What to Do If You Hate Reading
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- Äas pĆidĂĄn 28. 06. 2024
- If you want to read more books, use these strategies to start building your reading habit.
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â± TIMESTAMPS:
01:07 - Use habit-building techniques to make reading easier (and the one that worked for me)
02:04 - Start with easier material (3 specific recommendations)
06:23 - Don't avoid YA books and other specific categories
07:15 - Undo the damage caused by school
08:14 - Don't let your to-be-read list hinder you
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- Jeff Goins' article on The Hunger Games: goinswriter.com/hunger-games/
- Comixology: www.comixology.com/
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Bonus tip that I cut from the video for time:
Try listening to audiobooks as well. I do about half my "reading" through audiobooks, and they have two key benefits:
1) You don't have to actively push forward through the story. Instead, the pace is set for you, much like it is with a TV show or a person telling you a story in real life. This is especially helpful for people who find it hard to get through normal books.
2) You can listen to them while doing other things, like laundry.
I've dealt with certain elitist people who say that listening to an audiobook "doesn't count", but I see that argument mostly as a hindrance to helping more people build a love of reading. Sure, some books are better experienced through text - but it's also true that books evolved from oral storytelling. And most books (especially fiction) can be adequately experienced either way. Plus, starting with audiobooks may encourage you to eventually start reading more paper/digital books.
Hope this video was helpful!
You can also find some more book recommendations here: collegeinfogeek.com/essential-books-for-students/ - or see what I've read at my Goodreads profile: www.goodreads.com/tomfrankly
Did you find audio manga? i know they're easy to read, but for me i get very anxious when i read ANY book i get lost in the details and i make sure to understand perfectly :(
I was partially one of those elitists until I didn't have time to read. Audiobooks became my go to. I've accepted the fact that my brain doesn't absorb books the way it used to when I was a kid and was inseparable to books. So I started reading more fiction as they aren't a chore for me.
also you can increase the speed on audiobooks if you're looking to speed through a book a little quicker
@@bruh438 I actually didn't know there was audio manga! Then again, the only manga I've really read are Alita and part of Terra Formars. Most of my comic reading has been Marvel, in addition to Scott Pilgrim, Monstress, and Saga.
I agree, 90% of my reading is through listening to audiobooks. I am an Assistant Librarian, and you are correct that some book snobs do say that Audiobooks do not count. I simply tell them I do not have the time to sit down and read almost 100 books in a year.
For many commuters, listening to audiobooks to pass the travel time is a great way to get a book in. For stay at home caregivers that are tired of the mundane routines of life, audiobooks or podcasts can keep your mind active and current.
Thank you for your great channel.
Thomas: "Only about 497 pages....
Me after reading 2 pages of textbook: Feels like I've worked 36 hours a day
Hahaha couldn't agree more
And I collapse when he said "Again, an easy read only about 1,097 pages.
Thomas Frank : âOnly 1019 pagesâ
My Short Attention Span : ............đđ
Literally scroll down to find this kind of comment right after the moment 1097 pages đ
Boring book recommendations at that
@@huyenle7912 Yeah - that was a great intro - ya got me on that one Thomas.
He barely kept a straight face by the end of that intro đđâ€
r/humblebrag
I feel an Audible ad coming
Yeah Thomas - you're so transparent
Discover audible with a free audio book, on us.
Ha lol
At first I couldn't tell if you were being serious about those books or just kidding xD * just a 1000 page book *
I did not believe that 60 pages is alot đ€Łđ€Łđ€Łđ€Ł
In one day I mean
Ikr
make your goals smaller. if i get through 1 page without drifting off that's a win
With my college text books I considered a paragraph a win, at first. It totally got better though.
How about a sentence?
@@user-fz8fz1cg1r how bout a word
@Rufaro Chikovore how bout having a thought of reading đ
âOnly 492 pages.â
Canât relate.
Trying to get in better shape but you hate exercise? Just climb Mt. Everest!
Thatâs rlly short though- I just read 2 books longer than that.
Same
That will take about a week of good reading once you get the hang of it
*Just like any other habit it takes time to develop and start enjoying.*
I used to hate reading but your channel motivated me to read books and gradually I started enjoying reading books. Thanks! Tom
What has seriously helped me is listening to audiobooks. Itâs gets me interested in new topics which then leads me to listen to more books or grab the paper copy. Sometimes I listen to the audio while reading just to get me in the groove
Ameya Rastogi haha my bad..
Not a bad idea, but I hate how audio books are read too. Haha. So drawn out and annoying.
