Just like the text shows, I used to always love to read as a kid and a pre teen. However as I got older I stopped maybe due to no one else doing it or maybe my own lack of interest but I remember how amazing and how lost I used to find myself in the books I used to read.
I used to love reading fiction but as a 23 year old now I think it long be a waste of time to read fiction when I could be reading non fiction and gaining skills, whatever they may be.
Idk, I just really want to reap the benefits of reading again but I can’t seem to find the urge like I once had.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
by Living-Carpet-5618
6 Comments
I was similar when I was your age. My love of reading fell off when I was in university where so much of my reading was taken up by school work and I just needed the ease of watching TV at the end of my studies.
My advice is start back in where you left off with reading. Read some good YA or a series you liked when you were in high school. I remember re-reading Twilight as my gateway back in. I already knew the story but I got to experience it again with age and a new perspective. It gives you the chance to skim read a bit here and there and then build that muscle back up.
Also, there is a lot of value both personally and professionally in fiction books. Fiction teaches you to use your imagination and think creatively which can be applied in a multitude of ways. It can also cause you to consider moral choices and values.
This is more common than you may know, it’s part of becoming an adult we have less free time and more responsibility. I still have the time to read and love reading but if you may not then don’t be afraid to consider audiobooks if they are what is accessible to you and you find you enjoy it. Also, if you find fiction you can enjoy, awesome! But don’t fall into the trap of not reading because you feel like non-fiction is ‘unproductive’, especially because starting to enjoy reading again can help you transition into fiction content if it’s hard to take the plunge.
Fitness people like to talk about the difference between motivation and discipline. Motivation is great, but can be fleeting. Discipline is what keeps someone in their practice even on days when they don’t “feel the urge.”
If you want to read, you’ll need to work on acquiring that discipline. It takes discipline to pick up a book when your phone is right there. Start small. Pick out 200-page novel with a synopsis that sounds fun and grabs your attention. Put your phone at the other end of the house and set a timer for 15 minutes. Read for those 15 minutes. Do that once a day. Next week work up to 20 minutes, 30 minutes and so on. When you finish the book, reflect on that sense of accomplishment. Realize that you were only able to reach that by setting aside distractions and lose yourself in the slow pleasure of reading. Find another book that sounds interesting and do it again.
As you get through more books, you can challenge yourself to reach for things that maybe aren’t the most “fun,” but have other meaningful qualities. Books that are acclaimed by book critics (not booktokers, no offense to those fine people!) or older works that you’ve always felt “you should read but never got around to it.” With a baseline of discipline built from a regular reading practice, you will better be able to sit with these more demanding works. That’s where the urge comes from, routine and practice.
This is happening to me too. I am asking myself now why am I here on Reddit and not reading a good novel.
>I think it long be a waste of time to read fiction (…)
Do you feel the same way about other media? Movies, series, games, social media …? Why do you think consuming fiction and “gaining skills” are mutually exclusive?
My recommendation – find a book club. Being around people that like reading and talking about books as well as being put on a schedule for when you’re expected to finish the book will help you stay focused.