I love getting back into reading after a long period of inactivity by reading a couple short novels or novellas. It's nice to feel like you're making progress at each session of reading and getting a more condensed experienced.
Apr 17, 2024
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Start small. I got back into reading this year by reading a lot of novellas and short story collections. No more than 200 pages long. It really felt like I was having to rewire my brain because I’d been out of practice with reading. Find a book that intrigues you (if you want to read graphic novels read graphic novels! you’ll get to your friend’s recs in time) and carry it with you everywhere you go. Then (and I know this sounds ridiculous) you just have to actively choose to read the book. I have to be like “ok we’re putting the phone away now and we are going to read 10 pages” sometimes I read more and sometimes I hit my quota and ditch the book for the day. I made a goodreads and you can set a reading goal challenge (which I’m now behind on) and that’s kinda fun.
Oct 20, 2024
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I think a lot of us want to be able to read longer material, but our attention spans are fried for various reasons. For me, it was the fatal combo of doing a reading-intensive college degree that ate away at my time + social media brainrot + a high level of anxiety that makes me feel generally restless and unfocused. I used to be a huge reader, so I've tried jumping right back into reading long novels multiple times. This hasn't seemed to work in any lasting way. I've had more luck recently with starting small.
Even if you set your goal as: "I want to read something longer than tweets or social media posts," it's progress! Zines, articles, Substack posts, anything just a little bit longer that your brain can latch deeper into will help rebuild your attention. Short story collections and novellas have also been helpful for me, especially if you pick a topic or genre that you're really interested in. I'm still on some forms of social media, so I haven't gone cold-turkey. But I do feel like incorporating longer-form material again, even mixed in with scrolling, has helped my brain so much already. It's refreshing to hand-select what I want to read and give my attention to, instead of letting an algorithm serve me topics. I didn't realize how much depth I was missing in exchange for the breadth of the internet!
Jan 19, 2025
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if you're like me and got away from reading for a few years but are trying to get back into it, here are some things that have helped me in the last 6 ish months:
1) deleting some social media accounts / spending less time on them
2) replace my doom scrolling with reading either on my phone or with an e-reader (the more basic the better imo) (my kobo is on its way to me as we speak)
3) starting with shorter things like novellas and working my way back up to longer things (also if I feel overwhelmed by my lack of progress on something longer I read a short story)
4) remembering that reading is a skill and it will take time to get really good at it again like when I was younger and that's okay !
happy reading everyone!
Jan 13, 2025
Top Recs from @sharktits
My friend Liam got sent these by accident when he ordered vans and gave them to me since they sent him size 13. These shoes are goofy and I don't know who would buy them but I wear them all the time because I think they're really fun and have a lot of character.
May 27, 2024
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I want this saying to come back. it sounds so cool
Jun 9, 2024
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I find that sleeping resets my brain and helps me decide whether I actually want to make a decision. Even a nap has helped me be at peace with my decisions and decide what to do next.
Apr 27, 2024