*AUDIO books are great!*
I have minor dyslexia, but that alone makes reading mentally exhausting and far from enjoyable. After 15mins my brains are done with it. It's not ADHD because I can listen long podcasts 4h straight without getting tired. I really need to get more into audiobooks.
ADHD isn't a short attention span - that's a misconception. it's a lack of regular stimulation. I know, becasue I have ADHD and I can do tasks for long periods of time provided the stimulation is there.
Reading pure text makes me glaze, so I prefer videos where there is more stimulation for the eyes. It doesn't matter how one absorbs information. Anyone who suggests otherwise is a snob and a gatekeeper.
@@nebularain3338 Thatâs my same issue! I have ADD and sitting down and reading is legit difficult to do. At least for a long time. Tbh I do technically read if you count subtitles because I canât watch a movie, tv show, or play a video game without them.
Protip: Go to law school, you'll never dread reading after that.. :')
But, for real; If you like certain movies, read the books as well! That's an easy way to start.
You mean, for example: Harry Potter?
The books are always better than the movies in my opinion
You've missed the point. Some people are simply not designed for text based input. There are currently around seven identified methods for human learning, and text based is just one of them.
I myself am kinesthetic/visual, which means I absorb information by visual example, so videos are ideal for me. Books are great, but they are not the be all and end all of education and/or entertainment. In other words - not liking books does not make one less intelligent.
@@ashkay7950 not always
This is really terrific. I read a couple of terrible books when I was younger, and it just took the wind out of me. The main one was long, engrossing, and the conclusion was a MASSIVE letdown. I didnât want to experience that disappointment again. It has taken me a lot of effort to return to a love of reading. Tons of great suggestions in here to keep building on my past successes. Thank you!
All this advice is absolutely fabulous and every time I'm talking to people who struggle with reading these are the things I would recommend I think this is a brilliant video
This is probably my favorite Thomas Frank video, hands down.
By the title, i thought that 'oh he's gonna talk about the audiobooks, habits blah blah blah and all of those usual tips that we see on the internet, but bam was i wrong.
Especially that tip about the tbr and emotional attachment really get to me.
Keep up the good work!
This is brilliant! I need to use this in my classroom. Thank you!
Dude, you're a true inspiration for me, really, thanks a lot for making these videos
I really liked your tip about not viewing your to be read list as a concrete order for which to read books. I go in and out of phases where I want to read, mostly due to school draining me mentally and forcing me to read books I don't enjoy like you mentioned. I think it's important to not limit yourself to one genre or category. There are many children's books that aren't just for children and you shouldn't feel bad for wanting to read them. Reading is an amazing resource and may be a solution to rebuilding our attention spans while at the same time learning more, improving your vocabulary and just having some fun. Thanks for the video!
*Doing something you HATE but doing it like you LOVE it.*
Key to success...
i should try that đ€
So conditioning? Got it
I've been waiting for you to post a reading video!
I read the Name of the Wind thanks to your suggestion.. So glad you enjoyed Mistborn!
Thank you Tom! That's really helped .đđ
15 min reading then 5 min rest, 15, 5, 15, ... . I do so and it works.
The physical exercise analogy works really well from me. I think that the school system has made me dread reading, and now if I plow into something that's a bit over my head, I get a mental exertion similar to exercising too much. I got this with my current sci-fi TBR pile, so I think I'm going to forget about reading heavy stuff for a while and go back to what sounds interesting and what's more digestible. Thanks, Thomas!
Like reading, watched the video just because it's Thomas and the video is great. Still found things I can apply to my reading life. Like reading short anthologies, because it is frustrating to me that most often I don't have enough time to finish even one chapter and long stories get stretched out for months. Nice point about categories, I feel like many people are afraid or reluctant to explore anything outside "their" category.
Me: I love reading
My mind: what are you doing here?
Me: I love watching thomas toođâ„ïžđ
Wait What!!!đ€€
True đđ
Started a resolution to finish reading a book per month this year. It's actually a light and fun activity to do after everyday's heavy schedule.
Thanks for reminding me to take it easy while getting back into the habit of reading. I grew up reading Shakespeare and Jane Austen, then went on to read extremely technical books in engineering, then life happened so I wasn't able to read for years. Just recently trying to pick up the pieces of my reading hobby and I've felt really bad about myself for not being able to read these kind of books anymore, but it's just like you said, it's about building that habit :)
Thanks for another great video! Your vids are super helpful
I think I sorta have PTSD from reading from being forced to read by parents and school and thinking Iâm gonna have to be quizzed
Brilliant tips! Thank you!
