I discovered my love for reading as a little kid, thanks to my mom, and learned how to read very early on. As I grew up, my mom (who has bought a course one reading very very fast and efficiently) got me interested in reading quickly. I never truly picked the habit of reading as fast as the book intended, but I did learn to only visualize words and immediately relate them to their meaning, without hearing a voice in my head, cause that would make me slower.
Now, as a journalist student, this helped me greatly during the investigation phases. However I faced the same problem of "I used to love reading, now it's just an obligation". I hadn't read the things that I genuinely loved in a while. I haven't really picked up reading again (I'm sadly extremely busy with my thesis coming at me at scary speeds. Genuinely how does time pass so quickly). I however, started reading a novel my lovely mom got me, and I also joined the book club at my university.
My piece of unsolicited advice would be to not only to savour each word, but to write down your feelings (not a summary, not an analysis) of the chapter you just read. This has helped me connect both with the book and with myself.
So sorry for the long rant! I hope anyone reading this is having a wonderful day <3 Also, Joe, if you ever read this, thank you so much for being the educational youtuber we need!
Note: this as a reminder to hydrate, have a snack and stretch if you've been in the same position for a while;)
Ah, I know this feeling. What helps me is ending my study sessions with a kind of stream-of-consciousness reflection on that session. I’ll take 15 to 30 minutes to write about anything that’s still lingering in my mind regarding the project I’m working on. That might be questions I have, what I enjoyed or found challenging in the things I read, how I relate it to other ideas, how I’ll proceed the next day — whatever comes to mind, without needing to ‘work it out’ fully.
It helps me to let go of that more analytical, fast-paced mode of thinking. Most of the time, I’m really able to read ‘slowly and for fun’ for the rest of the evening.
I know the feeling of the need to just read a book almost to have just read it instead of enjoy it. It’s that consume mindset we have. Like how people eat so fast or need to do everything the most efficient way. The most efficient way may not always be the most effective way. I find when I read slow, take a few notes, it has such a deeper impact on me. When I read fast, I might as well have read the clif notes of the book. Basic understanding but nothing deep.
Reading serves many purposes. We make a distinction between prose and poetry , but it's just a matter of degree. All or almost all words have a connotative element and words with the same general meaning are not equally appropriate. Some words are savoured, perhaps all are in different contexts, and slow reading allows for appreciation of that fact.
I only started reading a bit over a year ago. Generally, I'm a slow reader, but as I got the hang of I started feeding faster. Now, I experience something that didn't use to happen to me: I pick up a book, I truly enjoy it and I get that magical feeling of being lost in a book with nothing else worrying me, but this only lasts for a while. I've gotten incredibly neurotic about the amount of pages I read, and after this 'honeymoon feeling' takes place I inevitably start looking at the page number, and from then on I can't stop looking at it. I'm still able to read and to enjoy books, but the second I glance downwards and see the page number and that I haven't read near ad enough pages as I wanted to reading loses all its magic, I simply can't focus any longer and truly engage with the book, because all that's in my mind is that I'm reading too slowly, and that I've already planned to finish this book by a certain date and there are many books I am to read afterwards, and so on. At that point I prefer to stop reading and take a break, but it's pretty sad honestly. I can't enjoy reading and I used to and it's also due to a self-imposed structure, one I deemed necessary when it took me months to read Crime & Punishment, but now, I don't know, I don't know if anything I've read after that book has felt quite as magical. And perhaps that's just due to the book and how great it is haha, but I'm fairly certain it's also got something to do with how my reading has changed.
I like this "unsolicited advice" (see what I did there? lol) It's good to read for research and learning, but it's also good to step back and not only read for the simple reason that it's fun and enjoyable, but also remember that it's ok to do so in the first place.
it's funny that i came across this because i've been doing step 2 recently, slowly sounding out the words in my head, and i do find that i get suspended back in time again, feeling my senses immerse itself in whatever i imagine. it works, and slow reading will always be one of the most grounding experiences ever.
To relax an over active brain I recommend a good dose of P. G. Wodehouse, with a chapter or two of Georgette Heyer thrown in for good measure. Works like a charm.
“...I had supposed that I was leaving nothing out of account; a careful analyst, I had supposed that I knew the state of my own heart. But our intelligence, however great it may be, cannot perceive the elements that compose it and remain unsuspected so long as, from the volatile state in which they generally exist, a phenomenon capable of isolating them has not subjected them to the first stages of solidification. I had been mistaken in thinking that I could see clearly into my own heart. But this knowledge which had not been given me by the finest mental perceptions had now been brought to me, hard, glittering, strange, like a crystallized salt…”
I made a similar comment on your Patreon already, but today I learned a bit more about In Search of Lost Time and couldn’t help but think of you and this post again (with a huge smile on my face, Marcel Proust is such a genius).
Quieting the analytical self is about more than just being able to relax and enjoy something. Sometimes, it’s a necessary step we must take in order to get to know ourselves on a level that self-introspection alone can’t reach. In fact – as Marcel (the narrator) regrettably realized – reasoning can even mislead us at times, pulling us away from our felt, embodied emotions.
