These days it is so easy to binge-watch Scandinavian thrillers or doom scroll through TikTok or YouTube videos that it doesn't take long for reading anything longer than a newspaper headline to be simply too much effort. I am pretty sure that all this binge-watching and doom scrolling reduces the number of active brain cells. I can't prove it. of course, but I do find that it reduces my desire and even my capacity to read, unless I make an effort to be mindful about reading —at least, until the reading has it has been well-established again.
As you can tell, I speak from experience. and what follows is the kind of thing that worked for me.
1. Set achievable goals. For example, if fiction is your thing, buy a book of short stories and read the shortest one first. If nonfiction is your preference, start by reading articles in periodicals.
2. Change your mindset. Many people think they have to persevere with books they are not enjoying. I think life is too short. If you can't "get into it", leave it, at least for now.
3. With nonfiction books, do you have to read the chapters in order from beginning to end? If not, read the shortest chapter fist, or the one that looks most interesting from the chapter heading.
4. Set interim goals. If, for instance, the chapter you're reading is very long, identify places to read up to, such as the end of a section, by the end of your current reading session.
5. Have different books for different times of day. I like an easy read before I go to sleep, not something that demands a lot of brain power or which is going to wind me up.
These are the things that worked for me. I think what's happening is that you're training yourself to not want the quick dopaminer hit from binge-watching, and to enjoy the shower form of pleasure instead. A bit like switching from the quick sugar hit you get from chocolate to the slower, and healthier, show sugar release you get from eating a banana!
As always, this is not meant to be advice. I just wanted to share a few ideas that work for me.