I'd really thank for all of your videos you are really my favorite youtuber u played a huge part in re developing myself after 4 years of losing and suicidal thoughts really a special thanks
Thank you for grinding the "Follow your interest" idea often in your videos. Makes reading more fluent.
Hey Thomas frank! Your videos are super informative and useful to all people who want to become better version of themselves! Look everybody knows that what they should do! But, they just need right direction, where your tips works well! Thanks. â„ From India.
Audiobooks are a life changer for me. I like to read, but audiobooks have helped me get more time to learning even when doing other tasks
Thomas, this is the exact method I am using to relearn how to read after having strokes that affected language and comprehension. Thank you for making this video.
The suggestions were amazing đ€
thank you man this is really important for me.
Omg this video was made for me, I find it hard to commit to reading a full book, I lose interest really fast, I hope this helps
The struggle is real, are we gonna ignore the fact that we have the same last name?lol
Claro y tuu
Jalisco y tu?
Cool yo también estoy a nada de entrar a la universidad
yo en dos meses hago mi examen, voy a estudiar biologĂa y tu?
This has helped sooooo much!
I love the beginning of the videoo. Thinking fast and slow took me quite some time đđ
A great video, as usual. One thing I found extremely useful recently was e-books. I was - and still are - quite sceptical of reading books on a screen but I noticed that I was able to get through books a lot faster by switching those constant instagram check-ups into a couple of lines or pages of the e-book. I haven't read a lot of e-books since but at least it got me back into a strong reading habit.
PS. That's one sharp haircut you've got there, Thomas!
I find comedy novels easier to read. Mainly because laughing gives you energy. Good horror/thriller novels also works since you would turn the page faster
One of the best videos out there congrats bro
Rothfuss and Sanderson are soooo talented, both are gifted writers đđđ Glad you mentioned them.
Brilliant, thanks a lot dude
I think reading along with audiobook narration is really helpful.
Actually opened this video looking for tips to read articles/academic books you don't really want to. That would be a HUGE help for me. Can you address it in one of your next videos?
Thanks as always for your awesome contents. Really.
Himitsu As a history major, Iâm often exposed to dense (and oftentimes dry) sources that arenât necessarily in my field of interest. One of Thomasâ tips in a previous video was to build an âinterest link,â and thatâs something I have found helpful.
@@ladymacdish3406 Yeah I think he mentions that in this video as well, tell me if I'm wrong. I don't know, just wanted to know if there's some other tips & tricks to make you devour pages and pages of articles other than that, which is pretty intuitive but doesn't work with me.
Btw cheers, I'm a History bachelor, now mastering in Cultural Anthropology :)
Himitsu wow awesome! Iâm looking into grad school as well. Yeah I tried to find the one where he mentioned the interest link thing but couldnât find it. And, I kinda zoned out on this video lol
*Have an open mind and develop a reading habit. Read as much as you can, expand your mind; you will not only exercise your brain, but you will increase your knowledge, you will learn from the experiences of others, you will travel to new places, you will discover new cultures and you will expand the way you see and do things.*
So what if your brain isn't designed for text input? Surely well read people know about the different (and equally valid) learning methods?
Not being a book person isn't a lack of discipline.
Great like your other videos. Thanks Thomas.
Audible is your friend! Really does work wonders! :)
Exactly! Right now Iâm a sophomore in high school and weâre reading Cry the Beloved Country but weâre forced to read only until the pages the teacher assigns. My teacher told us to read until chapter 12 but Iâm already at ch 20. Itâs tough to have the will to read when I have to stop myself from going further every time I pick up the book.
i don't strictly follow my tbr list i only use it because i don't wanna forget the books I'm interested in and will read in the future depending on my mood
I am glad you are helping people enjoy reading. And you're right; sometimes you need to get into children's books. Some of my "best friends" are Heidi, the Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder and many others. I say that books are my friends because I revisit them over and over again. Unfortunately, as an English major in college I lost my love for reading after "hyper analyzing" some wonderful books in our American Literature. It is so nice to read just for the sake of reading -- or listening to audio books. Some of my new "friends" are the five books written by Rush Limbaugh featuring Rush Revere and his horse Liberty. They come as books, but my copies are on CD, which I listen to in the car when traveling. It's so exciting when the book is read by the author.
Some of my favorite "popcorn" books are the Small Miracles series and the Chicken Soup for the Soul books. These are books with short stories which grab you, then you say, "I'll just read the next one" and the next one, etc. until you realize 2 hours have passed!
I wonder if you could enjoy reading if you were a "writer" of stories? Anyone can write about their own life or opinions, etc. which would leave a legacy to the friends and family you might leave behind someday.
