/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.12574677]

As a pseud who loves the idea of reading but never reads, I need advise on how to actually start reading instead of wasting my time on my phone.

Everytime I pick up a book, I’m so worried about if I’m reading too slow, and then I star thinking about other shit, and before you know it I’m on my fucking phone again doing some stupid shit.

I hate how much power my phone has over me. I just want to destroy it and be over my addiction. Everytime I’ve tried limiting myself I just find a way to get passed it and make excuses. Sometimes I wish I had a flip phone instead of wasting my life on this garbage. This goes for all of my school work too.

Do any anons have advise on how to get over this problem. Anything helps. I’m very desperate. I hate myself for have no discipline.

[Anonymous No.12574683]

Sounds like you already know what needs to be done

[Anonymous No.12574706]

>>12574677
>I need advise on how to actually start reading instead of wasting my time on my phone.
Buy a book
Open the book
Look at it

[Anonymous No.12574716]

>>12574677

Start from easy, entertaining books that makes you want to read them, /lit/ has pretty good charts for starters. Maybe set a moment in the day when you just read and don't use your phone (e.g. an hour before going to bed). Try doing it every day. It will become a habit after while.

Most of all, stop seeing the act of reading as a decoration to your person. You are not reading if you are doing it to make your self-image better in the eyes of others. There is nothing wrong with wanting to be liked, but there are faster and more effective ways than reading books, like wearing nice clothes, going to the gym and saying funny jokes. Read books for the pleasure of the activity in itself.

[Anonymous No.12574733]

>If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away.
Could always get a dumb phone if you truly need a mobile.

[Anonymous No.12574739]

>>12574677
Here's what I've done, and it's worked quite well:

Set yourself a minimum number of pages per day to read. Start low. I started at five; you can start lower if need be. Force yourself to read that many pages per day, even if you don't feel like it. Eventually, it'll become trivially easy. At that point you can bump it up to a higher number of pages per day.

I put my SIM card into a feature phone, so I still have access to my smartphone if I need it (it just can't use cellular data) but I don't need to take it with me when I go out.

I absolutely understand what you're talking about; I think most people in our society are suffering from some kind of technological addiction but don't realize it.

[Anonymous No.12574743]

If this thread is serious, take a bath and read. You can't use a phone in the bath but you can a book.

[Anonymous No.12574759]

>>12574677
site blocker+hide phone in the other room.

[Anonymous No.12574765]

>>12574743
Yes you can you hang out the side or use a small towel. Quite thrilling to know one slip of the hand and you've destroyed hundreds of dollars desu.

[Anonymous No.12574770]

>>12574765
Christ you really are addicted.

[Anonymous No.12574777]

This book is a good guide to desert monk discipline for non-monks.

[OP No.12574790]

Thanks to everyone for the advice so far. Sorry for all of the mistakes in the post. I’m willing to do anything to spend more time reading. Please keep the advice coming.

[Anonymous No.12574794]

First of all, it's good that you recognize that you have a bad relationship with your phone. The second step is to actually break off from it. If you feel unable to turn it off, put it in a drawer and read, you might need to do something drastic about it. If you're on iPhone, use the restricted content functionality. I suggest making someone else put in the code for you. Include 4chan, reddit, porn websites or anything that may even remotely distract you from reading. Do the same with your computer (there are apps like ColdTurkey that help you do it). With that being said, turn the phone off and put it away. The second thing you'll want to do is to start with something easy. Pick up a short book (200 pages at the most) and try to power through it in one sitting. There is absolutely no shame in blocking yourself off like some kid. Remember, this is what Ulysses did to himself in order to resist the siren's call.

[Anonymous No.12574848]

delete this thread, ban yourself from /lit/, and don't bother posting anything until you've read something you worthless pseud piece of shit

[Anonymous No.12574857]

>>12574677
Your name isn't Milton Moogler by any chance, is it?

[Anonymous No.12574860]

>>12574677
Start with books that sincerely interest you. They can be guilty pleasure stuff that you want to read, even erotic literature, light novels, urban fantasy, whatever makes you interested. You won't be able to finish every book at first. When I was younger, I started with graphic novels. Easy, picture heavy manga at first. Then moved into the more text heavy western graphic novels. Moving into light fantasy novels was simple enough from there. Then I gradually became more ambitious. If the starter packs here on /lit/ or the sincerely interesting books you really want to read are too much, I highly recommend going down that path.

[Anonymous No.12574862]

>>12574765
>his phone isn't waterproof

[Anonymous No.12574872]

>>12574716
>>12574739
Do a combination of these two things, Find an easy book that really interests you and set a goal to read several pages a day. Only read books that are attractive to you. You’ll find that more and more becomes accessible the more you get into the habit if reading.
Also keep your phone in another room while you read. You’re not an important enough person to not be able to afford going an hour without your phone.

[Anonymous No.12574924]

>>12574857
No it is not, sorry

[Anonymous No.12574926]

>>12574924
Just checking.

[Anonymous No.12575033]

>>12574848
Being an exclusionist is a sin against the universe