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/lit/ - Literature

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[ERROR] No.2161885 [Reply] [Original]

Whenever I start reading a book, I stop after reading roughly 10 pages because I start thinking of other interesting stuff I could do during this moment, and I switch to those tasks instead. However, when I read small separated essays and articles, I can read all day long.

So basically, after reading just about 10-15 pages of the book I start thinking "Fuck, this book is going to take so much time to read - I could go and look up everything it talks about summed up in an article - I could go and do some more interesting stuff".

What's wrong with me? If I don't read the book in my spare time, but rather at work, when waiting for a bus, etc, I don't have such problems.

>> No.2161887

I have the exact same problem when watching movies. I have no problem watching 4 episodes of 60 minute long TV shows in a single sitting, but watching a 2 hour movie just feels like a waste of time.

Sorry that I can offer absolutely nothing useful, apart from a bump.

>> No.2161889

>>2161887
I meant 4 30 minute shows... derp

>> No.2161896

short attention span?

>> No.2161906
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[ERROR]

Basically you're a child with no focus.

>> No.2161907

Start focusing on getting to the end of a chapter rather than the book, and then choose books with short chapters (Cat's Cradle by Vonnegut, for example).
Eventually build up endurance by reading two chapters at a time. Then three and so on.

Also, try to legitimately focus on what's going on, if you are already, maybe the books you're reading ust don't appeal to you and you need to find ones that do.

>> No.2161915

>>2161906
>implying focus has anything to do with this

>> No.2161917
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>>2161915
Focus has everything to do with why you cannot sit still and do one task for a long time. You don't have what it takes son. Go and read more bite size pieces of writing.

Do you want me to cut up your steak for you, too, Gramps?

>> No.2161924

> do some more interesting stuff
like what?

>> No.2161932

>>2161924
Like read something more interesting.

>> No.2161933

>>2161932
so why are you reading books that you're not interested in?

if you're not interested, stop reading it, it does not matter

>> No.2161937

>>2161933
Because *I have* to read them because I need to learn about some topic. When I read interesting books, I never have such problems. Even when I was a child I could read several interesting books in one sitting, without distracting.

>> No.2161940

Have you tried reading anthologies of short stories?

>> No.2161955

>>2161937
well, attention deficit?

One thing that works for me is try to be more... focus on the reading. 'Boring' is just a sensation, you could just forget about it, when a boring feeling arises, just be more interested.

Happens to me with some studies, I know I found them boring, but forcing to pay all my attention in what I'm reading makes me kind of "shift" and I could read without a problem.


you could try some meditation exercises to strength your concentration too.

>> No.2162023

>>2161955
>well, attention deficit?

Well, when I really HAVE to read the book, I read it, even if it's uninteresting. But when I think of the stuff I want to learn as 'meh, it isn't really an important thing to learn' I lose my motivation to read the book after 15 pages.

Is this normal?

>> No.2162037

Theorem 4. The eigenvalues of a totally nonnegative matrix are real.

A simple proof of this fact relies upon exterior algebra. (See [2, pp. 167-172].) Given an nxn matrix A, the kth exterior power /\^k (A) of A may be defined to be the nCk x nCk matrix whose rows and columns are indexed by k-element subsets of [n] and whose I,J entry is Δ_(I,J) the I, J minor of A. The eigenvalues of /\^k (A) are then the nCk different products of the n eigenvalues of A, k at a time (including multiplicities).

>> No.2162043

Don't worry, I only read in the subway or at uninteresting classes. Never at home

>> No.2162055

>>2161937
>Because *I have* to read them because I need to learn about some topic.
Ah, so you are obligated to read these books, due to school or work, it sounds like. Well then, if you can't sustain interest in books that are written on your field, then have you considered whether you're in the wrong field?

>> No.2162057

I hate when my mind drifts and then I notice I've gone through a page without actually knowing what I just read. This used to happen a lot more when I was younger and I have forgotten large portions of books because of this, The Great Gatsby, Brave New World, other High school books.

>> No.2162059

I read at work, though, my job (I work night audit at a hotel) lends itself to a large amount of free time.

>> No.2162063

>>2162055 - cont.
i'm not saying that this would work for everyone, but i find it helpful to set a simple, mechanical countdown timer. get a really shitty $3 one, like you'd see in a grade-three classroom, that doesn't allow you to pause. Set it for 45–50 minutes and don't stop reading until it goes off. Fill out the rest of the hour with leisure time, getting some coffee, or whatever, then repeat.