It's been on the bedside table, bag or desk for weeks. Do you want to finish the novel recommended by a friend or you need to finish reading a book in order to prepare yourself for the next business project. But every time you start reading, you get bored quickly or your mind goes elsewhere. Fortunately, it is possible to overcome that boredom and finish your reading!
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Choosing the Ideal Reading Environment
Step 1. Schedule a reading session
Choose a place and how much time you want to spend reading or what page you hope to get to. Don't try to go on, reading the rest of the book in one go. Mentally visualize which is the path to follow, so that it is achievable. That way you won't be disheartened at how much you have left to read.
- Read on until the time you set ends if you feel like it.
- If you can't find time to read, you will never be able to finish any reading!
- Make it a point to finish one or two chapters a day. Complete them and the reading will seem lighter and more rewarding.
Step 2. Choose a space you like
Find a quiet, well-lit, and airy place. Avoid places that make you nervous. Do not think that the library itself is an appropriate environment for this task. Some people are able to concentrate better in the park, with their backs against a tree. If you are indoors, find somewhere clean and organized.
Avoid distractions. Do not read near a TV or computer. Turn off your phone if you can
Step 3. Get everything you might need
Grab a few sheets of paper and a pen to take notes, jot down sudden ideas or insights. Have a bottle of water and something nutritious to eat nearby. Nuts are a great choice, but so are fruit. Natural sugars, such as those contained in apples or oranges, immediately offer an energy boost to mental functions, including memory.
Step 4. Take caffeine
Coffee and tea can have an incredible effect on the ability to concentrate. However, don't overdo it, as excessive consumption can make you agitated and distracted. Each coffee quality and preparation method offers a different amount of caffeine. The same goes for tea, which is commercially available in a wide variety of flavors and is a healthier choice.
Be aware of the other effects of caffeine on the body, including potential health implications. Do not take more than 400 mg per day
Step 5. Use a bookmark
Put a mark on the page you arrived at. If you have a hard time finding where you left off your reading earlier, you may be overwhelmed with despair and will have a hard time concentrating when you have to resume reading. On the other hand, if you find the page without too much effort, it won't hurt to take the book back and continue your work profitably.
Instead of a common bookmark, use something that positively predisposes you to reading, such as a photo or inspiring quote
Part 2 of 3: Mentally Focus on the Book
Step 1. Imagine your adventure
If you are reading a story, pretend you are the protagonist. Alternatively, change things up a bit by playing the antagonist. By analyzing the plot, you can also pretend to be a second-rate (or fictional) character. Get involved in the events of the protagonists based on the point of view you have chosen.
Step 2. Recognize the value of the book through its contents
If you are reading a technical text, take a break when you don't understand something. Reread a paragraph when you have not fully grasped its meaning. If you get to grasp the concepts well, the use of the text will be more enjoyable and you will continue reading with greater motivation.
- Look for the meaning of words and concepts you don't understand. By broadening your cognitive paths and enriching your knowledge base, you will tend to enter into a relationship with the book you are reading.
- Appreciate learning new information and be proud of it.
Step 3. Make the book a topic for discussion
Ask your friends if they have read it. If they know it, ask a few questions about the story, the plot, the concepts contained within, and so on. Knowing that someone else has read it or is reading it, you will feel a sense of sharing that can make you want to continue reading.
Step 4. Find a similar or discordant version
Learn more by examining different testimonies and perspectives, or by reading various stories from the same period or context. By comparing and comparing what other works report with what you have already read, you will be able to not lose interest in the book you have to finish. However, avoid turning all your attention to other texts, but try to learn the information necessary to better understand the book in question or increase your interest.
Step 5. Strive to overcome the hardest steps
When you are intent on reading a book, do not be discouraged by a possibly boring passage. Remember that an uninteresting piece of music may set the stage for something that will be more important or compelling later on.
Part 3 of 3: Remember Why It's Worth Reading
Step 1. Remember why you are reading a particular book
Clearly ask yourself: "Why am I reading this?" An important distinction to make is whether you are reading it out of obligation or for pleasure. Based on the answer, the approach changes. If you have to, keep in mind the reasons why you must read it, as they will help you keep your attention and the desire to continue reading alive.
- Determine if you want or need to terminate it. If it is a compulsory reading, do you have the opportunity to read a summary or just some parts?
- If you're reading it for pleasure, but don't find it interesting, reevaluate your desire to continue. Realize that many times people don't finish their reading. If you don't intend to finish it, don't!
Step 2. Read a summary of the book
If you are reading a difficult or rather technical text, try to frame it in a broader view. What is it about? Is there anything at a later stage that might interest you? Try to understand what it can offer you. This way you will be motivated to continue.
For those who read in English, it is possible to use SparkNotes or CliffsNotes. These are websites or publications that offer essential explanations about a book and that can give you the information you are looking for. However, avoid relying too much on the abstracts they propose, because they do not give as deep and careful an insight as that offered by the original text. Use them only when you want to have a brief understanding of the contents of a book
Step 3. Accept the task of reading
Consider the words of writer David Foster Wallace, who often writes about the mundane and boring aspects of human life: "Bliss - a mixture of joy to be savored second by second and gratitude for the gift of being alive and conscious - is on the other side. of depressing boredom ". Wallace's editor explained how the author sought to analyze boredom, not only because it is an inevitable aspect of life, but also because it can lead to joy. Remember, as you read your book, that on the next page you may gain deeper awareness or make a good discovery!
