5 Habits that Will Help You Read for Longer

For moments where you feel your concentration is waning — try eliminating distractions

Have you ever got one page into a book and felt your mind beginning to wander? You’re reading the words, but actually, you’re thinking about what to have for dinner or adding those final finishing touches to a piece of work you were doing earlier on in the day.

We’ve all been there — me included — in many ways, it is no surprise that many of us find it difficult to concentrate on a book for longer than a few minutes at a time. We live our lives through our screens and on social media, where we are trained to absorb information and read things in the shortest time possible.

So, you finally set aside some time to read each day, but your concentration is suffering. You're reading the words, but nothing is going in. You find yourself picking up your phone, replying to text messages and liking Instagram posts in between each paragraph. Similar to a broken sleep cycle, this way of reading may suggest that you are struggling with concentration.

For many reasons — this could be a struggle. But here are some habits that you can implement to improve your concentration whilst reading.

Eliminate Your Distractions

Many of us know the importance of this, but very few probably do it, especially whilst reading. When you set aside time for reading, eliminate every single distraction that could get in your way. Whether that’s your phone, laptop, bright lights, a TV, or imminent deadlines — remove them just for a moment — as this will reduce the mind from wandering.

Go to a place in your house or apartment, where you won’t be confronted by distractions. If you need to have your phone on, set it on vibrate, silent or do not disturb for the time you are reading. In this way, notifications won’t come through and you can concentrate on the book in front of you.

Reading whilst texting or scrolling is bound to hinder on your concentration — it will morph into a kind of passive reading experience — ultimately, reducing its benefits.

Read First thing Whenever You Wake Up

The jury’s still out on whether the mind is more active in the morning or evening — however, we know that when we wake up, our minds are more alert and aware than they are before we sleep.

Although reading can be beneficial to getting good nights sleep, as it helps the mind wind down, often, people will only use this time in the day to read — and they find it difficult to concentrate or may even fall asleep.

Setting some time aside as soon as you wake up to read, will be more beneficial. You’ll likely be able to concentrate more on what you are reading and will get more out of it. Whether you are a morning or a night person — it doesn’t matter — just make sure to read as soon as you start your day. Make it part of your ritual — instead of scrolling through Instagram in the morning — pick up your book instead.

Set a Goal

Setting a goal of how much you want to read, or how long for, can make it easier to concentrate on the task in hand. If you have no goal in sight, then reading may be harder to stick to. If you want to read more, start with small goals, such as 10–20 pages a day, make it a habit, and then build it up.

Like having a to-do list, the satisfaction that comes with ticking off a goal may help you with the motivation you need to extend your concentration and get more out of what you are reading. This habit will also make it easier to eliminate distractions as you know, it will only be 10 minutes or so before you can reply to that demanding email or get on with work.

By all means, you can always go beyond the goal— it shouldn’t be restrictive — but merely, a means to stay on track.

Listen to Instrumental Music

Sirens, traffic and screaming children — that’s what I can hear in the background on a daily basis. This kind of constant noise can make it harder to concentrate for longer periods of time. Sometimes, when I’m struggling, I like to listen to instrumental or classic music whilst I read.

This acts as a distraction from the present whilst also taking away from the background noise which can cause the mind to wander and make it harder to concentrate. Instrumental music, in particular, is soft and easy to listen to, therefore, it can even make you feel more relaxed and able to concentrate on what you’re reading more.

If you’re stressed out, or anxious, your mind is more likely to wander and have difficulties focusing.

Reading More than One Book at a Time

A lot of readers disagree on this — but I’ve always done it. The best thing about reading more than one book at once is that you can switch between the two. If one day, you wake up, and you really don’t fancy reading one of the books you’ve started, then you can switch to the other.

Rather than not reading anything you can be getting on with another book that you do fancy reading. I usually have a non-fiction and a fiction book on the go at the same time, or two completely different genre books, just so I don’t get mixed up. You can also mix up the formats and be reading one physical book, and an e-book at the same time.

By doing this — you are less likely to ditch a daily reading habit — and it keeps your mind in check and busy to switch between different genres.

I started off the year well and read a lot, but during the Autumn, my concentration began to waver and I realised it was because I was passively reading things. I would read for 5 minutes, pick up my phone to scroll through something, and then resume my reading.

It was a broken style of reading, and I was struggling to read for longer than 10 minutes and was getting through books at a snail pace — which wasn’t what I wanted to do.

These habits are designed to help you to increase your concentration whilst reading, so you get more out of the time you set aside to do so. I hope they help.

Thanks for reading.