Any advice for a philosophy major that has trouble focusing?

>>8688798
Bump

>>8688798
The answer sucks but you just have to learn how to concentrate. There isn't a shortcut. Unless you take adderall, which is a bad habit and you'll find yourself needing it when you don't really NEED it

>>8688798
>>8687233

>>8688798
Stop using the internet, watching tv, using your phone except for calls and necessary messages. Only use computer for essential shit like banking, emails, necessary shopping (not "browsing"), class registration, etc

Meditate for at least 10 minutes daily, preferably 1 hour (can be spread across the day in 20 minute increments

Exercise daily

Don't give up if you lose focus. Simply note that it has occurred, forgive yourself, and keep reading

>>8688954

If you're meditating and exercising every day (both great things) then you won't have time to read philosophy.

>>8689203
Bullshit.

3-4 hours class
1 hour exercise
1 hour meditation
10 hours left for reading philosophy, jerking off, being a faggot undergrad

Split your 10 hour free time between work and "fun" and you'll be doing plenty of reading

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>>8688798
I am totally in the same boat OP. My entire life my reading comprehension has always been great, I've always been a good reader. But the real challenge for me is reading without thinking about anything else. I have ADHD and I always tell people that if they don't think its real they haven't experienced what I have when trying to read.
The downside to not being able to concentrate is that it is hard to finish books in a timely manner. However, on the other hand it forces you to take your time with the material. Still you want to be able to concentrate as much as possible. I've been trying to deduct just exactly why it is that I can't pay attention and I've noticed a few things.
When you're reading you want to make sure you don't reread the same sentences twice, its a habit we have to reread what we already have read but this is unnecessary. To combat this I've been reading with a bookmark; moving it over the sentence once I read it once so I can't go back. At first you'll find some trouble with this but if you just trust yourself that you "got" the sentence you'll start to improve.
I think the major thing for me though is to think about nothing while I'm reading other than reading. This is pretty difficult but I can think of no other mindset to adopt when you are reading a book. You want to be in conscious flow with the work. Allan Watts talks about the onesness of ourselves with experience and how inseparable are our feelings and thoughts with the moment of present experience. You are what you feel and what you think so if you want to read you have to BE the book, every word moment to moment. The second you think "I am reading" you arn't reading. It takes a lot of will to pull this off.
Another thing I've noticed is where I'll lose my train of thought. Often it is at a sentence that I find cryptic and not as easy to understand as something else. When this happens my eyes leave the page and I'll lose focus fast.
With philosophy specifically though don't feel so pressured to do a lot of reading in a short amount of time. For something like Plato if you do 10-15 pages an hour I'd consider that a good pace, just given how complicated the ideas are. However if you start to read more philosophy you'll notice how much easier fiction is to read. My average number of pages per sitting was around 6 for fiction before I started reading more philosophy, once I got better at it I could read 15-20 of fiction in one sitting. If you're reading philosophy take your time, don't pressure yourself into reading just to finish chapters. However when you do read it try to focus as much as you can and doing the things I said above.

>>8688839
This seems to make sense. I do think motivation is part of my issue
>>8688954
Will be doing this my friend. Thanks for you input
>>8689271
Thanks man this is some really helpful advice that I can relate to. I do have issues with emerging myself into my reading as well as trying to stay on task when the ideas get complicated. Zoning out is constant but your advice is very helpful, thank you.

Just abuse ritalin like everyone else.

>>8689221
You need more sleep than that. Some people also have jobs and other adult responsibilities believe it or not.

1) Write as you read. Even if it's just copying down quotes that you like and find interesting. It can also be helpful to read out loud. I'll sometimes read with a friend and we occasionally stop and read passages out loud to each other that we really like, and it can help solidify my understanding of that section since I form a more distinct memory.

2) Read small, manageable chunks at a time. Philosophy is dense. There's a lot of pressure to read the entire canon by the time you're 25, but that's just not going to happen. It should take you several months to get through a magnum opus like Being and Time, The Critique of Pure Reason, The Phenomenology of Spirit, etc. It's okay to just read 5 pages at a time if that's all you can handle that day.

3) Reduce your expectations. Closely and thoughtfully reading one of those works I just mentioned is a big deal. If you set a goal for yourself and say "I'm going to read 10 pages today, because at that pace I'll finish work x in y months," it can really help you focus on that day's reading. And just remember that you probably won't get/remember everything you read. People spend their entire lives studying one or two figures because this shit is so damn hard. Don't stress if you don't feel like you've gotten a book down on the first go. In fact, if you have, that author probably isn't worth reading.

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>>8690450
Yeah np, like I said I'm on the same journey to get better at this.
It also helps to not see the reading as a chore. You ever notice how you read the end of books faster than any other part? Thats how its been for me at least, if im 40 pages to the end I will power though it. This is because I have a genuine interest in it. If you can cultivate the same amount of interest about every part of the book you'll focus a lot better. Sometimes with fiction I'll try and do this by stopping my session at an exciting part so I have more initiative to pick it up later in the day. Thinking about the characters and creating suspense within yourself about the plot and where you think it can go will make you excited and drawn towards it to. Really all the solutions to focusing on a book always begin with the self. Before reading something intense I'll sometimes give myself a few minutes to meditate and adopt the right mindset. Reading philosophy will help you improve concentration though trust me, its a slow process, it will happen but you must be determined.
I'm just barely starting to notice a steady improvement and its really taken a long time.
Overall I think the main thing is once you notice you've lost your train of thought don't become frustrated, calmly acknowledged what has happened and begin reading again.

Secondary literature. I took Adderall as a child, but it made me into a zombie, because I'm actually ADHD (or just ADD, at the time, because it was before that and ADHD were rolled into single diagnoses). I hated it.

I mean, the primary literature is obviously better, but maybe check out some secondary sources to get an idea of what to look out for, while reading the primary texts.

>>8688798
Simple : read vulgarisation of the philosopher (like, for your pic, Koyré's course on the Phenomenology) until you are familiar enough with the work to read his actual texts without comprehension problems or difficulties keeping his train of thought. Watch videos or listen to podcasts if you're too lazy.

Then, once you've read the text you want and are familiar with it, read it again, but this time forgetting the vulgarisation, just focusing on the words in front of you.

If you still have time focusing, then you're probably not fit for philosophy ; just kill yourself I guess.

>>8688798
If you can't concentrate on reading philosophy then it's simply not for you, it's no big deal