Link: https://old.reddit.com/r/LifeProTips/comments/1uzzw8k/lpt_if_you_zone_out_while_listening_try_writing/

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The original was posted on /r/lifeprotips by /u/iotguru on 2026-07-18 16:09:41+00:00.

I've had the same problem for as long as I can remember. Whether it was a lecture, an online course, a podcast or just another boring meeting, I'd sit there nodding, looking like I was paying full attention. But mentally? I left the room 15 minutes ago.

Whenever my only job was to just sit and listen, my brain would eventually wander off. I'd start planning dinner, replaying old conversations or thinking about literally anything else.

A few months ago I was stuck in a long presentation. Out of pure boredom, I grabbed a scrap of paper. I wasn't trying to take notes. I just needed a tiny task for my hands. So I started writing down random single words I heard the speaker say. Not keywords, just ordinary words, one after another.

About half an hour later, I realized I hadn't zoned out once.

Since then, I've been doing this for podcasts, audiobooks and long meetings. I've just been calling it Pen Listening in my head. The whole process is pretty brainless. I just keep writing down individual words I hear in a relaxed rhythm. One word at a time, whatever comes up. Budget. Tomorrow. However. It really doesn't matter.

There's no pressure to catch every word. If I miss one, I just write the next one I hear. I don't look for important points because the less I think about choosing the right word, the better it works. I write the words straight down the left side of the page instead of across it. When I reach the bottom, I start a new column. It also makes the page super easy to scan later.

When something genuinely important comes up, like a deadline, I jot it down normally on the right side of the page. Then I go back to the flow of random words on the left.

It usually ends up looking something like this:

system        approval      -> Friday deadline
budget        meeting
however       tomorrow
blue          process       -> Revised proposal
review        update
design        issue
status        document      -> Follow up w/ John
question      report
schedule      release
analysis      support
decision      success
whether       requirement
approach      management
team          resource
risk          allocate
current       follow
impact        define
strategy      task
option        share
result        review
meeting       comment
today         evaluate
change        actually
customer      performance
need          identify
information
final
point

My best guess for why this works is that simply listening doesn't give my brain enough to do, so it looks for entertainment elsewhere. Writing random words gives it a low effort task to chew on and that seems to be enough to stop the wandering.

The important part is that the task can't be done without listening. Every new word has to come from whatever I'm listening to. If my mind drifts off, the writing stops because there's nothing to write. The moment I realize my pen isn't moving, I'm instantly back in the conversation. It kind of corrects itself.

That's why doodling never did this for me. You can doodle while completely checked out. But you can't write down a word you didn't actually hear.

As a weird bonus, looking back at those random words later actually helps me remember the conversation way better than I'd expect. They end up acting like little memory breadcrumbs.

Anyway, I just wanted to share this in case someone else struggles with the same thing. Might be worth trying the next time your only job is to sit and listen.