Boredom, Follow-Through, & The Myth of Multitasking

I've noticed an increasingly problematic habit surfacing in my life lately. Although this has been a pattern of mine for years, the intensity of it seems to be escalating. I currently have six books I'm trying to simultaneously read, and it's not working out too well. 

When I try to get underneath why I'm attempting to multitask between all these titles, the culprit seems to be boredom. To be clear, the text I've selected are not boring. Instead, my ability to attend to the text has become increasingly fractured, like a splintered bone that refuses to heal. Whether I'm listening to an audiobook, reading on my Ipad, or have a hard copy of the book in my hand, I can't seem to stay invested for longer than fifteen minutes at a time. 

The ideas presented in these books are fascinating, compelling, and engaging—yet my ability to stay focused and finish a book before beginning another one seems to be dwindling. In the book, Atlas of the Heart, boredom is defined as the uncomfortable state of wanting to engage in a satisfying activity, but being unable to do it. Turning the final page of book is one of the most pleasurable feelings in the world. However, when you have too many irons in the fire, your sense of satisfaction wanes and reading starts to feel like a chore. 

During 2021, the only book I recall devouring in a 48 hour period was Kristin Hannah's The Four Winds. This binge reading experience occurred during the historic ice storm that left us without power and heat for a week. Instead, I've begun to treat books like a buffet, sampling a few pages or chapter, then turning my attention elsewhere. I'm annoying myself. 

As I investigate, observe, and analyze this problem, a few patterns are beginning to emerge. 

• I spend more time looking for new titles to put on the hold at the library than I actually spend reading the books I aspire to finish. 
• I have shiny ball syndrome—the name commonly given to this phenomenon whereby individuals constantly change their goals or focus every time they see a new “shiny ball” of potential.
• If my iPhone, iPad, or Macbook are nearby, I'm going to get distracted. 
• Too many tabs open at once has become a way of life for me, and it's exhausting. 
• Notifications are a drug, and I'm addicted.

I'm still in the early phases of the problem/solution cycle, so I don't currently have any ideas for tackling this nasty habit. For today, I'm just admitting that multitasking between multiple books a myth.