Hi, I’m trying to improve my reading skills as someone who was never the type to voluntarily read books. Unfortunately, I think I have symptoms of ADD/ADHD that prevents me from focusing on reading a lot of the time.
Here’s some problems I have with reading:
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Let’s say that I zoned out whilst reading. Is it smart to scroll back and read everything I missed, or to just continue on and not worry about it?
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I often can only think of reading as a sort of chore. I make checkpoints at certain pages and a lot of reading time consists of me checking to see how much I have left before I can stop.
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I never seem to really reflect on books. I try to think of everything I read in a session, but it comes out as more of a vague blur more than anything else. I used to even do a really stupid, insecure challenge where I would try to recall everything I read on the previous page.
by FrenchJJC
27 Comments
I mean if you feel like it’s a chore then I’d say you need to find a book you can actually get pulled into. I would also suggest reading somewhere or going somewhere to read that you don’t really associate with other activities or at least not similar activities. Go for a walk. Sit in a park. Read a few chapters or until you’re bored. Walk back. Do it again sometime.
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Sounds more like you’re just bored reading, though it could be AD(H)D. Were you ever tested? Did you have symptoms as a kid?
Find something you enjoy reading. Don’t think of what you think reading should be; remembering all.of what happened. Enjoy the story, forget about “reflecting” on it. You’ve really made it into a chore for yourself.
Pick a different book, pick something easy. Whatever you like, whether that be Twilight, Percy Jackson, Outlander. Anything! Whatever story you’re interested in, not in what you think you should be reading.
Eventually, when you’ve gotten the hang of it, you can read those books everyone says you “should” read. Until then, who cares?
I have to listen to music without lyrics on headphones and have a lot of caffeine in order to read. 1. Yes read again, better yet learn to catch yourself and refocus. 2. Read multiple books at a time, only read the one that’s interesting that day. Be okay with reading only a few pages at a time. Certain days/months will not be conducive to reading. 3. I sometimes Re-read with an audiobook, by listening to early chapters while reading ahead. Really helps with #1 too.
Hope this helps.
Reread. Accept you’ll lose/forget stuff even then. Enjoy favourite books again and again as if they’re almost new.
Audiobooks, with auto rewinde.
My biggest ADHD reading tip is: read multiple books at once. Just read a chapter of one book, then a chapter of another, then a chapter of a third, etc. That will help keep you interested in the books, and will also help you retain more info about each book since you have to recall it more often.
If you put a book down and getting ready to go back to it feels you with dread, skip it and move on to the next one. Keep it in your rotation for a few chapters, but if you’re consistently skipping a book, don’t feel bad about just dropping it.
And yes, absolutely go back and re-read if you find yourself zoning out.
Also audiobooks are a GREAT suggestion!
Sounds identical to me and I’ve been concerned about ADD/ADHD as well. Please let me know if you find anything that works for you, or if you end up getting tested.
I’ve had to struggle with this my whole life. The trick is too channel it. I’m sure you’ve noticed it with things you enjoy, maybe video games or a physical activity you do where your blind to the world and get tunnel vision.
The trick is to give your brain that same kind of stimulation while you’re reading. For me it was a mix of impatience and like you said not retaining information after reading long segments of text. If you can break it down into things that your ADD brain likes and wants to focus on reading becomes easier.
Speed reading is what worked for me, it is a learned skill, but there is software available nowadays that makes this way easier. Looking at a big wall of text is not something that ADD brains like, if you break it into small pieces or master the ability to skim and still retain information then it actually works to your advantage.
I hope this is helpful. I know everyone is different and one size fits all solutions are for the birds.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_reading
https://speedreader.mes.fm/
Zoning out sucks. I kinda learned to realise it early on so I don’t zone out for several pages. Anyways sometimes I read the passage again and when I don’t feel like doing that I just continue on. It’s most probably nothig important anyway, just some scenery description or something.
I also used to think of reading as a chore, also because I was reading titles that I felt I had to need ni order to be a good human. One day I picked up an Agatha Christie and fell in love — murder mysteries have been my favourite since then. I’d say that crime novels can be a really great gateway, especially for people with ADHD. It’s interesting, thrilling and not too long. Try picking up ABC murders, that was the book that got me into reading.
I don’t reflect on them either. I don’t think you have to. If a book was good something will stuck with you — the atmosphere, some scenes… I tend to forget plots of all books I read and movies I watch and if I feel bad about it I just read a summary online to refresh my mmory or speak with someone who had read it as well.
Good luck!
I am and autism- ADHS hybrid, but for some reason i don’t have problems with reading. It produces more than enough neurotransmitters to keep me engaged. Besides of that i’m making breaks really often or short interuptions with useless online dilly dally. I also read usally more than one book at once. Try different genres and authors and look if it makes a difference.
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I don’t have ADD and I still zone out sometimes just from having things on my mind. That’s why I read out loud. Hearing my own voice keeps me more focused and I also remember more because of the memory of hearing my own voice saying things.
I also keep a reading journal so I can write down quotes from the book as well as notes about particular concepts or feelings I have about the characters or plot. It is good as a self reference.
