66 sats \ 1 reply \ @StillStackinAfterAllTheseYears 2 Apr \ on: What techniques help you shift from a busy day to a focused reading mindset? BooksAndArticles
Great question, and I suspect the answer's different for everyone. In my case, I read at night before bed and on my commute to work (keeping noise-cancelling earbuds in to make it more viable.
But I also made a very conscious decision about ten years ago to take my lunch break. For years, I'd grab food and eat at my desk, and I'd either A) work or B) browse the net. So I started going to the break room or sitting outside and taking the entire hour and just reading and staying offline. That became my norm at the next two jobs, and being away from people (the break room generally was uncrowded and had a "don't disturb people" mentality) allowed me to shift my brain's focus and turn off the outside static.
It's become a lot harder when working from home (one of the few drawbacks), since there are more distractions, but I still try to carve out time when I can. My wife and I will also just agree to spend an evening or a weekend afternoon reading (and not interrupting each other with stuff that can wait), but it obviously helps to be on the same page already.
I'm not a big audiobook person, but I know a lot of folks who have shifted to them because it's easier to carve out audio time when driving or walking places.
Also, I try to be reading more than one thing at a time, as there are days when the stress is enough that I may need a lighter read, or my mood may lean more towards fiction or non-fiction.
Great advice thank you! I think I will start to take a real lunch break to give my mind some time to reset and break up the day. Even if I read or just go for a walk.
I have a hard time focusing on an audiobook also because I don't typically like to multi-task. However, I do listen to a lot of podcasts.
reply