When I was young I used to read loads, I was going through stuff like Robinson Crusoe at eight and went through countless books every year.
Nowadays I hardly read at all, most books I start I get about a fifth of the way through and then inadvertently give up.
Are there any methods I can use to read more, or is it simply a case of setting aside time and willpower?
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Stop posting here so much.
More importantly, get as far away from your computer/laptop/mobile phone as possible.
The second point is key.
Dude just go through wattpad accounts. They usually have short stories you can read. A lot of them are really good.
I see a lot of people recommend short stories for ADHD people who can't read anymore. But I think a better solution is to read long books. 500+ page books with great characters. Something like Anna Karenina, The karamazov brothers, The count of monte cristo, etc. Long books that get them involved and want to read more. If they read short stories they won't develop an attention span.
Are you sure you're reading books you genuinely want to read? and are not picking shit just to appear patrician?
And are you actually trying to read? Putting time and effort thinking about the text? Rather than just skimming a couple pages and then posting on Veeky Forums for the rest of the day?
Are you reading in a nice quiet place away from technology? Or are you just reading in front of your computer so it looms larger in your mind?
Stop using internet on the phone.
Just drop it.
Cut down the internet time.
Good point.
When I'm at uni I only really have one room so it's kind of impossible. I suppose I could go to a secluded part of the library. I'll try that when I return.
I'll take both these thoughts into account. One of the last full books I read was a collection of Rebus short stories so they must have some effect. I did try the Count of Monte Cristo, I'm still "reading" it though I haven't picked it up in a while.
Actually yes a lot of the time, I tried reading Man in the High Castle because I love alternative history (especially when it concerns Nazis) but my mind kind of just ground to a halt.
To your other points, no (see above as well) apart from I never read in front of the computer.
The Complete Short Stories of Ernest Hemingway, Finca Vigia Edition
Look up MostlyHetero on wattpad. He writes short stories but they changed my life. Was on the verge of suicide. Moving stuff.
What you need is routine and motivation, so the reading is a desire, not a matter of willpower. Your willpower is limited. Pick a topic/genre you're interested in and set aside a regular time so it becomes habit again.
And sign up at your local library. Give yourself the cheap gratification of a couple graphic novels and short stories and essays.
stop shitting this shit you faggot
I became an avid reader like three months ago and I can't stop. I stopped watching tv and I don't spend much time on Veeky Forums anymore.
Here's how I did it.
-Remember the average person reads like zero books a year. If you read 5 pages a day, you are 5 pages above the average person
-Don't force yourself to read. Commit to read 5 pages a day. I swear after three days you'll feel like reading more and after a month or so you should be reading 50-100 pages a day for pleasure
-Read various books at the same time. When I grab a difficult book or one that makes me sleepy I grab another and switch. This should refresh your head. Keep them thematically different. I read economics and fiction.
-It isn't a race. Reading slowly won't make you sleepy that fast. Try to acknowledge what books are for you to read fast and which aren't.
-Buy the physical copies. When you get the books from your own money you'll feel the need to read them to avoid the feel of wasting your money.
-Start with books highly discussed here so you feel motivated to discuss.
I can't get a signal on my phone from my room anyway :P
I know I should know about Hemmingway but I've never really looked into him since I declined, thanks will do.
That sounds remarkable. Thanks will do.
Thanks. As for the library. I have a mobile one that stops outside my house!
These are good points. I try reading in bursts rather than regularly which I think is a problem especially. I also don't switch very much, reading more than one book is not something I do often. Thank you.
Audiobook in the car
Audiobook on the train
Audiobook while walking the dog
Audiobook while cooking
Audiobook while taking a shit
Audiobook while masturbating
Do audiobooks help with reading at all?
Not with the reading, but it does help with having taken in the information of a book.
You absorb books through your ears rather than your eyes, I'm sure there are purists who would say that listening to a silky smooth voice actor read a novel is not the same as reading it yourself but you get the information in the end, and you can get that information in situations where you wouldn't be able to visually read a book (see: dog walking).
>when i grab a difficult book or one that makes me sleepy i grab another
ive had a real problem with this since i got out of high school. back when i was in school i could stay up all night reading through about half a book and still want to read more. i had to force myself to sleep.
now i can barely read 4 pages before my vision gets blurry and then its a struggle. only recently have i been able to sort of power through it.
you seem smart
so you have to use your willpower to overcome the hard and make an effort to read in order for you to appreciate truly reading.
and after that you will get the motivation because you already learned to enjoy it.
is it correct?
Hmm thanks, I prefer reading in principle but I'm not a purist (I think there was a study published the other day that said there was no major difference for your brain between audiobooks and paper books).
Thanks for the link by the way.
Written text is a communication tool just as much as spoken language, it has advantages and disadvantages but for conveying information its no more or less valid.
Reason I suggest it is because if you're not used to staring at text for long periods of time it's much easier to just listen to someone read it for you. If someone gives you shit for that then ask them why they don't read their 19th century Russian literature as leather-bound tomes just as the authors originally intended.
>I see a lot of people recommend short stories for ADHD people who can't read anymore.
What the fuck, that's not how it works.
>Long books that get them involved and want to read more
That's a lot more how it works.
But this ultimately doesn't have anything to do with ADHD (real or metaphorical) -- just a lack of organisation. Set aside a certain small amount of time a day (according to taste -- if you hate organisation, it doesn't have to be a specific time, just an amount that you get done) and fucking read. I said small -- half an hour, hell, even ten minutes a day is enough to get your foot on the bottom step. Then you'll just naturally climb up to longer periods of time as you get more interested.
And if you don't get more interested, you're either reading the wrong stuff (likely) or forcing yourself to do something you don't actually like, all for the aesthetics of it (pseud).
Try setting up a list of "Books read in 2015" so you can keep track of what books you've read. I myself am behind schedule, but having the list encourages me to read.
Play some quiet classical music in the background. Beethoven's ninth passes the time faster and before you know it you've been reading for an hour and a half.
Of course. I don't think anyone I know would criticise me for it. I hear reading and listening at the same time are good too.
Yeah I need to get more organised. Thanks.
You mean 2016? :P But good idea
I love piano like Satie and Debussy, and I find they are often good for concentrating on stuff.
Someone will suggest Spritz, but for nonfictions, that's a meme, and if you use it too much it fucks your eyes.
Honestly just download pdfs online and set to autoscroll slowly.
If you use windows any pdf reader will probably go way too fast, so may try it in a browser and use the browser's autoscroll with big font?