you concentrate whether it’s for reading or doing other activities like hitting that dart right in the center of the dartboard. To focus on any task, you need to remove all kinds of distractions including that smart phone that doesn’t seem to stop tugging at the hem of your shirt constantly with all those notifications. Make it difficult for yourself to dive into the temptation of returning back to the world of social media while you’re reading.
Before beginning to read, it is advisable to turn off your phone or put it in another room so you can solely focus on what you’re reading.

Cut external noise

External noise can also prove to be distracting while reading so it is best to cut it off for better concentration. Reserve a quiet corner in your room for reading, and even though we don’t recommend carrying all the humans out of your reading space, at least stay at a distance from them once you start that long awaited book on your pending reading list. Don’t listen to music with lyrics lest it distracts you. Instead, listen to focus music or soft, ambient sounds that keep you attentive towards your main task i.e. reading.

Get your reading space ready

Now that we’re done with the basics, let’s finally get to exploring the world of diction and sentences. You must enter this battleground equipped with all the right weapons. Set up your reading space in such a way that you don’t feel the need to get up while reading. While having a water bottle or a small bowl of snacks on your desk is incredible, it is also significant to have proper lighting for reading. Moreover, try to maintain an attentive sitting posture while reading so you don’t slack or feel lazy in between. Keeping a writing pen on your desk in case you need to jot something down is also a better choice.

Understand the purpose of reading

With everything prepared and you set to step out on your reading venture, it feels really exciting, doesn’t it? But have you asked yourself this one important question; WHY are you even reading? It is essential to understand the purpose of reading before you begin.

Are you reading for your homework, to score better this term, or you just intend to follow your heart by taking out time for your favorite hobby? Once you have the answer to this question, you begin reading with even a stronger drive than before because now you have a motivation and a solid purpose for doing what you’re doing.

Skim through the structure of the text before reading

Initially, starting a new book or even picking up a book that you left in the middle about a year ago can seem pretty daunting. To see a vast sea of words laid down before your eyes and being hit with a dilemma of whether you can gulp it all down or not can scare you away. Beware! You fight this fear back and adopt a strategic approach to achieve better results. Skimming through the structure of the text before reading can make you realize that it is all under control. Look at the number of chapters or headings to feel organized and well-equipped to further this not-so-difficult task of resuming this helpful hobby.

Separate core information from detailed content

As we’re focused on taking a strategic approach towards reading, it is apt to separate the core information from the more elaborative content of your reading material. It is not difficult to do this as core information is usually highlighted through headings, sub-headings, and titles of the chapters.

While you skim through the structure, retaining this core information makes the detailed content less-frightening, for you get a rough sketch of what’s going on in the book already through the core information.

Read small portions of text at a time

Reading large portions of text can be difficult initially so it is better to read small portions of text at a time. Setting easy reading targets like 4 pages in an hour can be feasible in the beginning and it is a goal that is comfortable to achieve if you’re resuming the habit of reading after a long time. Reading smaller portions of reading material helps the human brain to retain more information and further enhances concentration abilities.

Read out aloud

If you can’t stop hearing those voices in your head while reading or you can’t set a barrier in front of distracting thoughts with an open book in front of you, don’t get frustrated. Reading that book out aloud to yourself is an effective technique to shut out those voices and unwanted thoughts. Reciting the words in a volume such that you can hear your own voice helps you focus on it and ultimately on the content of your book.

Your voice is strong enough to suppress all the unnecessary and random whispers in your head so never be afraid to utilize it.

Use a pointer

Research shows that doing any activity that involves the motion of your eyes produces better results if the eyes follow directions. Using a pointer while reading is a good technique to follow if you want to stay focused. Use your finger or the back of a pen to point at the sentence that you’re reading and follow its motion to avoid any kind of distraction.

You can also use a cursor for pointing at your current reading position if you’re reading something digitally.

Develop the habit of taking notes

Found a quote worth saving? Quick! Note it down in that little notebook of yours. It’ll help you remember it for longer periods of time. Developing the habit of taking notes while reading not only keeps you in line with your reading material but also provides you with a collection of important or favorite parts of the reading material at the end.

Writing it down tells your brain that that particular piece of information is worth remembering, which ultimately signals your brain to retain that information and stay attentive throughout your reading session.

Regularly take breaks

A human brain has a limited attention span that varies from five to twenty minutes. It can be more or less depending on an individual. Therefore, it needs to be relaxed after a while no matter what activity you’re doing. If you feel that you’re dragging yourself to continue reading when you just seem to keep reading that one sentence without understanding it, it’s a sign that your brain needs to rest. It’s best to take short breaks while reading and choose to refocus on your reading material after a while. Giving yourself a break to look out the window or grabbing a sip of water can help your brain to refresh itself and concentrate better when you resume reading.

Review and Summarize

It is inevitable to feel like celebrating once you achieve your reading target. Not so quick, though. Take a look at your notes and see if you focused well during your reading session. Reviewing the written content and summarizing it puts a final seal on all the knowledge that you gain from reading. Your brain restores all the important information and leaves you prepared and excited for the next reading session because you are up to date with the current reading material.

The next time you resume reading that book, you definitely find yourself more focused and concentrated than before.

Reward yourself

It’s finally time to celebrate your success! It might sound stupid to celebrate a thing as little as achieving your reading target but do you remember those long months or years of being unable to read anything at all? You deserve a reward and you should give yourself one. Hangout with your friends, treat yourself with an ice cream, or go out for a walk with your cat because it’s been waiting calmly for you to finish reading that book (or was it rather chaotic?).

You reward yourself because you really want to come back happy if you are going to be booked for another cozy weekend. 😉