"But like every habit, the only thing you have to do is to keep at it. And if you pay enough attention to it, something will click in your brain."
This is also a great line. We all know the previous sentences but the 'sth will click' is not well-known. I experienced it when reading long novels from Trollope (and I have ADHD).
Upon my third 800-page novel, my reading speed quadrupled, and my concentration came back to me.
I've been trying to motivate myself to read more. I also have ADHD and the constant content drip is like catnip, despite my best efforts (switching to a Minimal Phone, disabling my youtube feed/history, etc...)
I used to be a voracious reader and I LOVED books. They were the distraction I used to escape the world, rather than youtube videos. Or I'd pick up my guitar. Or teach myself how to set up an IRC server. I miss the days when I had that kind of attention and desperately wish I could get it back.
You've given me hope that it's possible.
It is def possible. There's a quack on Tiktok claiming ADHD is 'the failure of exec function' and 'no matter what you won't achieve your goals' which is definitely not true. But then he is selling pills, so it makes sense.
ADHD can worsen if:
1. you avoid sunshine and daily walks in nature.
2. don't sleep early and skip morning exercise and breakfast.
3. watch short videos or even long ones for 'fun'.
After taking care of these three, the next step is to claim your attention back by reading long books. It's not that difficult. As all real ADHDs know, even doing toilet needs dopamine and is hard to do (boring). So I place a book on the ledge beside me, and when I toilet, I just read. I've read four such novels in two months now, and all in the toilet!
I discovered now that I can read anything just as fast and my attention stays and my brain works better. Try it. Trollope is great, but only if you're a overthinker like me. I recommend Lewis's "The Monk" if you're into morality/ethics + adventure, or Lermontov's "A hero of our time" if you want to see poetry in prose, and also learn a lot of street wisdom (the kind we ADHDs usually lack). I read both BTW (see my blog for reviews, link on my HN profile).
And finally, don't ever be discouraged. That mental model is easy to fall into, but there are many mental models! :)
jan_m_savage · · focus · HN ↗
This is also a great line. We all know the previous sentences but the 'sth will click' is not well-known. I experienced it when reading long novels from Trollope (and I have ADHD).
Upon my third 800-page novel, my reading speed quadrupled, and my concentration came back to me.
hexapus · · focus · HN ↗
I used to be a voracious reader and I LOVED books. They were the distraction I used to escape the world, rather than youtube videos. Or I'd pick up my guitar. Or teach myself how to set up an IRC server. I miss the days when I had that kind of attention and desperately wish I could get it back.
You've given me hope that it's possible.
jan_m_savage · · focus · HN ↗
ADHD can worsen if:
1. you avoid sunshine and daily walks in nature. 2. don't sleep early and skip morning exercise and breakfast. 3. watch short videos or even long ones for 'fun'.
After taking care of these three, the next step is to claim your attention back by reading long books. It's not that difficult. As all real ADHDs know, even doing toilet needs dopamine and is hard to do (boring). So I place a book on the ledge beside me, and when I toilet, I just read. I've read four such novels in two months now, and all in the toilet!
I discovered now that I can read anything just as fast and my attention stays and my brain works better. Try it. Trollope is great, but only if you're a overthinker like me. I recommend Lewis's "The Monk" if you're into morality/ethics + adventure, or Lermontov's "A hero of our time" if you want to see poetry in prose, and also learn a lot of street wisdom (the kind we ADHDs usually lack). I read both BTW (see my blog for reviews, link on my HN profile).
And finally, don't ever be discouraged. That mental model is easy to fall into, but there are many mental models! :)