/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.16359222]

How does one get into reading and actually learn something when they have a short attention span?
Pic related is the only kinda stuff I've really taken a go at in years, aside from the Bible. Which is a very very very slow crawl of a read for me. I forget alot of it, too.

[Anonymous No.16359234]

just sit down and read nigga

[Anonymous No.16359284]

>>16359234
I have severe coombrain syndrome though anon. Not when it comes to porn (although that was a fairly recent issue I managed to kick.) When I get home from work, I just feel like lazing around. Playing vidya maybe lifting weights, watching car videos and the like on Jewtube. It's like my brain just wants to shut off and get into simple shit.

Oddly enough I notice I'm much less anxious when I actually, you know, use my brain and do something a bit mentally challenging. It's just, the drive isn't there. I've tried audiobooks but they just fly right over my head.

[Anonymous No.16359502]

>>16359222
You could try audiobooks, I used them extensively for a year or so to get back into reading then eventually weened myself off once I realized I could get through some material faster on my own.
I still use them for some genreshit and popculture stuff, though

[Anonymous No.16359529]

>>16359284
Okay then, listen up.
If you're exhausted from work then don't read immediately after getting home. Do one of the activities you use to wind down for a few hours so you can feel refreshed, then have a designated time later in the day/night that you dedicated reading to. Even if it's something like an hour before you go to bed. Be sure to be punctual and don't drag your feet; it is too easy to promise the eternal 'later' that never arrives. If possible, read in the same place every time you're at home. You will soon come to associate a particular time and place with reading and it will make things easier. From Aristotle to Mill to James, habit has been recognised as a powerful ally when you guide it—and a powerful enemy if let run amok.
When you are reading, try to minimize distractions and potential distractions. Impulse and temptation are powerful forces, and it is commonly thought that one simply needs will away temptations when they arise. But in truth, it is the fool who matches wits between his willpower and his impulse; the wise man fights his impulses before they have influence on his mind. The enemy of impulse is foresight, as you can prepare for future temptations and avoid them, without ever being under their sway. No doubt a stern constitution and an iron will helps, but we aren't all so blessed. The prudent man stacks the deck in his favour so that when his mettle is tested, it always comes out on top.
If possible, put your phone in another room our out of reach in the same room. If you cant do that, put it out of your sight or in your pockets. The goal is to set a scenario where indulging in temptations are more costly than any potential benefit. Sloth here is your friend. Do something similar with other distractions.
While reading, hold in the back of your mind a conscious will not to be distracted. If you're reading and you find yourself drifting, consciously stop yourself and return to reading. If you need to get up and do something, hold in your mind that you will do that one thing then return to reading. It is easy to let one thing become another and so on, and let time escapes in an orderly procession of small distractions. You must always be on guard. Something like playing lyricless music can also help keep you from getting distracted/bored (as long as the music itself isn't too distracting).
Finally, if you're feeling bored while reading, it may just be that you aren't interested in what you're reading about. Try to find where your interests lie and don't force something that doesn't want to happen. I can tell you that when you find something you're genuinely interested in, you will need no external motivation to read it—it will be as if you were struck by lightning and compelled to read.
Discipline is simply the prudent application of effective habits and heuristics. You can be either a slave to your mind or it's master, but you are not destined to be one or the other—which one you become is your choice.

[Anonymous No.16359731]

>>16359222
>Nagatoro
Patrician taste.

[Anonymous No.16359742]

The Bible is quite possibly one of the worst places to start, it's intentionally abstract and metaphorical in dozens of places and jumps into situations with no prior context. Read a regular novel.

[Anonymous No.16359799]

>>16359529
Damn anon. Thank you for this post. I'll keep on re reading it as much as I need until I get my stupid monkey coomer brain back in order. Thank you for going far into detail as well fren. Appreciate when people go in-depth.
>>16359742
Honestly? I find it quite easy to understand. It's really hard to get into though, for me. Not uninteresting though. My next book will be The Prince, follow by Men Among the Ruins. Both of which I follow pretty well UNTIL my coomer brain says go do something else that's instantly gratifying and takes almost no effort.

[Anonymous No.16360037]

>>16359222
Dumb animeposter

[Anonymous No.16360136]

>pedo anime faggot is low IQ retard
yep

[Anonymous No.16360552]

>>16360136
My IQ is slightly above average for your information, don't be rude.

[Anonymous No.16360609]

>>16360136
>pedo
>low IQ
choose one

[Anonymous No.16360855]

>aside from the bible
Interesting combination.

[Anonymous No.16360914]

>>16359222
Replace idle time and podcasts/music with audiobooks. They are much easier to swallow then regular books in the beginning. If you're really far gone you could even listen while playing video games.

[Anonymous No.16360960]

>>16359222
>pick up one of the classic books written for teens, like Treasure Island
>preferably a printed copy, not an e-book
>get a notepad and a pen
>get comfy, and put your phone away, out of reach and sight, preferably turn on airplane mode/silence it
>start reading, write a short summary for each page that you read, summarizing the plot points in each page-small group of pages
>do NOT do take notes on your phone/computer, you will get distracted
>set a goal so low that it's very easy to achieve, like 20 minutes, then build up in increments from there
>focus on comprehension, not reading speed, the latter will come naturally with time
>try to read one chapter (or if you're reading short stories, one short story) in one sitting
>re-read the notes from your previous day before continuing

[Anonymous No.16361138]

>>16359222
>only reads the Bible and Nagatoro
You sir are based beyond measure

[Anonymous No.16361547]

>>16360914
I guess I could give it another shot. I really do feel like most of the time what I'm listening to just flies over my head (listening to a lecture I get less than when I'm *watching* one, indefinitely.) But I do get some still, I suppose.
>>16360960
>notepad and pen
>taking notes for each page
Why does this actually sound enjoyable to me?
I really like that idea. Would be especially helpful with more complicated reads or pages full of info.
>>16361138
I a-also read s-stuff like D-dorohedoro anon...

[Anonymous No.16361759]

>>16361547
Taking notes for each page was something I did for books I had to read for school, it would help me when I had to write a report on them.
There's another advantage to writing, it helps with information retention:

>The three experiments they did led them to conclude that using laptops for notetaking might actually impair learning. Why? Because it often leads people to process information more shallowly.
>In a nutshell, if you type your notes, you probably tend to record lectures verbatim. If you put pen to paper, you have to be more selective in recapping key components.
>The researchers concluded that the typing notetakers had worse recall because they weren’t actively summarizing and synthesizing key points.
>The study demonstrates the learning benefits of physically writing letters, James notes, especially the gains that come from engaging the brain’s motor pathways.
(Source: https://redbooth.com/blog/handwriting-and-memory))

You can improve your attention span and memory, you just need to practice. It's better to give yourself many small rewards gradually, that's why I suggested with a very small, easily achievable goal: you get the satisfaction of having achieved something, but you know that it wasn't much, and that you can comfortably do more that that, so it drives you to try and achieve a little bit more. It's better to consistently build a good habit over a couple of months, at an easygoing pace, and keep it all your life, than to rush it and burn yourself out. Good luck, Anon!

[Anonymous No.16363270]

bump

[Anonymous No.16363636]

>>16359799
No worries mate. I hope you can get into reading because it is a real joy.

[Anonymous No.16364363]

>>16359529
Bizzarly dramatic but good advice