Feedback Focus

Of the three strategies I practiced, I had only ever tried the reading out-loud strategy prior. I typically would only employ it when there was an interruptive noise nearby. I hadn't ever really tried it to keep focus in any other situation. However, after using it for the sake of paying attention, I easily found it to be my favorite strategy of the three. It requires more active brain usage, so I didn't ever find myself distracted at all. One downside, though, is that it's much harder to use when in public or around others. Frankly, I think it would be obnoxious to use in public. But for me personally, I rarely read in public places anyways. This method also is a double-edged sword. I definitely read at a slower rate through this technique, but I did find it easier to catch and retain most, if not all, of the details.

My next favorite tip was the copy-and-delete technique. This is something completely new to me. I sometimes will annotate my readings, but I really liked the concept of getting rid of the original material in the process. I think it forces me to better flesh out my ideas because the references are no longer there to provide context. I also see this much more beneficial with longer passages.  It's definitely a technique I could see myself using with material I'm not too interested in. But to be honest, it would take a lot of training to get myself to use this.

And that brings me to the timer method (aka my least favorite of the three). Why do I dislike this method of reading? I don't read. I focus way too much on how much time is left. It puts an unnecessary pressure on me, and as a result, I read (and retain) a significantly less amount of the material. I've never set a timer, per se, but I have given myself a specific amount of time to read. And just like I did with the timer, I kept looking at my phone to see how much time I had left to read. I could see this working for some people. Maybe if they don't like reading, a timer can give the perspective of how little time they are actually dedicating. I don't know, but I do know this is not a method I could use.

The best way I've found that makes me focus on reading is utilizing in-text benchmarks, such as the beginning of a new chapter. I should make a note, however. I do not mean giving myself a select number of pages to read. Then I'm busy thinking about how many pages are left (similar to the timer issue). I mean using those visual benchmarks. So I tell myself that I'll check my phone or get a snack when I hit the next chapter. It gives me a motivation that doesn't really provide anything that could distract me. It has nothing to do with time, so I don't care about a clock. I can use this method anywhere around anyone. It acts as a reward system that I react positively to.

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Image: Cactus Reading, via Pixabay