5 tips to help you read if you find it hard to focus
I used to be a voracious reader – the kind of obsessive reader who carries her book around the house to grab a chapter while the pasta cooks. Not every day, but in phases, when I really got into a book, I really found it hard to stop. I love reading, and getting lost in a story, in a different world. Except I can’t do it anymore. It doesn’t just apply to reading either. I also can’t watch a film without doing something else at the same time. The problem with reading is that it doesn’t allow for that option – and even if it did, it wouldn’t be the kind of reading I enjoy.
The reason for this, for my lack of focus, is linked to losing my husband. Anyone who has gone through grief is probably familiar with finding themselves unable to do the simplest things, being forgetful, or unable to think clearly. This is a completely normal phase of grief, but I wonder if I still have a little of that going on, even three years on. But it may also simply be that I find it harder to focus on one thing when I’m alone. Either way, while I have not (yet) found a cure for it, I have some strategies that have been helping.
My tips to keep reading when you can’t focus:
1. Let go of any guilt
There is a lot of social baggage around reading and its virtues, and it’s easy to feel bad about not reading, especially if it’s something you’ve always valued. I’ve actually always thought reading should be a pleasure. I genuinely do not see the point of setting yourself targets of so many books a year, or in forcing yourself to read ‘worthy’ books. Challenging yourself can be rewarding of course, but if you’re struggling with reading, the best thing to do is to follow your heart, and pick the book that appeals to you, right now.
2. Keep buying books
I have a huge pile of unread books, but I’m still buying more if I see something that I want to read. It may not be the book I read next, and the pile may continue to rise, but at some point one of these will be just right for my current mood. When you find it difficult to be in the right, focused mood or stick to reading the book you started, having choice helps, to increase the likelihood of having something that you will manage to get lost in.
3. Borrow from the library
Even if your unread book pile is threatening to topple over, visit your local library and pick something to read from there. Having a deadline (even a renewable one) to finish a book can work magic to help you prioritise reading time, and almost accidentally spend longer turning the pages.
4. Mark out manageable sections
I have started to use two bookmarks to mark out 30-page sections in the book I’m reading. I find that it is roughly the right length for me to not feel overwhelmed while still making enough progress in every reading session to keep going with the book. Sometimes I will read more than one chunk, but I know I can at least focus on 30 pages. Seeing the next bookmark as I read reassures me that I am making progress, but can turn my scatty mind elsewhere soon if I choose to.
5. Try to read every day
Like anything else, it is easier to focus if you make it a habit. Reading every day also helps make progress in whatever you’re reading and keep up your interest in the story or subject. But don’t make it an obligation: if you are not in the right frame of mind for reading, skip a day, or a week, and come back to it later. And if that book no longer appeals, switch to another one. If you are going to read every day, you should be reading something you enjoy.
I for one am determined to finish the door stopper I rashly started reading a few weeks back – and I am steadily getting there…