Currently reading Thinking, Fast and Slow and it is well worth investing in. The way he explains the two systems in which your brain works is remarkable.
I recommend the Illuminae trilogy for books that are easier to read, because the way it is written is very different and it makes it really interesting and easier to read, I read it pretty easily after a really long reading slump
Wow, these are extra great tips! I've been in the same boat for the last five years, so this is great. ^.^
great stuff i just started my reading streak
You're awesome man:)
Great recommends as usual! Personally, I started with my old American Girl books...super easy to finish, and interesting too, if you're into history. I started at 5 books a year, 3 years (?) ago and am at abt 15-20 books per year now.
Hooray for Patrick Rothfuss! Just finished the audiobooks and am somewhat happy you've also read them ^^
OMG THANKS THOMAS!!
in english, we have to get our parents to sign these bookmarks saying we read for a certain amount of time every day. We are only really allowed to read books that are on the accelerated reading system and we have to quiz on the books after reading them-meaning we have to read keeping a quiz in mind. I used to adore reading, but now my love of reading has been kind of destroyed
When I read with my Grandkids I stop periodically and make them re-cap the story so they read for meaning not just the words.
Thanks to this video I discovered that there is a comic book series that is a continuation of avatar: the last air bender. Thank you so much! It's one of my favourite stories ever told.
Great! I used to dislike reading and even once I started properly commuting I still didnât like it! I would get tired and drowsy in the morning if I read. But ... after a while I started to love it. I look forward to adding book on top of book to my pile. Watching it grow motivates the f*ck out of me! Have a great Friday!
Angus
I am actually reading Thinking Fast and Slow right now... and when I was listening to that intro I was like, âuhhhh.....are we reading the same book here?â đ Its more of a cognition book like the text books I use in college haha.
Loved the vid! đđ»đđŒ
The idea of reading short stories is a good one. I found a book called, A Twist of The Knife by Peter James. It is very well written and fast paced, definitely worth a read.
The TBR list is a good one. I use my TBR list when I don't find something to read.
My favorite tip is one about reading short story anthologies. It's what I do to revive my interest in reading.
Omg the note about school ruining reading is so true. School is definitely the reason why i hate reading
This happens to me as well, i get distracted very easily!!!
I think one thing that helps is listening to books or watching the movie version. I was struggling to read A Tale of Two Cities but when I listened to it, it was much easier to understand.
Helpful!
Iâm sure that Naval Ravikant podcast can be helpful too in terms of this video topic. Changed my mind on how to read books.
Itâs from The Knowledge Project.
Hi Thomas I have a question, I love reading but have a problem that I noticed that I read and with in an hour I only have gone through 3 pages what should I do ?
Just finished reading Children of Time and man it felt pretty heavy to read some arcs, but it was worth the journey! Going to read a much lighter book for the next one.
8:14 I think I have come up with a good way to handle reading lists, so I felt I'd share it here: I keep updating my list of books that I haven't read yet but that I think I might read someday. I would never feel compelled to read a book just because I've put it on that list. Sometimes a book on my list gets recommended to me by multiple friends and acquaintances, increasing the probability that I'll eventually read it and sometimes I get discouraged from reading certain books before I think hard whether to read them, resulting in them being deleted from my list.
I just collect some dozens of ideas for which books to read in the next months/years and then I ask myself which books are the most important to me right now (i.e. optimise for product of importance and urgency), at the point of ordering books. Currently, this list contains about 150 books that I (vaguely) categorised by topic/field and I'm confident I won't ever read even half of these, which is perfectly fine, since that means I have more time to spend on books that are even more important.
Hi Thomas, thank you for this video!! I want to read books but I dislike reading, and especially e-books because I get really bad headaches. Also, I'm a visual learner so I will try the audiobook route. Is it possible to do summaries of audiobooks for say, college classes or is that cheating lol?
great tip, thank you. I have used it with my dyslexic child, as a rule they don{t like to read but they have too. I set aside a penny jar. Each penny represented daily reading. if she read we moved a penny to the other side if not I moved 2 pennies from read side to unread side as a punishment. before, soooooooo many time she was very busy to read. that way she remembered to read and was able to make her allowances by reading. eternally grateful mom.
Do you have any more tips for reading difficult texts? Especially academic texts? Iâve been reading easy fiction books like you recommended, but it hasnât helped me understand difficult prose. Do i need to improve my own language and grammar first?
