this post was submitted on 31 Aug 2025
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Self Improvement
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Hello comrades and welcome to the fifth improvement megathread of August! 
It's the last day of August. Tomorrow brings a new month to conquer!
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Does anyone have any tips for reading books? While I'm not illiterate per say, reading is difficult for me. My issue isn't vocabulary or anything, it's just that I see a ton of paragraphs / pages and my brain just goes information overload. Might be some disability stuff or my brain just doesn't mesh with it. Tried audio books, and while I can sit through them, they distract me in a way that means I can't do other stuff, and I don't really find myself internalizing it that well. While I mainly want to read theory, it could also be useful for any other books.
Here are some of my tips:
Thanks for the advice! I'm not in a position to obtain lots of paperbacks, but I'll definitely make sure to follow all your other advice.
Are you opposed to an ereader?
I have a kobo and make the font gigantic and I usually get less than one paragraph per page
I also keep a small notebook with me so I can take notes on the non fiction I read, I use A6 lined leuchtturms
No, but for the time being, unless I get some good money, the only electronics I'll have are my old laptop and maybe a cheap phone or two.
Sheesh. I like your idea about the gigantic font though, I'm going to try to use that on my computer.
I keep forgetting about the concept of taking notes. Thanks for reminding me.
I'll think about it, but thank you comrade for giving me some ideas!
Ereaders haven't changed all too much over the years so you'd be surprised what you can get from an e waste recycling bin or thrift store
Yeah, I'll probably see about going to one soon. My laptop, as good as it is and as proud as I am for getting it at such a discount price, isn't really doing all that great. So, I'll see about getting both an e-reader and one of those mythical ThinkPads I hear about all the time.
They do have cheaper models and some are refurbished but yeah, ereaders are definitely an investment
Glad to help otherwise though
What works for you is going to be different for what works for others. For me I listen to audiobooks while doing other work that I can split my focus doing. Long drives, for example, are perfect for me to listen to books. On the other hand, if I take ADHD meds I can’t really listen to books while I work because my focus on meds doesn’t let me really split my attention. I definitely can’t listen to “heady” works like theory while working because I won’t absorb it properly. Some people can’t really split their attention while doing something like driving either, it’s really going to come down to a lot of factors.
I’ve often found that reading physically is something that I have to build a habit for. If there’s a book I want to read I may put it off for ages until I finally lay down before bed and dedicate an hour or two to reading, and generally (unless I really don’t enjoy reading said book) that inertia will carry over into subsequent days. So you may need to self examine and think about how you focus personally and work with that.