Lately I’ve found myself trying to read several books at once. This isn’t unusual and I think most book lovers have several books on the go. No, what I mean is switching between books in one sitting! Yesterday I found myself on the sofa with three books in front of me and in the space of about an hour I had read a bit from each book, switching between books like I was looking for something to watch on Netflix.
…*reads a page* this isn’t really doing it for me – *looks at other book * oh this story looks more interesting – *reads a paragraph of other book * wait maybe the other story was better let me check – *picks up a different book, starts reading* yes it is – *reads several pages* oh this is getting boring, try this other one – *reaches for other book* oh this is great – *reads a page * but don’t like this thing, let’s go back to the other book…
Bah, that’s not a great way to read. When I think about, it’s more my need to be distracted. That compulsion to check my phone for an update on social media; refresh my inbox or just check the Twitter feed one more time. It’s infuriating when I catch myself doing it but now, I’ve carried on this weird distraction compulsion with the way I read books. Not good. Who flicks through books this way?! Someone with a need to be distracted.
On a deeper level, I’ve realised my need to be distracted comes from the imminent move I’ve about to make to Brighton. I’m currently in the process of decluttering. It’s weirdly exhausting sifting through your stuff and deciding what to keep, give away or bin but when I do get to finish a pile, it’s great. I feel like I’ve accomplished something! It’s those moments when I’m about do some sorting, that’s when the phone / the books / anything become much more interesting.
So I think for today I’ll stick with one book on the sofa, and tuck the others away. If I’m going to train myself to focus on one thing, maybe pomodoring my way into reading without distractions might be the way forward. Might be too PhD-like, but it’s worked before so why not now?
Anyone else ever experienced this “need to be distracted”? What do you do about?
Image via Pixlebay CC0
Eljee Javier 
I love the pomodoro technique. I’ve found that when I focus on reading to write something down, that it keeps me engaged and more likely to read for longer periods.
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