ADHD and Reading: Why You Can't Concentrate on Books (and What Actually Helps)

"I Used to Love Reading"

If I had a pound for every time a client has said that to me, I would have a very full jar. It is one of the most common things I hear in my mentoring sessions, and it usually comes with a look of genuine sadness.

"I used to read all the time as a kid. I would devour books. And now I can't get through a single chapter without my mind going somewhere else entirely."

Does that sound familiar? You pick up a book. You read a page. By the bottom of that page, you realise you have absolutely no idea what you just read. Your eyes were moving over the words, but your brain was thinking about that email you need to send, or what to have for dinner, or that embarrassing thing you said in 2014. So you go back to the top of the page and try again. And the same thing happens. Again.

Eventually you put the book down, feeling frustrated and a bit rubbish. Maybe you scroll your phone instead, because at least that gives your brain the quick-hit stimulation it is craving. And then you feel guilty about that too.

Here is what I need you to know: this is not a you problem. This is an ADHD problem. And there are genuine, practical things you can do about it.

Why ADHD Makes Reading So Hard

Working Memory Overload

Reading is, at its core, a working memory task. You need to hold the sentence you just read in your mind while reading the next one. You need to remember what happened three pages ago to understand what is happening now. You need to keep track of characters, plot threads, arguments, and context, all while decoding the words on the page.

Dr Russell Barkley's research has consistently shown that ADHD significantly impairs working memory. In his landmark work Executive Functions (2012), Barkley found that adults with ADHD have approximately 30% less working memory capacity than their neurotypical peers. That is not a small difference. It means the mental workspace you have for holding and processing information while reading is genuinely smaller.

This is why you can read an entire page and retain nothing. Your working memory ran out of space, and the information just fell off the edge.

Sustained Attention Deficits

ADHD does not mean you cannot pay attention. It means you cannot always control what you pay attention to. Your brain is constantly scanning for the most stimulating thing in your environment, and unfortunately, a page of text often loses that competition to your phone, a noise outside, or your own thoughts.

Research published in Neuropsychology (Willcutt et al., 2005) found that sustained attention deficits are one of the most consistent cognitive findings in ADHD. Reading a book, particularly one that is not immediately gripping, requires exactly the kind of sustained, low-stimulation focus that ADHD brains find hardest to maintain.

The Mind-Wandering Problem

There is a specific type of mind-wandering that ADHD brains are particularly prone to: task-unrelated thought, where your mind drifts to something completely disconnected from what you are reading. Research by Seli and others (2015) found that people with ADHD experience significantly more task-unrelated mind-wandering during reading tasks than neurotypical controls, and that this directly correlated with poorer comprehension.

The frustrating thing is that this happens automatically. You do not choose to stop paying attention. Your brain just... leaves. And by the time you notice it has gone, you have "read" two pages with zero comprehension.

A client once described it perfectly: "It is like my brain is a dog at a park. It is supposed to be walking beside me, but there are squirrels everywhere."

The Interest-Based Nervous System

This is the key to understanding why some people with ADHD can read for hours when the book is right, and cannot get through a single page when it is not. Dr William Dodson coined the term "interest-based nervous system" to describe how ADHD brains are primarily motivated by interest, challenge, novelty, and urgency, not by importance or obligation.

If a book captures your interest, you can hyperfocus on it for hours, losing track of time entirely. But if it does not, your brain treats it as an irrelevant task and actively resists engaging with it. This is why people with ADHD can often read fiction they love but struggle with textbooks, work documents, or books they feel they "should" read.

The Shame Spiral

Before I get into strategies, I want to acknowledge something. There is real shame attached to this. We live in a culture that values reading. "I love reading" is something people put on dating profiles, job applications, and social media bios. Not being able to read feels like a failure, something you should be able to just force yourself to do.

Many of my clients tell me they have stacks of unread books on their bedside table. Books they bought with genuine excitement and then never finished. Every time they look at those books, they feel a pang of guilt.

If that is you, I want you to stop looking at those books as evidence of failure. They are evidence of interest and curiosity. You bought them because something sparked your attention. The fact that your brain makes it hard to follow through on that spark is ADHD, not a character flaw.

Strategies That Actually Work

Alright. Let's get practical. These are strategies I use with clients, and they are all designed to work with your ADHD brain rather than against it.

