We all get distracted while reading books. Many of the students will also agree that for them, books – play as a catalyst for sleep. Here are 10 ways to minimize distractions while reading. For anyone who feels like he or she gets distracted often while reading, then these are some sure shot ways to keep distractions to a minimum while reading and enjoy the process in its entirety.
10 Ways To Minimize Distractions While Reading
Switch off your phone
The most obvious way to minimize distractions of any kind is to put the phone away. The constant flow of notifications as well as the urge to open social media, check office mail or even just scroll aimlessly is real. Switching the phone off, putting it on airplane mode or DND mode and placing it somewhere you cannot see really helps.
Set the mood
The one way to intrinsically minimize distractions is to create an environment conducive to sinking into the skin of characters. In this way, you can change up the room décor or use a candle and dim lights to create the mood. Incense sticks and fairy lights can also help. Or perhaps going to a garden or field away from the hustle-bustle of urban life can help.
Clear the bookshelf
Decluttering the exterior also helps calm the interior. So organizing your bookshelf can have a positive and meditative impact on clearing your mind as well. Rearranging books by genre or alphabetically or the like can really set the mood and tone for a good reading sprint. It can also get you into a reading mindset by upping your motivation.
Clean up your reading space
As aforementioned, the space you inhabit without reflects the space you inhabit within. Going on a cleaning sprint is not just a meditative act that reduces anxiety and stress but also makes the space you live in lighter. Good vibes and energy can thus flow freely and your mind will also stay in tune with the moods and textures of the book.
Make some coffee
Coffee is known to boost concentration but that is not the only reason it keeps distracting thoughts away. Having some good coffee with you can really set the mood for a reading sprint. This will keep you in a motivational mindset plus your brain will be functioning better than ordinary, keeping distractions away.
Underline and highlight points
Consciously engaging with a book by actively taking notes, underlining and highlighting can ensure you don’t skip passages or succumb to fake reading. It will root you and ground you in the process of reading, which will keep other thoughts and feelings at bay. It will also help you understand the book more fully which will keep you involved in it.
Consciously refrain from daydreaming
We can’t always control what we think about but we can stop thinking about it once we become aware that we’re thinking it. So every time you catch yourself daydreaming or notice your attention slipping away, gently bring it back to the book. Take care to re-read whatever you may have lost in the daydreaming process.
Meditate before reading
A good way to ensure that you read properly is to make sure you enter the reading zone without previous baggage and stress. Meditating even for five minutes, doing yoga, and trying Benson’s relaxation response are all ways of calming the mind. This means you will empty your mind before you start reading, making space for only book thoughts.
Leave the stress behind when you enter your reading space
Consciously practise leaving stress behind when you enter your reading nook by imagining a piece of tangible baggage being left behind the ‘doorstep’. This means you will make the intangible concrete and thereby begin reading as a fresh, clean slate. Taking a deep breath before entering and actively imagining yourself leaving something behind can really help.
Read for fun
Finally, the most real way to concentrate fully while reading is to really enjoy the process itself. Thus, all these other measures are supplementary to actually reading and loving every bit of it. This will naturally keep other thoughts at bay because you will be so into the book that you will forget everything else.
Also Read: Origin of the Nobel Prize
Discover more from GoBookMart🔴
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
