Attention Archives - Bob on Books

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At the moment? Seven in my case. Two are for book clubs of which I’m a part. Then I usually have at least two religious books I read, because I receive a lot of these for review. Then there is one on my Kindle, which is handy to read at breakfast and bed time. I have another that alternates between fiction and non-fiction. Finally, I have a book I can read in short snatches–often essays or poetry or something with short chapters.

I think personally that I have to take breaks from a book rather than read straight through. When I come back, my interest is renewed. I also have an interesting thing happen sometimes where it feels like my books are talking to each other–sometimes literally when one author mentions another, as is the case with the two books I’m reading for book clubs currently.

Some of this is shaped by interest and time of day, and some is shaped by my involvement in reviewing books. I find that I generally finish and am able to review four or five books most weeks (today is the rare exception when I didn’t have a book ready for review).

I posted a variation on this question on social media and was fascinated by the differences among reasons in this regard and the reasons for those differences. There is a group of people who like to read just one book at a time. For many of these people, reading more than one book at a time gets confusing. One person wrote, “I greatly prefer one book at a time. I’m confused enough by single books, and I can’t imagine trying to keep track of multiple plots, different genres simultaneously, etc.” The flip side of this is that some people choose books they can immerse themselves in and they just want to see how it all turns out without distraction. A person commented that you don’t watch two movies in different rooms at the same time (I personally suspect that there are some who try but I also think movies are different).

The picture seems to be more complicated for those reading multiple books at a time. Some are like me–they like the change. One person proposed that “A change is as good as rest.” They felt they could read more at a sitting if they switched off. Others mentioned getting into the habit of reading multiple books during their school years and never got out of it. For some, it is a question of the time of the day–more challenging material when one is fresh, more engaging or exciting material when they are tired and so they have different books for different times of the day. Some also read in different media–a printed book during a quiet moment at home, an audiobook while driving or working, an e-reader while commuting if not driving or on vacation or in bed. Others like to have a different book in different rooms in their homes to have a book available anywhere. One person reads multiple books because “I don’t have the self-control to finish one before starting another. I get too excited to see what the books have to say.”

I honestly don’t think there is a “right” answer to this question. In this as in other aspects of reading, I go with the axiom, read as you can, not as you can’t. Attention and memory seem to be two key aspects. For some, attention wanes if they go on and on in one book without a break; while for others, a book’s not worth reading if they cannot immerse themselves in it–perhaps reading all night to finish it. Some seem to have no problem remembering the plot or key ideas of multiple books while others can’t keep multiple books straight in their minds. We’re all wired differently, and the best thing we can do is understand what works for us.

Bottom line? It’s not a competition, no matter how many reading challenges are out there. You do you.

Do you ever find yourself reading the same passage in a book over again because you realized you just read a page or more while your mind was somewhere else? I’ve got to admit, I’m looking for a little comfort here because it sure happens to me and I hope I’m not the only one and that it is not a sign of some type of advancing senility!

I find it happens most when I’m reading material that is intellectually “dense”. That doesn’t mean it is necessarily bad writing, but rather simply writing that is making a careful, extended argument. I read a certain amount of those kinds of books, mostly in theology or philosophy or sometimes academic books in other areas. I suppose a simple solution might be to not read those kinds of books! But I guess I still want to explore some new (and old) frontiers of ideas.

There are a few things that I do find important that help me in that kind of reading:

1. Do it when I am well-rested and awake. If I’m tired and want to read a bit, much better a light mystery.

2. Read this kind of material in a quiet setting. Sometimes I like to read with music in the background. I’m learning I can’t do that with this kind of material, particularly since I’ve begun singing with a choir–I can easily get distracted by a passage of music, and even more if it is choral. Maybe this just signifies that, like Winnie the Pooh, I am “a bear of little brain”!

3. Posture matters. Sitting at a table with a hardback chair works best. Or sometimes standing!

4. Sometimes taking notes helps, although I mostly do this for books I’m discussing with a reading group.

5. Books with long, involved sentences sometimes make more sense if I read them aloud. This can be especially helpful if the writing was originally oral material.

6. It helps, if I can, to “unplug”–the computer, the cell phone–all those electronic intrusions that may seem so urgent but rarely are.

7. It helps me to recognize the point of no return–that point where I’m mentally saturated and what I need is time to reflect on what I’ve read rather than to read more.

There is one element of distraction that none of these measures completely helps with. That is that inner voice. Sometimes it is taking me down a rabbit trail from what I’ve read. Sometimes it is thinking about a task that lies ahead in the day or a conversation I had with someone, particularly if it was difficult. Sometimes it is a totally random thought–where did that come from?

Sometimes those distractions need attention. It may be that there is something more important for me to think about or act upon at that moment than what I am reading. Sometimes, a “note to self” allows me to set it aside. Sometimes a prayer helps if it is a concern that has come to my attention. Sometimes, I need to set that book aside to make a call, send an email, or do something. Sometimes, if it is totally random and unimportant, simply realizing my wandering mind and laughing at my puny mental capacity, and picking up where I left off seems best.

I suspect (or at least hope) I’m not alone. So how do you, my reading friends, deal with distractions?