Have you ever looked ahead while reading to see how far the end of the chapter was? Right now I’m working on doing less of this, especially when reading fiction. Here’s what I’ve observed about this phenomena.

It’s natural to want to know where you are. How far am I from the finish line? This is particularly useful when racing. Usually though, when racing, you always know just about how much distance is left until you cross the finish line. Generally, reading is not a race. So knowing how far the finish line isn’t terribly important.

When reading, especially if you are reading a book for the first time, you don’t know when it ends. Well, you know the end of the book is the last page, but you rarely read the whole book in one sitting. Usually a book is divided into chapters and those feel like good places to stop. I for one, like to finish at the end of a chapter if I can. I don’t like leaving a book in the middle of a chapter.

So, when first reading a book, I don’t know when the chapter I’m currently reading will stop. And, me not knowing makes me want to know. Sometimes, I want to finish quickly, take a break and not leave in the middle of a chapter, or I simply wonder how many pages are left, so I skip ahead to know. I just want to know. It makes me feel good.

Rationally, if I want to get it over with, the quickest solution is to continue reading. But no, I look ahead. To reassure myself. And in so doing I take more time to complete the task. It doesn’t give me important information to look ahead and see how many pages are left in the chapter. But I do it anyway. It takes away the uncertainty of the end of the chapter and gives me a sense of certainty.

Then in life I want to look ahead. But I’m always disappointed. The future is always unknown. It can  be frustrating, especially since there is no rational reason to be. Patience is hard.

This natural urge has been tended to with mobile devices as they often indicate at the bottom of the screen how many pages are left to the chapter. So you just have to glance at the bottom of the screen to scratch that itch. But if you decide to read the physical book, you will experience this desire to know, this desire to look ahead.

Now, I do my best to not look ahead and see if the chapter is almost finished. I continue reading. I finish in the middle of a page if necessary. Keeping myself in the dark, gives a new thrill to the story. I no longer know when it finishes. I savour the unveiling of the story.  I suppress my expectation of the chapter ending in precisely 3 pages. I tell myself: Don’t worry, you will get to the end of the chapter soon enough. So to in life, continue doing, the end will come soon enough.