Lesson: In our journey with ‘The Focused Reader,’ let’s explore a concept I learned from a meditation course that applies beautifully to reading: using feathers, anchors, and forgiveness to enhance focus. First, the feather. When you find your mind wandering while reading, imagine lightly touching that distracting thought with a feather. This gentle acknowledgment letsContinue reading Day 3 – Feathers, Anchors, and Forgiveness
It is getting easier to read. I noted about the 12 minute mark in my mind started to drift a bit more than the first 11 minutes. It’s raining today so part of my distraction was actually hearing the rain hitting the window. It was able to use that feather method to keep me on track.
I did not experience any anchors, that I’m aware of. I was very focused and I’m thankful for the timer, which makes it easier to read for a longer period of time.
Forgiveness came in the form of my focus on keeping my Ford advancement. But I mean is that I didn’t let the light things (rain, cat, running across my lap, a few current issues that are pending, etc.) from taking me away from reading more than a second or two. I was OK with this. Generally, I get very frustrated when I can’t stay on track. This reminder to forgive is very useful
There was some mind-wandering today – especially when a UPS delivery interrupted my flow (my wife wasn’t available to deal with the delivery) – and I just had some thoughts racing about what was a relatively busy day. But nothing too drastic.
I completely agree with the idea of bringing yourself back to full attention gently. I would argue that there’s nothing “woo-woo” about it at all. I’m a longtime meditator and have learned the only way to deal with monkey mind is to gently re-establish my focus without hitting myself over the head with a hammer. I don’t use the image of a feather, but the concept is the same.
I like the feathers idea to gently remind me to turn my attention back to my reading
I had 2 very brief mind distractions, like 2 seconds each and then was immediately back to my focus. The pages were so interesting and exciting and that kept my attention and drew me back to the story. I’m trying to read slower but found my mind was already reading a few words ahead…it was an interesting observation. I haven’t listened to your Reading Slower podcast yet but will. Thank you Eddy!
Just wanted to say that the analog timer has been an incredible addition! It’s such a simple thing but it works perfectly. Previously I used my phone’s timer, but with any notification I got distracted thinking it was the timer.
Most of my distractions are usually related to me having a question (where exactly is a city, how does a clothing item look, etc) Writing it down helps to not wander off to my phone
I felt great about this session – I chose my fiction book because yesterday was a long, mentally taxing day and I was tired. I chose to annotate in a way I recently learned, writing down characters as they are introduced and thinking through themes. I was tempted to search for guidance on how to find themes in fiction, but I encouraged myself to just THINK about it instead. I didn’t feel very distractible during this session.
My distractions are four footed. They bark and meow if I am not with them. Yelling at them really does not stop the noise anyway! I like the use of the feather to use with meditation too.
I like the idea of the feather… I get distracted by everything ~ other books, things I think I should be doing… while trying to meditate, I start thinking about whether I’m using the correct mantra ☺️ but I’m going to persevere… I do read every day but it’s not staying in…
My biggest anchor is exhaustion. I wait too late to read and then fall asleep. I’m assaulted by a lot of other thoughts, too, but sleep is the biggest one. I notice, constantly, my need to know and remember every detail—and fear of not doing so. I have. A lot of mental chatter, but it all shrinks in comparison to that sleepy exhaustion.
I used the feather technique and discovered that an interfering thought that would not go away was the thought that I was not smart enough to understand the author of The Spirit of Hope. Thus, I journaled about that belief, and in the process of forgiving myself for my perceived intellectual deficiency, I realized that perhaps the author’s writing style was so convoluted that he was at least partially responsible for my issues with understanding his treatise.
This activity was decidedly important in my process of applying what I have read.