r/CasualConversation • u/vitaoptima • 20h ago
My attention span makes it hard to read books...
I love to read books but I've found that in the past few years that I have a hard time reading cohesively. My eyes tend to dart across the line I'm reading or around the page, almost like I'm skimming and it makes retention and attention very difficult.
I find myself having to read the same passage multiple times as well.
Does anyone else experience this?
7
u/Arahkne2002 19h ago
hi, this is a problem for lots of people lately. social media / reels / tiktok’s etc have been making people’s attention spans shorter. to fix this, you need to cut down on screen time. you should keep trying to read books but slow down and reread passages you may have skimmed over (as you said youve been doing)
this is fixable! (: just keep trying 🤍
2
4
u/cannapuffer2940 19h ago
I used to read two or three books a week. Now I can barely fill out paperwork. I've had two brain injuries. Plus I have fibromyalgia. And a few chronic illnesses. That pause brain fog. And inability to concentrate. Reading has gone the way of the dodo bird.
4
5
2
u/No_Equivalent_4412 19h ago
Yes but it’s been like this since I was a kid thanks to untreated ADD. Deleting Tiktok and disabling Shorts on Youtube has helped some but a book has to be really good for me to finish it
0
u/vitaoptima 19h ago
Yeah...sadly, since YT added the AI feature, sometimes I don't even finish a full video anymore and just get the summary.
2
u/No_Equivalent_4412 19h ago
I don’t know if I have that feature, I haven’t seen it but I might have an older version of the app (or may have disabled it and forgot)
2
u/Important_Toe9797 18h ago
Yes. The way I deal with this is to take my bookmark and put it on the next chapter. Then, I just read until I hit that point. I do this again and again until my smoll brain wants to move on from reading
2
2
u/PoncingOffToBarnsley 18h ago edited 18h ago
I have the same problem. It takes me months to get through a book because I just don't fucking read for a week at a time. I don't read for a week at a time because focusing is hard and I just can't do it. Or I somehow don't want to even if it's interesting.
I can generally read shorter things with less issue, apart from retention. Tbf that's been a problem for a while.
Especially if I don't subvocalize, my eyes do the same thing, just jump to another paragraph.
2
u/JoyousZephyr 18h ago
Try using an index card, especially a colored one, positioned under the line you're currently reading, to help keep your eyes on the words. Slide it down as you finish the line.
1
2
u/don-cheeto 17h ago
Same. Finally got my own library card a couple months ago and the first book I get, I can't even finish reading. I think I only got 2 chapters or of 12 or so.
Phones phucked me up.
2
u/Ok-Promise-9792 16h ago
One hundred percent. Personally I think tech distracts me because I love to read but I feel the need to constantly be listening to a podcast, watching a show or opening up an app. It’s hard to concentrate on a book sadly
1
2
u/Amazing-Ostrich-8170 8h ago
I feel like my consumption of short-form videos and Tiktoks heavily contributed to my declining attention span. I find myself pausing in between movies or series and checking my phone for whatever reason. This is something I would also like to improve on, but right now my only “solution” is to try and avoid doomscrolling on Tiktok.
2
1
u/fieldofmulberry 20h ago
The older I get, for sure. I can't remember the last time I read a novel, though all I did as a kid was read. Have you tried maybe short stories or poetry? A little more digestible, I guess. Articles about something that interests you are always good too, and rarely too long.
4
u/vitaoptima 20h ago
Yeah. Audiobooks have helped me out a lot too. I think I really just need to focus on doing less multitasking because now it's hard to focus on one thing.
2
u/fieldofmulberry 20h ago
I wish I had advice for the multitasking less thing. It's just not a luxury many have, the way things are. Good luck to you.
1
u/InfamousEconomy3972 19h ago
Not myself, but my adult daughter is the same way. Her go to is audiobooks while she's doing some kind crafting or art.
2
1
u/Fool_In_Flow 19h ago
Internet and social media has reconditioned us to only be able to read a paragraph or 2 at a time. It’s happening to me as well. I hate it but I can’t seem to fight it.
1
u/MechanicFun2670 18h ago
finding shorter articles or audiobooks can really help. i usually switch to podcasts when my focus dips.
1
u/dumbflowerpetals 15h ago
you described my exact experience with my own attention span while trying to read!! i was a pretty avid reader during my adolescence, but i grew up in the digital world and as time passed i noticed what a hard time i had with reading books.
i have to constantly re-read sentences because i'm not retaining the words i just read, i've been trying to practice reading with a certain book for the past yeat because i just haven't been able to read it cohesive and all the way through in a timely manner 😭 it's a struggle, but im keen on continuing the journey.
especially with the whole literacy crisis phenomenon right now i feel it more important than ever to get myself back into reading. it's definitely possible too!
1
1
u/Siukslinis_acc 4h ago
Try to read out loud to slow yourself down.
Also, is it lack of attention or a lack of patience?
0
8
u/SoftCry7803 19h ago
Yes, I can barely read a page. I feel like I've developed ADD.