(Just to be clear, I also deeply value the rational, analytical self. The art of tightrope-walking is about balance, not swinging too hard in either direction and falling into the abyss.)
I hope that between then and now, you’ve already been able to bring your heart and mind closer to a state of alignment :).
Joseph folley! I'm certain I could have emailed you yesterday! How embarrassing for me… also, did you call me out for using “dialectic” incorrectly?? Come closer …
Yeah if you’ve got ADHD, anxiety, or an overactive default mode network, slowing the fuck down helps. This substack actually reminded me to consciously slow down whatever i’m
doing, to remind myself there’s no ‘threat.’ Cheers Joe!
Naturally, the problem of how to read a book arises. I've been studying and writing my next newsletter about it. This isn't an ad - don't bother looking at it. Genuinely. I'm being somewhat selfish here but I've written it for myself. I just want to learn how to learn properly, and writing about the topic will help me to get to solve this problem once and for all.
I started reading The Myth of Sisyphus 4 days ago, and I've spent those days reading the first part of section/chapter 1. I've given it my all, over 150% of my mental capacity at each sitting. I preach the whole "less is more" philosophy, and I haven't deserted it. I've only been reading for 15 minutes a day, but it's deathly slow and incredibly intense.
The book is slowly becoming a part of who I am and how I approach my life's problems. I hope to read all the books on Mortimer J. Adler's reading list. It will take my whole life to do so, and that's ok.
Slow reading isn't always good reading, but good reading will always be slow.
I read slow for most things that I indulge in. If I know the voice, for example, Joe Folley’s voice, I read it as if he was saying it to me in one of his video essays. If I don’t know the voice, I tend to read it as if it was being narrated at the start of a show’s introduction. Emphasis on specific words, intentional pausing, e.t.c.
I can totally relate - especially as someone who is in the process of getting an ADHD formal diagnosis. Reading and writing is also my passion in life, and I’ve recently begun an Arts/Humanities undergraduate where I can really focus on those skills I love and am good at. While I thoroughly enjoy the course readings and whatnot, I do find that my reading habits (like pace, intention) have changed. I only have one more essay left for the semester and then I can relax and go back to that ‘slow reading’ you’re describing, so that’s something to look forward to. This post definitely came to me at a perfect time, and I really enjoy the steps you provided to help you when you read yourself. I will definitely be ‘inefficiently reading’ over this winter break! :)
I discovered my love for reading as a little kid, thanks to my mom, and learned how to read very early on. As I grew up, my mom (who has bought a course one reading very very fast and efficiently) got me interested in reading quickly. I never truly picked the habit of reading as fast as the book intended, but I did learn to only visualize words and immediately relate them to their meaning, without hearing a voice in my head, cause that would make me slower.
Now, as a journalist student, this helped me greatly during the investigation phases. However I faced the same problem of "I used to love reading, now it's just an obligation". I hadn't read the things that I genuinely loved in a while. I haven't really picked up reading again (I'm sadly extremely busy with my thesis coming at me at scary speeds. Genuinely how does time pass so quickly). I however, started reading a novel my lovely mom got me, and I also joined the book club at my university.
My piece of unsolicited advice would be to not only to savour each word, but to write down your feelings (not a summary, not an analysis) of the chapter you just read. This has helped me connect both with the book and with myself.
So sorry for the long rant! I hope anyone reading this is having a wonderful day <3 Also, Joe, if you ever read this, thank you so much for being the educational youtuber we need!
Note: this as a reminder to hydrate, have a snack and stretch if you've been in the same position for a while;)
Ah, I know this feeling. What helps me is ending my study sessions with a kind of stream-of-consciousness reflection on that session. I’ll take 15 to 30 minutes to write about anything that’s still lingering in my mind regarding the project I’m working on. That might be questions I have, what I enjoyed or found challenging in the things I read, how I relate it to other ideas, how I’ll proceed the next day — whatever comes to mind, without needing to ‘work it out’ fully.
It helps me to let go of that more analytical, fast-paced mode of thinking. Most of the time, I’m really able to read ‘slowly and for fun’ for the rest of the evening.
I know the feeling of the need to just read a book almost to have just read it instead of enjoy it. It’s that consume mindset we have. Like how people eat so fast or need to do everything the most efficient way. The most efficient way may not always be the most effective way. I find when I read slow, take a few notes, it has such a deeper impact on me. When I read fast, I might as well have read the clif notes of the book. Basic understanding but nothing deep.
Reading serves many purposes. We make a distinction between prose and poetry , but it's just a matter of degree. All or almost all words have a connotative element and words with the same general meaning are not equally appropriate. Some words are savoured, perhaps all are in different contexts, and slow reading allows for appreciation of that fact.