I loved reading comic books as a child - before my Mom threw them all away (thousands of $ worth at today's prices). But I DID develop a love of reading - nobody can take that away (smile)
This actually happened: A long long time ago, in a land far far away, a co-worker, Joe, asked me how it is that I enjoy reading and read so much! I told him my best guess is that early schooling is actually great at teaching reading ability/skill. But beyond that, unintentionally, in a lot of cases teaches kids to hate reading. For a lot of us, love or enjoyment of reading can't be taught. But it can easily be facilitated through the process of (what I refer to as-) "clicking," much the same as when people (their personalities) "click" when they first meet. It's a matter of matching the right book with that I-hate-reading person. I had worked with Joe long enough to have a basic grasp of his (what I refer to as) psycho-type... He was ex-marine. Seemed to have really enjoyed the military, was a serious jock/macho type, and a Harley rider. And he was smart, with reading ability.. He just hated reading. The following day, I gave him an old copy of James Clavell's "King Rat". The day after that, at work he told me he had started the book and had been unable to put it down.. He had "clicked!" So, I just happened to have some of the other popular Clavell books laying around, so I also gave him those. He devoured them, including "Shogun" -Over a thousand pages.. And it wasn't long until he wanted more reading material.. I brought him in an old copy of "The Far Arena" and told him after that, he was on his own for finding reading material, which he did..
I use my TBR as a way to remember interesting books I heard about, so when I head down to a bookstore I can pick them up
The most important (for me) is to find a book you love. Once you're in a book you're invested in, you'll be craving to read the next chapter, just like you'd jump on the next episode of a series. I spend a lot of time before buying a book to make sure that I'll like the story or the content.
Also, I always buy books one by one. If I buy too much, then I feel like I have to read them all before buying new ones. So, I have a long To Be Read list, but when I choose a new book to read, I take the one I'll be more invested in. Regardless of when this book ended up in this list :)
Also, I hated reading until I made myself get an eye exam. I can read just fine but my vision was off just enough so that I started getting a headache after about 15 minutes. It was subtle, but it created a Pavlovian response that reading = pain. Once I got my eyes checked and got my glasses, I started reading books like Atlas Shrugged and Lord of the Rings waaaay more easily.
This is out of the ordinary. How do you manage an anxiety disorder in college? Or how do you deal with the side effects of being burned out?
I like the video title, but let's see the value on it
What is the spreadsheet type thing you used when tracking the bet you made?
tells you to ditch your to read list but also recommends a video about 10 books to read??đ€đ€
besides that great video!! The advice seems super helpful! I haven't really read a book in like 5 years due to chronic headaches and stuff, so I'm hoping this advice will help me read again!
My problem is reading physic examples on assignments i did fail. Not exactly these assignments but i get some fundamentals which i then can proceed on these assignments.
Why read when you can listen with audible is what I was expecting him to say since he's always plugging audible lol. I do have to agree find something you like it's much easier to start. My first book was the Count of Monte Cristo. I read it on my own and it was great, I didn't have a TV and books really helped me visualize and escape into a new world, I still do it now with audible and my kindle paperwhite.
That Megaman poster in the background is clean as fuh
I used to love reading until high school. Having advanced placement English classes, made lost interest in something I used to love. Now I wanna get back into it. I just don't know where. Might start off with comics.
please make a video about how not to have stress for exams
I also like the Text-To-Speech apps, which are getting better. I like the Heather voice on NaturalReader and I can adjust her voice speed and so when I have articles, texts, journals or other things on the web I NEED to read I can upload to NaturalReader and listen either at home or make the text into an .mp3 I can listen to in the car.
Also for people who think they "should" read, they might try the GreatCourses etc... you can get intellectual content without reading. Also check out Wisecrack and the Crash Course series for intellectual content. As a college instructor I've discovered that not everyone is built for information intake via the written word. :-)
I love reading, but getting older it is harder to read because of reading glasses. So AUDIOBOOKS is the way to go for those of us who find reading just exhausting and headache provoking as we age. Extra tip: if possible listen to books read by their author.
I usually have multiple books on the go. I think that I finished at least 3 books before completing Thinking fast and slow. Definitely beneficial but not a light read for me!
Mannnn I love this CZcams channel
i needed this video so much. đ thank you. â€ïž i hate reading because i don't understand mostly what i read.. (i've got dyslexia).
Dominika Domaczaja Same but it gotten better the more I do it.
I love the first part of videođ
These are some realy usefull and interesting tips. I am a person with moderate dyslexia and reading has always been a problem for me. I have always wanted to read more being I love storys, but even when I'm interested I quickly loss momentum. Some things that have helped me is buying e-books form amazon so you can get a discount on your audio books if you done want to subscribe. And story based video games like rpgs can be a great way to get in the practice you need. Do you guys have any other ideas for helping people with dyslexia become book worms?