What do you do when you get sidetracked from reading?
By samafayla33
@samafayla33 (1856)
United States
September 20, 2011 12:10am CST
I read very well and every thoroughly, but I get sidetracked sometimes and I lose my thoughts away from the book due to conversation with my mother or relating to something that may have happened that was in the book. I try to find the word that i was last on then i spaz out because I forget, do you ever do this especially when you have to put it down and then commence to reading again?
1 person likes this
6 responses
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
21 Sep 11
I don't really have that problem. I'm usually reading on the go and having to stop at odd places all the time. When I pick the book back up again, I usually remember roughly where in the page I was and from there it's not that hard to pick back up where I left off. I can't recall ever having a problem like that actually...
@allyoftherain (7208)
• United States
22 Sep 11
Batgamer, no... I don't think knowing how long you want to read makes any difference. As I said, I read on the go. I don't ever have a set amount of time that I'm going to read. I just read until life interrupts me. But maybe you meant to reply to the discussion as a whole, and not to me personally! lol
Sama, It does help to be interested. Interest usually isn't a problem for me either. I typically finish everything I start, and I can't remember the last time I put a book down and didn't intend to finish it. It helps training yourself to pay attention to things that don't interest you by mustering up some interest somewhere. I'd recommend doing that. You might not want to finish reading books that don't interest you, but in order to expand your attention span and open your mind to learning things that aren't interesting but that you still need to know (like studying math for instance) you need to be in the practice of doing it.
@samafayla33 (1856)
• United States
22 Sep 11
I am thinking if I was truly interested in the book or story it would possibly be that way, I like romances, mysteries, and historical fiction. Sometimes I get into it, sometimes I get mad and put it away.. maybe that's when I get distracted too.
1 person likes this
@batgamer101 (38)
• United States
21 Sep 11
Neither can I, perhaps the best solution is to simply keep an eye on the time and how long you intend to read for.
@maezee (41988)
• United States
22 Sep 11
I really can't multitask when reading. I've foudn that the best time to read is right before sleep - in the quiet comfort of your bed, your room - away from the distractions of co-workers, music, family, friends, the TV, radio, the computer, etc - I find that I can't really get *into* a book unless I have total silence and concentration on it. Otherwise if I try to do too much at once (including reading) I will have finished the book but not retained anything that happened in it. LOL
@samafayla33 (1856)
• United States
22 Sep 11
Do you relate, forshadow, remember and reflect back on what you are reading when you read at night? That may be why it takes me a long time and I lose my place.
@stephcjh (38473)
• United States
20 Sep 11
I honestly give up or go some place where I am not distracted while reading. I have to have total silence when reading.
@samafayla33 (1856)
• United States
22 Sep 11
It's usually when people are fighting, dogs barking to loud, just things that really make me sensitive to light and sound and small things.
@aprilsong (1884)
• China
20 Sep 11
Well,i think most people will get sidetracked more or less when there are conversations or noises around them. Of course there are also some people who can concentrate very well on what they are doing, including reading no matter what happens besides them. I really admire those people. For me, if i am trying to solving some math problems, i can concentrate my attention on the subject. While if i am reading some novels or magazines, TV program or conversations will easily draw my mind away.
@samafayla33 (1856)
• United States
22 Sep 11
It's sometimes sidetracked like that and for me, i watch the news, i don't watch it all day long.
@nanayangel (7879)
• Philippines
22 Sep 11
Hi there Samafayla 33!
I don't usually finish reading a book in one sitting but I am fortunate that I don't usually have problems remembering the part that I have already read and the part that I haven't read yet. I usually dog-ear the page wherein I stopped reading.
During reading, however, like you, my mind also wanders from time to time and whenever that happens, I reread the part that I had wherein my mind has started wandering.
@samafayla33 (1856)
• United States
22 Sep 11
thank you i dog ear too, but sometimes, I reread that certain part more than once, but twice. I haven't read a book twice before I read "The power of positive thinking by norman vincent peale. I read it several times, it was fantastic. The books I usually try to read are excapist novels like mystery romance and etc. They don't last too long. :I
@jeanneyvonne (5501)
• Philippines
20 Sep 11
The usual distraction from my reading is usually another activity like eating, sleeping or the urge to stretch. Another distraction is to do chores or if there are messages in my phone. Sometimes, I welcome these distractions becuase I tend to be single- minded when I am finishing a particular book. It's nice to have a break once in a while even though I am dying to know the story's end or make sense of the book's big picture.
When I do cater to my distractions, I still find myself rewinding back to what I read and take some time to form some alternative endings. This way, I still have a recollection of the last thing I read or at least a big picture form where I left off.
@samafayla33 (1856)
• United States
22 Sep 11
me too,, and usually it's sometimes disinterest in the subject or the other things that annoys me about the book or material that i am reading. I wish I could skim quickly and remember things.
