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Comment by torginus | Hacker News Reader

I've noticed after I've switched to audiobooks that my retention is horrible compared to reading. For actual complex topics, it's even worse.

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I’ve found this too but I think audiobooks still have a place, they just can’t something you rely on being able to perfectly understand. A second book on the same topic or something in a topic loosely related but interesting. Or fiction to help stay awake on long road trips.

It's likely the same for me, but I tend to relisten to audiobooks I like, sometimes dozens of times. I have a hard time focusing on physical books, and I've probably only re-read a handful of them, so the net effect is that I take in more with a good audiobook.

I would like to learn to focus... (https://youtu.be/1IRn8BN3Qhw?t=331)

Haha.

I used read a lot of books when I was younger, then slowly stopped, and found getting back to reading quite hard as well. Armed with the knowledge that I used to be able to do this, I just forced myself to. And after a while, I found I had no trouble committing any more.

I think it really is a matter of distraction. When I was using public transit a lot, I managed to get through books really quickly by substituting them for my phone. And there was a period where I had no phone for a few months in a new city, and I just read constantly. Even outside while walking. I do the same on my phone, after all.

I agree. I use audiobooks for fiction. For learning I need to read the thing to really retain anything.

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