If it’s material you want to/are required to learn from try taking notes as you read the material, to force yourself to recall it in your own terms/language.
If it’s just recreational/online reading try increasing the font size/spacing or decreasing the browser width, or using a browser extension like readability. Don’t scroll with the scroll bar or the mouse wheel—use pg up/pg down to make it easier to keep your position.
In the same vein, I get easily distracted when reading text and the ability to click around, select and deselect text that I’m reading helps me to stay engaged.
Writing that out it sounds like it would be super distracting but its not (for me). Possibly related to the phenomenon where some people work better with noise in the background rather than in silence. Clicking around might help maintain a minimum level of stimulation while reading.
There was a couple university classes where I found that playing Sudoku in class actually helped me learn the material, because I gained more in alertness than I lost in distraction.
When I was in school I couldn’t take notes. I couldn’t write fast enough, and trying to write things down occupied so much of my attention I couldn’t follow what the teacher was saying next. I should have learned shorthand; but instead I doodled. Somehow, keeping my hands busy kept my ears open.
I don’t have any stats, but wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of people (sometimes) read on a computer like that, by highlighting various bits as they go.
I understand the “recall in your own terms”, that sounds like very practical advice, even more in my case since english isn’t my mother language and thus I could try translating it, which would ensure a deeper understanding. Thanks.
I don’t see how the way that information is displayed (font size/spacing and using the scroll bar) could impact in the way I’m reading, could you explain that a little more?
If it’s material you want to/are required to learn from try taking notes as you read the material, to force yourself to recall it in your own terms/language.
If it’s just recreational/online reading try increasing the font size/spacing or decreasing the browser width, or using a browser extension like readability. Don’t scroll with the scroll bar or the mouse wheel—use pg up/pg down to make it easier to keep your position.
I don’t know if I deliberately developed a habit of highlighting the current paragraph when reading long articles, but it has become extremely useful.
In the same vein, I get easily distracted when reading text and the ability to click around, select and deselect text that I’m reading helps me to stay engaged.
Writing that out it sounds like it would be super distracting but its not (for me). Possibly related to the phenomenon where some people work better with noise in the background rather than in silence. Clicking around might help maintain a minimum level of stimulation while reading.
Chewing gum does this for me. It’s the perfect level of low-level background stimulation to focus on important things.
There was a couple university classes where I found that playing Sudoku in class actually helped me learn the material, because I gained more in alertness than I lost in distraction.
When I was in school I couldn’t take notes. I couldn’t write fast enough, and trying to write things down occupied so much of my attention I couldn’t follow what the teacher was saying next. I should have learned shorthand; but instead I doodled. Somehow, keeping my hands busy kept my ears open.
I don’t have any stats, but wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of people (sometimes) read on a computer like that, by highlighting various bits as they go.
I understand the “recall in your own terms”, that sounds like very practical advice, even more in my case since english isn’t my mother language and thus I could try translating it, which would ensure a deeper understanding. Thanks.
I don’t see how the way that information is displayed (font size/spacing and using the scroll bar) could impact in the way I’m reading, could you explain that a little more?