Identify the struggle points and adress those is the best way but also it’s generic and not very helpful advice.
Grab some free ebooks that seem interesting (or borrow some through the library, or whatever your method is). Play around with fonts in display options. ADHD and dyslexia are not vision problems, but reading is not purely vision, and processing visual information *is* affected by both. Some fonts are harder to read and it can provide a little boost by engaging your brain more (works for some, ymmv), some fonts have more distinct letters or cut out clutter and a few people find that helpful.
Grab audiobooks. Some people can pay attention to those better, some find it great to have the double engage of audio + text.
Music, walking, fidgeting, bookworm excercise, taking notes, reading on the bus – or the opposite, cutting out all other distractions (earplug or white noise, small reading area, good controlled light and temperature) can also help.
Lots of good tips here. I would also suggest you to read shorter book <200 pages since you are less likely to lose interest in them before finishing them. Some of my favorite books are shorter books like Of Mice and Men and Slaugtherhouse V
Like others have said, you really need to be reading for your own enjoyment, which means you should only really start off with something that grabs your interest. Don’t be concerned about the artistic value of a book. Read YA novels if you want. It’s honestly not an indictment if you are reading them; I’ve read a few, and I’ve long since stopped being their target audience.
As for your problems:
1. No, never go back to rearead a few pages. Continue on, and if you get confused, because you might have missed something, flick back and skim quickly to see whether there was anything that would explain what’s going on.
2. Stop when you want to stop or if it’s convenient. Don’t force yourself to read X hours or Y pages a day. When I want to stop, I tend to push to the next scene change; this sometimes means I stop one or two pages, sometimes even three paragraphs short of the end of the chapter.
3. That’s fine. I don’t reflect much on books I’ve read either. It means I can reread the book and it’s more or less fresh. Sure, I kind of know what’s going to happen, but I don’t remember all of it. Sometimes, I might even find something I missed the first time around.
Have you tried Audio Books?
Or maybe Comic Books?
As a person diagnosed with adhd when I was 8 but still a prolific reader (I have a BA in English and am currently working on my masters), I can say that it all boils down to willpower. Or as Nike says, “Just do it!” And when you get distracted or space out and don’t “get” the last three pages, just go back and do it again. Eventually it gets easier.
Not diagnosed with ADHD, but, for some reason, with difficult books, my focus is improved if I read to my dog—yes, just like those library programs with children and rescue dogs. I’m sure it’s the reading aloud and not the dog that’s the key thing here, but my greyhound is also now very learned.
Also, you should watch for Rebecca Schiller’s memoir on ADHD when it’s out in the US in the spring.
Actual ADHD sufferer currently in the middle of getting an MA in English lit. Here are some things that have worked for me:
1. Reading glasses. I don’t technically need them but they kind of function as blinders, as anything more than a few feet away is blurred. You can buy really cheap ones.
2. Always read with a pencil in hand. Make frequent notes in the margins, underline passages that seem important or that you like, etc.
3. Treat reading as a conversation. You aren’t the passive consumer of text, you are an active participant in a discourse between you and the author. Be skeptical, be inquisitive, be a jerk. Whatever keeps you engaged.
4. Read out loud. It’s slower but only nerds care about goodreads stats, sorry. Using your voice makes it harder to get as distracted.
5. Use references. Even for fiction, I keep tabs of Wikipedia and Wiktionary open so I can quickly get context or a definition. If I don’t know what’s going on, it’s way harder to stay with it.
6. If you can, try to get with a counselor and/or a psychiatrist. You can use all of the tips you find, but ADHD is a medical condition and can be debilitating without treatment. I became a much better reader with professional help and medication.
Edit: NO MUSIC. And audiobooks don’t seem to work for me either. White noise played over noise-cancelling headphones usually helps, however.
I like reading on my kindle because watching the percentage go up or the “time remaining” feels like a fun way to gameify it. I’ve also enjoyed setting up a goodreads goal and then challenging myself to finish it.
I have it too.
What I do is I use my iPad and zoom a lot until the font is very big and one page takes a short amount of time to read. So I get a hit of dopamine every few seconds rather than minutes lol. Slowly I’m decreasing the font size and it’s getting easier to read like a “normal” person for longer than a few minutes.
For the recalling thing, I make notes at the end of each book.
I’m kind of the opposite, so I don’t know how much help my advice will be, but I have a brother who is like that, so I can talk based on what I’ve suggested for him.
One is to maybe narrow down what you might like in a book. There is an entire sub called r/suggestmeabook and people will ask for oddly specific things. Maybe you’re into school settings like Harry Potter. Maybe you like old school fantasy, romance, sci-fi, student and teacher scenarios, wilderness survival, whatever. Ask and you’ll get plenty of suggestions. Typically, you read and over time you figure out what you like, but this might help you short cut it and give you the best chance.
