I'm writing a book about Rust. One phenomenon I've noticed while working on the book is that, after I've been working on a particular passage for a while and I've read it over many times, it becomes hard for me to really "see" the text of the passage clearly, and follow its flow the way a new reader would. The process of revision becomes difficult because it's harder to actually pay attention to the text that I've read so many times before. Subjectively, it's almost as if something in my mind has become saturated, and can't absorb any more.
From a cognitive science or psychological point of view, what's going on here? Is there anything I can do to help me work on my text more effectively?
What you're describing is a well-documented cognitive phenomenon known as textual habituation or perceptual fluency. Essentially, the brain becomes so familiar with the text that it stops processing it deeply. Instead of actively reading each word, your mind starts skimming or filling in gaps based on memory. This makes it hard to notice awkward phrasing, inconsistencies, or unclear passages.
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Repetition-Induced Blindness: The more times you see the same text, the less your brain actively "reads" it.
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Predictive Processing: Your brain relies on past exposure to predict what the text says, leading to automatic skipping or assumptions.
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Cognitive Load Reduction: The brain prioritizes efficiency, so once something seems "known," it stops engaging with it deeply.
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Attentional Saturation: Similar to how you might "tune out" a repetitive sound, you stop paying close attention to text you've overexposed yourself to.
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Change the Medium
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Print out the text and mark it up by hand.
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Read it on a different screen (e.g., phone vs. computer).
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Change the font or formatting to trick your brain into seeing it as "new."
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Time Away (Incubation Effect)
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Put the passage aside for a day or more.
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Work on another section and return later with fresh eyes.
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Read Aloud
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Forces you to process each word.
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Helps catch awkward phrasing or rhythm issues.
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Get an AI or Another Person to Read It Back to You
- A text-to-speech tool or having someone else read it aloud can reveal issues you missed.
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Shuffle the Structure
- Read paragraphs out of order to focus on individual sections rather than the overall flow.
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Use a New Mode of Input
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Rewrite a passage from memory instead of copying and editing.
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Summarize the key ideas and then rewrite from scratch.
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Peer Review or External Feedback
- Even just explaining the passage to someone else can expose unclear parts.
These tricks help "reset" your brain’s familiarity, allowing you to read your text with fresh attention.