How do you listen?

Hi all,

getting straight to the point, I have been learning a lot recently through audiobooks. When I am actively listening to the narrator and focus on the individual words spoken it goes in one ear and out the other. It does not make sense to me. It could be a simple sentence and would not make much sense. I have never heard anyone around me say anything like this so I am not sure if it is common?

From an observation of myself, when I read on autopilot I only pick up on certain words that I somehow easily understand or grasp without a lot of effort. I will then use those words to put together the sentence. This is great but, it kind of sucks too. If I do this, sometimes I will miss things or I will have to go back two or three times until everything clicks. It is so frustrating trying very hard to understand and it not sink in. Even when I'm reading regular books or text in front of a computer screen. It is the same.

Fair enough, depending on what it is some things are more difficult to learn than others. I am aware of this. This to me does not seem normal though. Have I been missing a simple listening skill my whole life?

So how do you listen? Do you listen to each word and process those words while keeping up with whatever you are listening to or reading?