I have had few good teachers and mentors, so for most of my life I have taught myself by selecting books for myself and reading them to the best of my ability. Results are mixed: it is easy to pick up a Raymond Chandler essay such as "The Simple Art of Murder" and comprehend it immediately, but it is harder to pick up a textbook of graduate-level mathematics and comprehend it even after several careful readings, accompanied by working through the solved problems. Thus extracting the useful information about and within a book is a project. Many books can be identified as useless by quickly skimming or sampling; the information that a given book is useless is valuable information. The exact value of a book is not always easy to determine; for example, it is easy to read through Machiavelli's The Prince and Discourses on Livy but there is great danger of letting the words slip past your attention without really considering them in depth. (Thus it is often worth the extra effort required to obtain a college textbook that is designed to support ignorant readers with pertinent footnotes.) Even when a book has useful information, extracting that information is a project; sometimes extraction is a trivially easy project, and sometimes it is a grueling long-term project.

When I was young, I hoarded paper books. As Internet tech advanced, I was able to shift my hoarding to electronic books. I have thousands of electronic books, some of which might benefit my life directly if I read them and apply their information before I die. Every day I get a little closer to inevitable death. Seldom do I encounter a remarkably useful book and extract its full usefulness. Thus I must take notes on my self-directed reading and attempt to systematize it. In this vein, I have applied various personal information organization methods, such as David Allen's Getting Things Done, personal wiki software, and various forms of journaling. In order to read books effectively, I have to delve into time management and even "attention management."

Here is a link explaining "attention management" from Harvard, the famous school that tortured Ted Kaczynski until he doubted his fundamental notions of reality:

https://archive.is/1hwDU

Attention management is the practice of controlling distractions, being present in the moment, finding flow, and maximizing focus, so that you can unleash your genius. It’s about being intentional instead of reactive. It is the ability to recognize when your attention is being stolen (or has the potential to be stolen) and to instead keep it focused on the activities you choose. Rather than allowing distractions to derail you, you choose where you direct your attention at any given moment, based on an understanding of your priorities and goals.

First, control external factors:

Control your technology. Remember, it’s there to serve you, not the other way around! Decide to take control by turning off email and “push” notifications which are specifically designed to steal your attention. This will allow you to engage in more stretches of focused work on tasks and activities that you choose. As often as possible and especially when you’re working, keep your phone silent and out of sight.

Control your environment. Set boundaries with others, especially in an open-office setting. For example, use headphones or put up a “do not disturb” sign when you need to focus. If that doesn’t work, try going to a different part of your office, or even another floor of your building. If things are really bad, you can try teaming up with colleagues to designate a certain time of day, or day of the week, a “no distractions” day for everyone to do heads-down work.

...you must also learn to control internal factors.

Control your behavior. Use those times when your technology is tamed and your do-not-disturb sign is up to get used to single-tasking: open only one window on your computer screen, and give your full attention to one task until it’s complete, or until a designated stopping point. Take breaks throughout the day where you step away from your computer. Try to “unplug” completely (no technology) for at least an hour or more, as often as you can. Try it for 15-20 minutes at first; then build up to an hour, or even 90 minutes.

Control your thoughts. For many of us, this is the hardest nut to crack, which is why I’ve left it to last. Minds are made to wander. Practice noticing when your mind is veering off in its own direction, and gently guide your focus back to where you want it. If you think of some important small task while you are doing focused work, jot it down on a notepad and come back to it later. Do the same with information you want to look up online.

Practicing attention management will not eliminate distractions from your day. But as you start to recognize when you become distracted, and build your “attention muscle” through habits like those above, you’ll start to reclaim your life and devote more of yourself to what’s really important to you.