I only started reading a bit over a year ago. Generally, I'm a slow reader, but as I got the hang of I started feeding faster. Now, I experience something that didn't use to happen to me: I pick up a book, I truly enjoy it and I get that magical feeling of being lost in a book with nothing else worrying me, but this only lasts for a while. I've gotten incredibly neurotic about the amount of pages I read, and after this 'honeymoon feeling' takes place I inevitably start looking at the page number, and from then on I can't stop looking at it. I'm still able to read and to enjoy books, but the second I glance downwards and see the page number and that I haven't read near ad enough pages as I wanted to reading loses all its magic, I simply can't focus any longer and truly engage with the book, because all that's in my mind is that I'm reading too slowly, and that I've already planned to finish this book by a certain date and there are many books I am to read afterwards, and so on. At that point I prefer to stop reading and take a break, but it's pretty sad honestly. I can't enjoy reading and I used to and it's also due to a self-imposed structure, one I deemed necessary when it took me months to read Crime & Punishment, but now, I don't know, I don't know if anything I've read after that book has felt quite as magical. And perhaps that's just due to the book and how great it is haha, but I'm fairly certain it's also got something to do with how my reading has changed.
I like this "unsolicited advice" (see what I did there? lol) It's good to read for research and learning, but it's also good to step back and not only read for the simple reason that it's fun and enjoyable, but also remember that it's ok to do so in the first place.
it's funny that i came across this because i've been doing step 2 recently, slowly sounding out the words in my head, and i do find that i get suspended back in time again, feeling my senses immerse itself in whatever i imagine. it works, and slow reading will always be one of the most grounding experiences ever.
To relax an over active brain I recommend a good dose of P. G. Wodehouse, with a chapter or two of Georgette Heyer thrown in for good measure. Works like a charm.
“...I had supposed that I was leaving nothing out of account; a careful analyst, I had supposed that I knew the state of my own heart. But our intelligence, however great it may be, cannot perceive the elements that compose it and remain unsuspected so long as, from the volatile state in which they generally exist, a phenomenon capable of isolating them has not subjected them to the first stages of solidification. I had been mistaken in thinking that I could see clearly into my own heart. But this knowledge which had not been given me by the finest mental perceptions had now been brought to me, hard, glittering, strange, like a crystallized salt…”
I made a similar comment on your Patreon already, but today I learned a bit more about In Search of Lost Time and couldn’t help but think of you and this post again (with a huge smile on my face, Marcel Proust is such a genius).
Quieting the analytical self is about more than just being able to relax and enjoy something. Sometimes, it’s a necessary step we must take in order to get to know ourselves on a level that self-introspection alone can’t reach. In fact – as Marcel (the narrator) regrettably realized – reasoning can even mislead us at times, pulling us away from our felt, embodied emotions.
(Just to be clear, I also deeply value the rational, analytical self. The art of tightrope-walking is about balance, not swinging too hard in either direction and falling into the abyss.)
I hope that between then and now, you’ve already been able to bring your heart and mind closer to a state of alignment :).
Great post!
Joseph folley! I'm certain I could have emailed you yesterday! How embarrassing for me… also, did you call me out for using “dialectic” incorrectly?? Come closer …
This slayed in 3 bullet points. I don't care whether anyone else gets what I'm saying... and I'm not an ant. Joe... oh God...
Yeah if you’ve got ADHD, anxiety, or an overactive default mode network, slowing the fuck down helps. This substack actually reminded me to consciously slow down whatever i’m
doing, to remind myself there’s no ‘threat.’ Cheers Joe!
I'm trying to learn how to learn.
Naturally, the problem of how to read a book arises. I've been studying and writing my next newsletter about it. This isn't an ad - don't bother looking at it. Genuinely. I'm being somewhat selfish here but I've written it for myself. I just want to learn how to learn properly, and writing about the topic will help me to get to solve this problem once and for all.
I started reading The Myth of Sisyphus 4 days ago, and I've spent those days reading the first part of section/chapter 1. I've given it my all, over 150% of my mental capacity at each sitting. I preach the whole "less is more" philosophy, and I haven't deserted it. I've only been reading for 15 minutes a day, but it's deathly slow and incredibly intense.
The book is slowly becoming a part of who I am and how I approach my life's problems. I hope to read all the books on Mortimer J. Adler's reading list. It will take my whole life to do so, and that's ok.
Slow reading isn't always good reading, but good reading will always be slow.
I read slow for most things that I indulge in. If I know the voice, for example, Joe Folley’s voice, I read it as if he was saying it to me in one of his video essays. If I don’t know the voice, I tend to read it as if it was being narrated at the start of a show’s introduction. Emphasis on specific words, intentional pausing, e.t.c.
I can totally relate - especially as someone who is in the process of getting an ADHD formal diagnosis. Reading and writing is also my passion in life, and I’ve recently begun an Arts/Humanities undergraduate where I can really focus on those skills I love and am good at. While I thoroughly enjoy the course readings and whatnot, I do find that my reading habits (like pace, intention) have changed. I only have one more essay left for the semester and then I can relax and go back to that ‘slow reading’ you’re describing, so that’s something to look forward to. This post definitely came to me at a perfect time, and I really enjoy the steps you provided to help you when you read yourself. I will definitely be ‘inefficiently reading’ over this winter break! :)