You finally decided to read that book.
Only problem is: it’s loud.
Your kids are running around playing My Little Pony.
A movie is on.
You’re at the coffee shop because you thought it sounded romantic and wanted to separate yourself from the distractions on your phone. And the guy next to you is chatting about something juicy you can’t help but hear.
And so you get stuck.
You read the same sentence or paragraph over and over because you can’t hear your inner narration over the din.
You’re not a failure. Reading with background noise is difficult. When I lived a pre-parent life of luxury—in other words, silence—I struggled with it too.
But over time, as I became a guy who reads books for a living and had babies, I was forced to get over that hurdle.
Along the way, I figured out some tricks.
They’re yours now.
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1. Listen to instrumental music.
Got a pair of headphones?
Pop those babies in and take control of the sound. Blare it if you have to.
But choose something that doesn’t have any words in it.
I like Jazz (like Miles Davis’s Kind of Blue), classical music (this is a recent favorite!), French music (because I don’t understand it), and rock bands like Explosions in the Sky.
It might take some getting used to, but give it a page at a time. You’ll get through it if you keep working.
2. Mouth and/or whisper the words aloud.
Nobody’s looking at you, I promise.
Or if they are, screw ‘em.
You want to read.
When I get stuck with too much noise, I force the narration in my head by mouthing the words or straight-up whispering them aloud. If there’s noise around you, no one’s going to hear you anyway.
3. Put the book in front of your face or turn your back to the noise.
It’s distracting to hear conversations around you, but it’s even more distracting to see it playing out in front of you. Even if your eyes are looking down to the book on the coffee shop table, you still might be able to see them talking in your periphery.
And try telling me I can’t fully see someone when they’re in my periphery! My brain will take the challenge every time, forcing me to decipher what I’m seeing even if I can only see a sliver of them.
So stop seeing them.
Put the book directly in front of your face. Turn away from them. Block all visual distractions with only the cream-colored pages.
4. Use your finger to trace the words as you narrate them.
I know, I know—this sounds like homework! It sounds unfun to get all clinical like this. But you know what sounds even more unfun?
Not reading at all.
The more concentration you put toward that book the better. Go one word at a time.
5. It might be the book’s fault.
If you’re reading for an assignment, you might not be able to do this one. That’s okay. Even though I’m adding this in here because it’s real and genuine, you can work through the tips in this list and get through whichever book you want.
But it’s true—some books are harder than others. Despite loving him, I haven’t read Colson Whitehead in years. Probably since my first kid was born. His language is lovely, but his sentences, paragraphs, and chapters can run long, and he’s best read when you can think deeply about his decision making.
Picking up Whitehead in the middle of a chapter can be hard though. In the middle of a paragraph? Even harder. Since some of my reading is done while my kids are awake and around me, I have to stop in the middle of a chapter a lot. They need snacks or drinks or to go to the bathroom or the millions of other things I’m asked to do every day.
And if there is noise on top of it, it’s even harder. Some concepts can be difficult to understand, and the longer sentences can be circuitous and run-ons for style points. It makes for hard reading that even pros and academics would struggle with.
If you brought two books to the coffee shop like the lucky reader you are, try the other one. I’m already planning a post about reading multiple books at once, so I’ll have more tips on that soon. But if you have to switch, that’s okay too.
Here are some of my favorite indie picks that would be easy reading in public spaces:
The Edge of Water by Olofunke Grace Bankole (Tin House)
Backstitch by Marian Mitchell Donahue (Galiot Press)
The Red-Headed Pilgrim by Kevin Maloney (Two Dollar Radio)
6. Fight through it.
Strap on your boxing gloves.
This might seem like the most obvious advice I could give, but that’s only because it is. It doesn’t make it any less useful. Actually, it might be the most useful one on the list.
Remember when you told yourself it was too loud to pay attention?
Punch that excuse in the face.
Read one sentence over and over. Read one paragraph over and over. Just make it to the next page. It might be slow, it might take some straining and some finger-tracing, but the only way to break this reasoning is to break it with force. Keep trying.
Ever since I started having to read for work, I had to defeat the sound excuse. It took me some time, but I’ve now done it so many times that it just doesn’t phase me anymore. The mouthing device has become natural to me—I don’t even think about it before I start doing it. Same with the book in front of my face technique. They become second nature, and you become a pro at reading with noise.
So go to the coffee shop. Crack open the novel you’ve been wanting to read even though Paddington in Peru is on (again), and read one word after another.
What’s your favorite tip for how to focus on reading while in noisy places?
About the Author
Joe Walters is the founder of Independent Book Review. After falling in love with reading and writing at Kutztown University, he did the only thing he could think of: quit his teaching job, become a server, and write as much as possible.
When a local job in publishing popped up on a job board, he traded in his PF Chang’s apron for a bookish t-shirt and has been promoting indie press and self-published books ever since. He’s also the author of The Truth About Book Reviews. When he’s not writing or doing editorial or promotion work, he’s playing with his kids or reading indie books by Kindle light.
The post How to Focus on Reading in Noisy Places appeared first on Independent Book Review.