# Concentration issues **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 6, 2020, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-issues/914524 "2020-07-06T18:48:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![awahl1138](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@awahl1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awahl1138)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-issues/914524/1 "2020-07-06T18:48:36Z")
Hi! New here. I didn’t immediately see introduction threads so let this rather sad admission be people’s first impression of me. Is concentration an issue for anybody else? Specifically reading. There’s so many interesting books out there that I’ve never gotten around to reading or if I have, I have trouble finishing them. This isn’t always true. There’s been a few books over the last year or so that I’ve finished but I can probably count them on one hand. By the same token, it’s not good to force things either; I think if you’re truly interested by something instead of telling yourself you “have to” or you “should”, then it will be a pleasure without too much contortion. I also think books ought to be treated as less sacred than they are, not everything should be treated with equal respect and it’s totally legitimate to enjoy it (or not) in the way _you_ want to, not in an ivory tower sense. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-issues/914524/2 "2020-07-06T19:10:16Z")
Hey, welcome and all. Just wanted to mention that I reported your thread’s misspelled title. Unless it was intentional as a way to show your concentration issue, then sorry. Anyway, hope someone can help you. I blame my lack of concentration on age and a lifetime of debauchery. ---
**Author:** ![awahl1138](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@awahl1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/awahl1138)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-issues/914524/3 "2020-07-06T19:11:08Z")
Ah, nope, certainly not intentional, oops ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-issues/914524/4 "2020-07-06T19:33:53Z")
Moderator Note - Thread title fixed. ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-issues/914524/5 "2020-07-06T19:44:19Z")
I’ve always had an issue with concentration. As a student I spent a lot of time looking out the window, or just thinking about other things. Most of my reading consists of skimming, and I usually can’t wait for a book or movie to end. ---
**Author:** ![VOW](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/vow/32/3043_2.png) [@VOW](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VOW)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2020, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-issues/914524/6 "2020-07-06T21:07:53Z")
Have any of you with concentration problems tried audiobooks? You could have a wire loose somewhere in the “visual reading” part of your brain. Audiobooks bypass that loose wire on a different pathway. ~VOW ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-issues/914524/7 "2020-07-07T01:11:04Z")
I can listen for about 15-20 minutes, then I’m done. I skim with my ears as well as my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-issues/914524/8 "2020-07-07T01:19:44Z")
Audiobooks totally turn me on. I have several readers that I follow And find new books. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-issues/914524/9 "2020-07-07T13:54:46Z")
Perhaps it’s not you, but your current environment. haven’t been engrossed in a book since the pandemic began. Any narrative for that matter that posits a world where people can interact physically. Reality is so stifling right now, I can’t suspend it long enough to concentrate on much else. ---
**Author:** ![lobotomyboy63](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobotomyboy63/32/2900_2.png) [@lobotomyboy63](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lobotomyboy63)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-issues/914524/10 "2020-07-07T14:13:54Z")
Welcome, awahl1138! I don’t read nearly enough. My attention span has never been great. Still, if I find something I **really** like, I can get pretty engrossed in it. When I hit these patches of things I like, my concentration improves. We also listened to one of the Dexter novels on audiobooks, as well as “You Can’t Go Home Again.” Listening was ok if the narrator is decent, but reading to yourself will always be better IMO. A few things I’ve read in the past year or so (spoilering in hopes that they don’t take up too much space on members’ phones): [https://www.amazon.com/Nomadland-Surviving-America-Twenty-First-Century/dp/039324931X](https://www.amazon.com/Nomadland-Surviving-America-Twenty-First-Century/dp/039324931X) [Amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/Self-Published-Kindling-Memoirs-Homeless-Bookstore-ebook/dp/B00E9DHKG6/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=bookstore+homeless&qid=1594130474&s=books&sr=1-1) And [Amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/Manifold-Destiny-Guide-Cooking-Engine/dp/1416596232/ref=sr_1_1?crid=36DDMZVY2JPGY&dchild=1&keywords=manifold+destiny+cookbook&qid=1594130515&s=books&sprefix=manifold%2Cstripbooks%2C209&sr=1-1) One I got but can’t seem to get into—she seemed to live an interesting life but this isn’t taking off for me: [Amazon.com](https://www.amazon.com/What-Girls-Are-Good-Nellie-ebook/dp/B07K5QK6NR/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=Nelly+BLy&qid=1594130581&s=books&sr=1-9) ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-issues/914524/11 "2020-07-07T14:22:31Z")
Speaking of Concentration, Hugh Downs dies last week. ---
**Author:** ![Ryz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ryz/32/13213_2.png) [@Ryz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ryz)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-issues/914524/12 "2020-07-07T15:36:10Z")
Welcome @awahl1138, I myself have only been here a short while. As for concentration, It depends what I’m doing, with reading it a can lat a few minutes of an hour or two. Computer games last for hours though. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-issues/914524/13 "2020-07-07T17:00:03Z")
My concentration went down the drain years ago. Partially because of my work (jumping from task to task), partially due to internet. One of the suggestions I read (on a message board) was to read something easy, that would keep my attention. So I went and re-read a mystery, which helped me get in the mood for sitting and reading, rather than jumping from one topic to another. And the weather helped. Nice rainy weekend. Don’t feel obligated to finish a book, unless it’s for school/work. It’s okay to set it aside and pick it up later. And even decide it’s not for you. ---
**Author:** ![PlaceboTarget](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/placebotarget/32/1073_2.png) [@PlaceboTarget](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlaceboTarget)\ **Post date:** [July 7, 2020, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/concentration-issues/914524/14 "2020-07-07T18:51:57Z")
> [@awahl1138](#): > > Is concentration an issue for anybody else? Hello and welcome. Concentration is not an issue for me. I can actually perform two major tasks at the same time, which I often do to maximize productivity. To do this, I avoid working in a team or being under pressure. I am generally partner free and stress free. My focus is excellent. Motivation is another element that can boost your concentration. A stressor can sometimes turn into a motivator. Most of the time I can muster my energy to pursue a goal that I find rewarding. When the stressor (no matter how motivating it may be) becomes overwhelming, I take a break and relax. I may even lie down for 30 minutes. When I rise, I feel fresh and energetic, ready to focus for another 8 hours.