1. Audiobooks and Read-Along Combos

For many ADHD brains, listening is easier than reading visually. Audiobooks allow you to:

• Listen while walking, cleaning, cooking, or doing other light physical tasks (the movement helps maintain focus)
• Speed up the narration to match your brain's processing speed (1.5x or 2x speed works brilliantly for many people with ADHD)
• "Read" during times when sitting still with a book would be impossible

Even better: follow along in a physical book while listening to the audiobook. This engages both auditory and visual processing simultaneously, which can dramatically improve comprehension and reduce mind-wandering. Some ADHD-friendly apps like Audible let you sync audiobooks with Kindle text.

2. Short Reading Sessions

Forget the idea of curling up for hours with a good book. That might happen sometimes with the right book, but it is not a realistic baseline expectation.

Instead, aim for 10 to 15 minute reading sessions. Set a timer. When the timer goes off, you can stop guilt-free. Many of my clients find that once they start, they actually want to keep going. But the permission to stop after 15 minutes removes the pressure that makes starting feel impossible.

3. Read What You Actually Want to Read

Stop reading books because you think you should. Life is too short, and your dopamine is too precious. Read the trashy thriller. Read the fan fiction. Read the comic book. Read the same book for the fourth time because you love it.

Reading "easy" books is still reading. Getting through a graphic novel counts. Finishing a short story collection counts. The goal is to enjoy reading again, not to prove something to anyone.

4. Movement While Reading

Your body and brain are connected in ways that matter for attention. Many ADHD brains focus better when the body is doing something. Try:

• Reading on a stationary bike or treadmill
• Sitting on a wobble cushion or exercise ball
• Using a foot fidget under your desk
• Walking slowly on a treadmill while listening to an audiobook
• Standing rather than sitting

5. Active Reading Techniques

Passive reading (just letting your eyes move over text) is where ADHD brains get into trouble. Active reading keeps your brain engaged:

• Highlight or underline as you go (this is especially helpful for studying)
• Write margin notes: even just "important" or "interesting" or a question mark
• Summarise each chapter in one sentence when you finish it
• Use sticky tabs to mark pages you want to come back to
• Talk about what you read: tell someone about the chapter, or write a quick note in your phone

6. Optimise Your Environment

Your reading environment matters more than you might think:

• Remove your phone from the room. Not on silent. Not face down. Out of the room entirely. The mere presence of your phone reduces cognitive capacity (Ward et al., 2017, Journal of the Association for Consumer Research)
• Use background noise if silence is too quiet for your brain. Brown noise, lo-fi music, or coffee shop ambience can help
• Good lighting reduces eye strain, which reduces the excuse your brain is looking for to stop
• A comfortable but not too comfortable position. Reading in bed is where books go to be abandoned

7. E-Readers vs Physical Books

This is genuinely personal preference, but many ADHD readers prefer e-readers because:

• You can adjust font size (larger text = fewer words per page = more frequent "I finished a page!" dopamine hits)
• No distracting apps (unlike a phone or tablet)
• Built-in dictionary for words you zone out on
• Progress percentages give you a sense of achievement
• Lighter to hold, which means less physical fatigue

Some people prefer physical books because the tactile experience helps them stay present. Try both and see what works for your brain.

What About Reading for Work or Study?

Everything above applies double when the material is not something you have chosen to read. Work reports, academic textbooks, policy documents: these are low-stimulation, high-demand reading tasks that are basically kryptonite for ADHD brains.

Some additional strategies for required reading:

• Break it into chunks: read one section at a time, not the whole thing
• Use the Pomodoro technique: 25 minutes reading, 5 minutes break
• Body double: sit in a library or coffee shop with other people working. The social accountability helps. You can read more about body doubling in my other post
• Reward yourself: "After I read this chapter, I get 10 minutes on my phone." Deliberately create the urgency and reward that your brain needs
• Ask for accommodations: if you are a student, DSA support can provide tools like text-to-speech software and note-taking support

And honestly, looking after your overall wellbeing makes a difference here too. When you are well-rested, fed, and your stress levels are managed, your executive function works better. Apps like Sprout can help you track and build those foundational self-care habits that make everything, including reading, a bit easier.

It Gets Better

I want to finish on a hopeful note, because this is genuinely one of those ADHD struggles that can improve dramatically with the right approach. Many of my clients who thought they had "lost" reading find their way back to it once they stop trying to read like a neurotypical person and start reading like someone with ADHD.

That means shorter sessions, audiobooks, movement, interest-led choices, and zero guilt about how or what you read. It means understanding that your brain is not broken. It just needs a different approach.

If you want personalised strategies for reading, studying, focus, or any other part of life that ADHD makes harder, that is what my mentoring sessions are for. We figure out what works specifically for your brain and build systems around it.

Ready to stop fighting your brain and start working with it? Book a free discovery call and let's talk.