how to read with a broken brain
my friend asked me for tips on how to read today. so i autistically drafted some bullets for him:
dopamine is REAL. you’ll be handicapping yourself if you go from doomscrolling tiktok to trying to read. i doubt that shit works for anyone, not even the most routinized readers. so do something calm right before reading.
actually allocate time. i don’t like that this works because it makes reading feel like a chore, but it DOES work. the same way you say “next hour i’ll be working out and not letting anything distract me” or “ok from 5pm to 8pm i’m gonna study and not do anything else” you allocate however long for reading. and if during that time you don’t feel like reading, then don’t read. stare into the wall. BUT YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO DO OTHER THINGS. sooner or later you’ll realize how fun and rewarding reading can be.
what to read? aah the ultimate question. to which there is… no answer. if there was an answer, the only way to find out what to read is BY READING. you can’t think your way into knowing what books speak to you. so just get going reading.
