Tell us if this sounds familiar… you hear your friends chatting away about the hot, new book out. They describe it in such a way that fills you with excitement and intrigue. You tell them, “I think I’ll give it a read”.
So, you get home, dust off your kindle, and buy the book – only to get about eight pages in and… that’s it. You lose focus and put the book down for an indefinite amount of time.
You are not alone
Now more than ever people both younger and older are struggling with reading, with the National Literacy Trust discovering that 3 in 5 children and young people aged 8 to 18 don’t enjoy reading in their spare time – their lowest score since the survey began in 2005.
A common thing to hear when asking someone why they don’t read often is, “I can’t stay focused for long enough”. Let’s take a look at why that is.
Why is it difficult to focus on reading?
Distractions and Dopamine
When reading, do you often find yourself reaching for your phone and scrolling through your social media apps multiple times? This lapse in focus can be attributed to dopamine – the chemical in our brain closely associated with pleasure.The release of dopamine makes focusing on tasks, such as reading, more difficult than usual.
Physical HealthÂ
Being tired and/or fatigued can massively affect your reading ability. Bear in mind that you may have had an eight-hour work day, or you/your child possibly had an eight-hour day of school. The length of time, in combination with the mass amounts of screens we look at on a daily basis, can really cause us some strain and fatigue – so it’s wise to get some rest to have a better time focusing on your reading.
Mental Health
Various mental health challenges can lead to difficulties in concentration. Whether you’re dealing with anxiety from a new job, feelings of depression, or stress related to reading, if you suspect you may also be experiencing symptoms of unidentified conditions such as autism or DLD (Developmental Language Disorder), these can affect your ability to focus on reading. If you’re facing these challenges, reach out to us to explore how we can support you.
Improve your reading focus
With reading being such an integral part of our lives, contributing to our skills in concentration and comprehension, it’s important to have a decent level of focus while doing it. To help you reach a level of reading concentration you’ll be proud of, here are 7 tips and techniques to boost your focus.
Choose a genre that suits you
The best way to stay focused on anything is by making sure that you’re interested in it! If you’re unsure of where to start on your reading journey, take a look at other media you’re into. If you’re a fan of the Star Wars franchise, you’ll likely be into sci-fi books. Or maybe there’s a public figure you like, chances are they have a memoir available for you to learn more about them.
Find out your favoured book format
The way you take in the words of a book contributes a lot to your retention of the information inside it. Some people like to read physical books, some prefer the convenience of e-books, and some prefer to use audiobooks as opposed to reading. Nowadays, the purchase of a physical book grants you access to its e-book/audiobook version, so you’ll have all the capability of finding the format that suits and see a boost in your engagement and focus.
Dedicating an area of your house to reading
Your phone, your TV, your laptop – there is a chance that while you’re trying to read, one or more of these things are in the vicinity, and sometimes you may find yourself diverting your focus from your book to your devices. The best way to lessen your chances of being distracted is dedicating an area of your house to reading – particularly away from your devices. You’ll find that your urges will be reduced and your focus will be squarely on your book.
Choosing your perfect reading environment
Following on from the last tip, your reading zone should be a place where you’re at ease both physically and mentally. This doesn’t just have to be at home, it can be at a cafe, in the park, in your car, anywhere that’s comfortable! Another thing that can affect your reading environment either positively or negatively is sound. Some may be bothered by outdoor sounds and some may find outdoor sounds soothing while reading. It’s all about finding what works for you!
Pomodoro technique
A brilliant way of ensuring you increase your focus on reading and limit your fatigue is by reading in intervals. The pomodoro technique is a method of time management where you spend 50 minutes on a task and follow it up with a 10 minute break. Using the technique in reading helps you build concentration, as well as gives you the time between readings to reflect on what you’ve read.
Reflection, active reading, and note-taking
One of the best parts about books are the journeys they take you on. Characters go through arcs, settings change, and lessons are learned throughout – whether it be in fiction, or nonfiction. Engaging in reflective note-taking not only helps you remember what’s happening in the book, but it also gives you the opportunity to engage with its content more. A summary of events you’ve read, and a chapter-by-chapter character study of figures in the story are great ways to engage with your book. It will also feel really rewarding uncovering a twist in the tale with your own notes!
Using a pointer to keep track of where you are
If you find yourself losing track of where you are in your text often, then using a pointer such as your finger or a pen to keep your eyes and mind focused on the words you’re on can (literally) get you back on track!
Apps and Plugins to help you focus on reading
As well as the techniques we’ve shared with you, there are a whole host of apps, plugins, and extensions built to aid you in retaining your focus and make reading easier. Here are 4 of the ones that stand out to us:
Omoguru – Free App
OmoType is a typeface that’s sole purpose is to motivate and empower readers of all ages, with or without difficulties, with its incredible readability. The free Omoguru plugin allows users to change all the text on your screen to the OmoType typeface, as well as alter the size of the text, the space between the lines, and the background colour. This plugin will make reading easier for you, and improve your ability to focus on the text.
Unhabit – Free App
As discussed earlier, freeing yourself from distractions can help you concentrate so much better on your reading, and Unhabit allows you to do just that. This free iPhone app gives you the ability to block certain websites and social media, allowing you to dedicate your time to reading properly. It also allows you to schedule the days and times of when to block what you’re looking to block, as well as letting you keep an eye on your progress.
Bookly – Free App w/ Paid Add-ons
Seeing your progress is a great way of motivating you to stay focused and boost your productivity. The free Bookly app lets you organise the books you’re reading and keep tabs on the page number – so it’s perfect for those who read more than one book at a time. It also looks into your reading habits and gives you interesting stats, such as a prediction of how long it will take you to finish the book.
Speechify (and other text-to-speech plugins) – Free App w/ Paid Add-ons
From Speechify, to Read Aloud, to TTS, there are plenty of free text-to-speech extensions you can use on your browser/phone when reading e-books that give you the ease of an audiobook, as well as the authenticity of reading a book. Some of these extensions allow you to assign specific voices, and even some celebrity voices for a premium!
Fall in love with reading again
These tools and tips are invaluable for enhancing focus while reading, even for those with conditions such as attention and listening difficulties or autism. By implementing practical techniques like the Pomodoro method and finding your ideal reading environment, you can significantly improve your concentration. With the right tools and strategies, anybody can develop a stronger focus, overcome distractions, and rediscover the joy of reading.
If you suspect that you or anyone you know might have a condition that makes them face these reading challenges, contact us to find out how we can help.
