Reading mindfully

By Stella Cottrell

To get more out of your reading session, it's worth asking yourself how you deal with the following aspects:

Selecting the most relevant passages
Settling down to reading
Making sense of the material
Staying focused and getting through the text
Drawing on sources appropriately in your assignments: synthesis of information

Each component poses its own challenges.

Being present

– more mindful –

in your reading can make you aware of your readiness to take on information.

‘Mindless reading’ – or reading ‘on autopilot’

I sometimes read paragraphs, or even several pages, without taking in a word of what I've read.

Sounds like me

Not at all like me

Looks like you’re reading ‘on autopilot’ alongside other tasks such as listening to music, eating, walking, and maybe even taking notes. You’re combining the technical act of reading with comprehending the meaning of what you read and critiquing it. The downside of this is that you can drift off into thoughts, or even into focusing on a second task, without realising.

Don't worry: you're not alone. This article provides strategies to help you read with focus.

Great! You’re good at staying focused on your reading and rarely, if ever, do it ‘on autopilot’ alongside other tasks such as listening to music, eating, walking, and maybe even taking notes. You’ve got a solid base to work from, and this article will show you how mindfulness can enhance your focus.

You’re probably so good at reading that you can do it ‘on autopilot’ alongside other tasks such as listening to music, eating, walking, and maybe even taking notes.

You can combine the technical act of reading with comprehending the meaning of what you read and critiquing it.

The downside of this is that you can drift off into thoughts, or even into focusing on a second task, without realising.

You’re probably so good at reading that you can do it ‘on autopilot’ alongside other tasks such as listening to music, eating, walking, and maybe even taking notes.

You can combine the technical act of reading with comprehending the meaning of what you read and critiquing it.

The downside of this is that you can drift off into thoughts, or even into focusing on a second task, without realising.

Why this matters

This can be especially frustrating for students as reading constitutes such a large part of study and available time. If your attention keeps drifting, this can have several unwanted consequences. Here are just a few:

It may not be obvious to you that you have missed essential information needed in order to understand and apply the material.

It’s likely that you’ll need to re-read passages or even pages.

You lose precious time as a result – time that could have been spent on other things such as catching up with friends or family, snoozing, exercising or unwinding with hobbies.

You waste time available for other aspects of study or that assignment.

It can feel boring repeating tasks, thereby increasing the potential for impatience to finish and superficial reading.

‘Mindless reading’ – or reading ‘on autopilot’

If you’ve ever read paragraphs, or even several pages, without taking in a word of what you have read, you’re not alone.

You’re probably so good at reading that you can do it ‘on autopilot’ alongside other tasks such as listening to music, eating, walking, and maybe even taking notes. You can combine the technical act of reading with comprehending the meaning of what you read and critiquing it.

The downside of this is that you can drift off into thoughts, or even into focusing on a second task, without realising.

Why this matters

This can be especially frustrating for students as reading constitutes such a large part of study and available time.

If your attention keeps drifting, this can have several unwanted consequences:

It may not be obvious to you that you have missed out essential information needed in order to understand and apply the material
It’s likely that you’ll need to re-read passages or even pages
You lose precious time as a result – time that could have been spent on other things such as catching up with friends or family, snoozing, exercising or unwinding with hobbies
You waste time available for other aspects of study or that assignment
It can feel boring repeating tasks, thereby increasing the potential for impatience to finish and superficial reading rather than being fully focused and interested

Reading more mindfully

Reading is a task that calls on cognitive skills, such as concentration, information processing and recall, that research shows benefit from meditation. If you build your practice over several weeks and continue it across your course, you are likely to improve your:

Reading persistence
Understanding and recall of what you read

Select the tabs below to view five ways to sharpen your focus when reading.

First, do a brief study ‘warm-up’. You might like to try out one of the guided audio meditations on the Mindfulness for Students companion website. Focus your attention on that, rather than thinking ahead to the reading
Open your eyes and come back to the room. Stretch a little
Bring your focus to the reading task ahead

What thoughts and behaviours do you bring to reading that undermine your focus and effectiveness for the task? Use this page to help you identify some of your more typical responses and jot down others that you notice in yourself
How well do you prepare reading tasks before launching into them? What could you change about your preparation? For example, if you are reading online, you might find it helpful to download a PDF of the article or chapter to your desktop or device, rather than read it in your browser.

Select your reading thoughtfully. Before starting to read, consider the purpose of your reading. What do you need to find out? Jot down your questions where you can see them, to steer your reading
Check the best place to locate that information: browse the text and its index to locate what you need
When reading, just read. Be fully present in the act of reading. Focus your awareness on understanding the text. What is the writer saying? What does that mean (in your words)? What is significant about that?
If you intend to make notes, read a relevant passage or section first. Pause. Consider how this is relevant to your reading purpose. Summarize this in your own words, aloud if possible. Note that down. Then find the next relevant section and repeat

If you notice that your mind is drifting off when reading, acknowledge this. Sit with that awareness for a moment and take it in.

Re-focus your attention. Find a specific question to focus on when you’re reading, if needed.

Check whether your reading schedule is too harsh, with too much reading forced into too short a time for you to remain focused. Aim to:

Spread reading tasks out across the week, semester and year
Break reading into sections with scheduled breaks. This is especially important if you are reading on a screen. Following the 20-20-20 rule can help you avoid tired eyes and headaches. Every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break and focus on something that is at least 20 feet (or 6 metres) away from you
Be more selective in which sections you read, especially if you read slowly
Allow sufficient time to read and absorb complex material

You'll find practical pointers on how to make self-kindness part of your study routine in this blog.