so the funny thing about people who have 100's of books their yearly reads... most likely they don't grasp the book, or reread it, or take notes, or get anything out of it. they take those numbers as a sport, and a competition.
there are definitely outliers to this, but don't let these people force yourself into rushing. that sort of competition kills learning.
if you're wanting to still get stuff out of your media, and increase your consumption rate, my best suggestion is to listen to your brain. what i mean by that is pay attention to your focus. If you feel yourself drifting, slow down. you know your mind the best out of all of us.
you can keep an obsidian vault with your notes. that's what i do. active note taking is something that really helps me grasp the content im consuming. every time something stands out to you, write it down. every once in a while, go back and expand on those blurbs. start thinking and diving into how that quote or idea makes you feel.
that's my method of consuming actively. if i'm being honest, this method has slowed down my reading numbers, but i walk away remembering a lot more.
2d ago
Related Recs
📖
sometimes i don’t read for MONTHS. soemtiems (right now) i can read 2 novels in a day (but i am a fast reader so don’t use this as a metric). it’s ok to take it slow and read for 5 minutes a day. even if it’s not a book. like a nice article or something. get the gears turning again.
also my roommate LOVES audiobooks she’s a freak about them so that could be a nice way to read if you tend to get distracted.
but yeah i think the biggest thing is do not pressure yourself to do more than you can because it will become a chore and reading shouldn’t feel like a chore. maybe read once a week. who knows schedule it around your life
Mar 8, 2024
📙
not an avid reader (~3-4 books / year, trying to get that number up) but the things that have really invigorated my reading when it feels like a chore to get started:
- reading books that aren’t challenging to start off. all about love and the will to change by bell hooks were the first books i was able to successfully finish in like, years bc her writing style is very colloquial despite the subject matter being very dense. similarly, finding a fun fantasy book (or other genre fiction) to get back in the practice of turning pages and “wanting to find out what comes next” is gonna be paramount to being able to do that for books that are gonna require a little more give from you down the line (haven’t read a physical book in over six months so personally going to start legends and lattes soon to try and trick my brain into not thinking books are time-consuming and scary)
- audiobooks; for me at least reading requires too much visual processing + “sitting still” time that i can’t multi-task and read, so i have to schedule when i’m gonna try and do it (unlike tv where you can have it on in the background as you do dishes or working from home or something and can look up periodically) - taking a chunk of podcast + music time and replacing it with audiobooks has been a game changer bc i now read at the gym, at the office, and in transit <30 min long bc i have to track what station i’m at or see where i’m going
Mar 28, 2024
📖
- Start with the books that interest you the most (maybe you should actually start with something that is not a recommendation from someone else because that's a lot of pressure! You could go to a bookstore and find a book that makes you excited to read to get you into the habit of reading again.)
- Take it one book at a time. The pile is daunting, so just find the next book that you are excited to read and read that one. We will never be able to read all of the books we want to, but that shouldn't stop us from reading some of them.
- If you hate the book, stop reading it. Again, we will never be able to read all of the books we want to, so don't waste time on books you don't like.
- While you're reading, have a pen or a notebook and look for things that make you feel or think something new, or things you want to share or talk about with your friend. Take notes or underline them. This sounds like it would be more work, but I find that it actually gets my brain into a more active state which makes it easier to focus and makes me feel excited and curious about what I'm reading.
- You can also try making it into a ritual. Light a candle when you read, or play some soothing music in the background or make yourself a little pillow fort or a specific cozy beverage to drink while you read. Or you could read in a bubble bath or something else that makes you happy. Then you will be reading with intention. And it's fun and cute! If possible, put your phone in a drawer or on do not disturb, for obvious reasons.
Oct 18, 2024
Top Recs from @waaxfeathers
sadie is 2 1/2 and too attached to humans for her own good. she would not survive in a zombie apocolypse. she knows to knock lego sets over to get attention from my fiance. she will yell when you go to the bathroom. she loves paper bags and cardboard boxes. her middle name is louise. she doesn't understand the difference between a charger and a string. she steals pastries.
i am a big fan of Sadie.
2d ago
i've been under the weather for a while, but i have found pleasure watching clouds out my window.
3d ago
📱
they are saved as “Mpreg Enjoyer”
surprisingly, that is the only unhinged name i have for a contact.
2d ago