I also tell him, it doesn’t matter what you read, just read every day. It doesn’t work for him to say he’ll read 20pgs a day or x amount of chapters. He doesn’t do it, then says he’ll read double tomorrow. That compounds till he hasn’t read in weeks. So don’t set a limit, just read till you can’t focus and knock off. Remember it’s fun!😃
Learn your personal habits. For instance, I tell people not to ask me if I want to do things in the evening. I’ll probably tell them to f-off. I’m much more likely to do things in the morning when I’m energized. This includes agreeing to go out to eat, go on vacations, etc… all fun things, but I feel more drained and depressed at the end of the day and I’m much more likely to say no. I will get up at dawn and go outside to work, just so it’s done and out of my mind and I can goof off the rest of the day. I say all this, because everyone has a natural rhythm and you should try reading during the time you’re most focused. Set yourself up for success.
Time sucks are also something to look for. They’re bad for people without add, much less those who lean that way. We don’t even realize we’re doing it most of the time. You’re watching tv, reading, etc. Next thing you know, you’re pulling out your phone to scroll Reddit, Facebook, etc… looking for changes. There is absolutely nothing worth looking at there. Set aside time to do that, but when you’re doing something like watching a movie, reading, etc. turn your phone off. Take that temptation out of the equation. If you can’t make yourself do it, set it across the room so it’s much harder to pick up and scan it and mute all notifications. You’ll be surprised at what that can do for your concentration.
I can sit down and concentrate on something for hours, but I do understand the ADHD mindset somewhat. I get periods where my kind just revs up with all the stuff I need to be doing or am going to do. I’ve found a couple of methods to spin down. One is lists. Part of that spin is keeping track of what all I need to do. I make a list of things I need to do, and another of things I need to do today. I try to check those off. Another helpful thing is realizing a cluttered life leads to a cluttered mind and causes focus issues. So I try to stay on top of things. Most things you need to do in life are small, but if you don’t do them, the small steps add up to a crushing weight. Don’t let it. Make your bed up when you get up. Don’t wait till your out of food and hungry to go to the store. Wash the dishes when you’re done eating. Don’t let them sit there and be something you have to work up the energy to do later.
I’ve also found diet and exercise to be important to my mind as well. If I lay around and eat crap food, my kind and body become sluggish. I didn’t realize till I fixed it, how bloated I’d felt and how little energy I had. I started eating Greek yogurt, salad, and grilled chicken. I also started walking every day and my body, mind, and energy had a huge noticeable difference.
That leads me to my next suggestion. If you’re interested in books, but you have trouble focusing, I started listening to audiobooks for the first time. I listen when I walk. I do 4mi now, so that’s just over an hour a day. I put in earbuds with gun earmuffs over them and listen as I mow or work on loud projects. I also listen on road trips.
Basically, you do something where you can tune out to one degree or another. You do something that lets that ADHD energy out, but you’re listening to the book. Kindle, among others, lets you swap back and forth between reading and listening pretty easily.
I know these might not be what you were looking for, but I believe, based on my brother, that they might help you succeed in reading. Good luck.😃
I also have adhd, though I’ve never struggled with reading. That said, I’m familiar with how and why many people do struggle with it, and there are times and contexts when I can’t.
Some things that might help:
Audiobooks – I recommend messing around with the playback speed until you find what suits your brain best. For me this tends to be somewhere between 1.25 and 1.5 speed depending on the book, but for someone else it will be something else
-Books that are formatted well for an ADHD brain that you might not think of include Spoon River Anthologies, Beowolf, Riot Days by Maria Alyokinha, A Pattern Language, and many self help or business books
-using a straight edge to hold the line
-graphic novels (Nausicaa, Sandman, etc.)
-books that, for lack of a better description, are very ADHD: anything by Terry Pratchett, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, anything by Tom Robbins (if you can stomach the misogyny), the first half of The Once and Future King (2nd half isn’t worth reading but the first half is), Vonnegut, Moo by Jane Smiley, Neverwhere, Huckleberry Finn, Feed by Mira Grant
-YA lit can be very good, and the books are shorter and often a bit more accessible.
-Short story collections can be delightful. For me they’re usually
not a good fit for my ADHD because by the time I’m sucked in they’re over, but for someone else they could be great. Some I’ve loved: How Long ‘Till Black Future Month, any of LeGuin’s work, Raymond Carver
-You might want to try poetry. The most recent poet I got in to was Audre Lorde, but there are many directions you could go with this.
Try speechify app, you can scan the page or anything and it highlights text you are reading working as a tracker,it makes anything you have from text to speech,pdf,photos,any documents, emails etc
I noticed recently that body-double reading helps too, reading aloud to my husband, or him reading to me, and us reading a book aloud together, and swapping over every page or so helps us really absorb a lot and have an interesting discussion. Could be done with a stuffed animal maybe, or a friend online even I would have thought. Something that helps is mini exercise then back to reading, like plank for a minute. I also find I move from the couch, to the table to another room or area helps, or various corners of a room, shifting energy in that sense helps me with reading too. Sometimes I light an eco friendly tea candle and read till it burns out, keep my phone on charge in another room. All tricks that have helped me at times with reading concentration. Reading in a group and setting an alarm for when we all take a break helped in uni ✨
I literally don’t have enough composure to finnish reading this post. I just might have softlocked myself out of reading.