I feel like I’m an outlier here on HN, but I read very slowly. My mind constantly switches back and forth between other stuff, and frequently have to repeat (sections of) a page just because I wasn’t paying enough attention.
Needless to say, I don’t read a lot. Once in a while I find a book that interests me, and usually it takes me around a week or two to complete (when reading around 30 - 60 minutes a day).
Same here. Compounding that, I usually can't justify reading things for enjoyment, such as various fiction or non-fiction books. Thus my go-to is usually technical literature, which suffers even more from the phenomenon you described.
At the same time I'll bounce around on the web and voraciously read a wide spectrum of things on a daily basis. Anything from programming topics to spending an afternoon reading a neurology systemic review.
I think it's the format. With books I really have to have a singular focus, and I can't periodically task switch or indulge in nervous tics like repeatedly clicking the page background as I read.
Definitely used to read a lot more physical books. Guessing prolonged computer/internet/smartphone/game use tends to fracture one's attention span in weird ways.
I used to be like that. I usually read fiction in the subway during my daily commute. I think my average is below 30 minutes of reading per day. After a few months of doing this my mind stopped wandering and I was able to zone out and focus on reading without any effort.
I read slowly, absolutely nothing wrong with that. I like to think and process what I read as well so when reading non-fiction it is even worse. But I don't mind, I enjoy reading at my own pace :)
This is a problem. For few weeks I am trying to conquer it by focusing eyes onto infinity while looking at the computer. It helps me wade off thoughts other than whats printed (and I just read) on the screen. So read a line, focus to infinity (and picturise what was said in the line), read next line.
Experiment is on only for a few weeks now, but it surely helps in attention and wading off extraneous thoughts.
On the contrary I think it could be healthier to focus on infinity once in a while. You know how they say to look far every once in a while to relax your eyes.
Pretend your computer screen is a window with text printed on it. Look through the text, through the window at the distant mountains on the horizon. The text blurs and you see it with double vision because your eyes are focused at infinity.
I doodle. At home, I work on artwork, preferably putting in details or something else somewhat "mindless" - anything where the artwork is mostly autopilot.
The same thing works for many repetitive activities. Wear headphones while doing dishes. Listen while driving, walking, anything of the sort. The important thing is to have something that takes up a bit of brain, but not too much.
My experience is that if you practice listening long enough it’s easy to focus. I’ve been doing it everyday for more than 5 years. I remember what you’re talking about but personally no longer experience it
I used to be like that.
Then I started to cover the lines I had already read with a sliding sheet of paper. That immediately increased my concentration and reading speed since I didn't get lost in the page as often as before.
I also read slowly. Between that and the fact that as a programmer you're essentially reading all day long, I never really read much...until I discovered audio books. Now I'm cranking through several books a month listening to them at 2.5 or 3x speed. I think my brain is just better at taking in information that way. I didn't start at that high speed. I started at 1.5x, but I have been able to gradually increase without losing comprehension. It's been a game changer for me.
"I don’t read a lot" this might be the "problem". Likely because of bad digital reading habits I completely lost the ability to focus while reading for pleasure.
Last year, I needed a few weeks (if not months) of a daily grind until I recovered the ability to read for prolonged periods of time without getting distracted.
I do the forgetting what I just read thing too. I've now gotten to the point where I know it's time to put the book down if that starts happening. It's crazy how our brain and read words but not actually do anything with them.
I read much slower than I know I can, and slower than other people I know. Typically if I'm not just searching for information I'm thinking deeply about what I'm reading, and in the case of novels I'm enjoying it as an experience like watching a movie or traveling. Or, I'm re-reading pages because my mind wandered :)
That said I know I can speed read and retain information even if I'm rather rusty for things outside of information lookup/skimming. But I find if I speed read and can recall information about it that doesn't mean I've developed any insights or enjoyed what I read as an experience.
Needless to say, I don’t read a lot. Once in a while I find a book that interests me, and usually it takes me around a week or two to complete (when reading around 30 - 60 minutes a day).