Hello, blog readers! Would you like to learn how to read more books; how to get more reading done in general; and how to be productive and not waste your life away through purposeless scrolling?

I would, too!

I was a bit flummoxed about what to write about in this week’s blog post. The books I’ve finished reading lately aren’t right for this blog, which focuses on great books published in the past 10 years. Some of them are right for my paid subscribers on Patreon (learn more and join here), where I write about classic books and books that almost but didn’t quite make the cut. And some of the books I’ve read recently I’ll move on from without commenting at all.

Usually when I don’t have a good book to write about, I call up the inquisitive one and ask what’s up. But when I called today, it sounded like the i.o. was outdoors, and I could barely hear over the wind whooshing through the phone. It sounded like the i.o. said, “Hi Liza, I’m in a bad mood! I’m trying to read a book outside, but I’m being attacked by lanternflies, and it’s the most annoying, obnoxious—”

The phone went dead, and though I called back repeatedly, the i.o. did not pick up after that. I went to the i.o.’s house and peeked in the backyard, but the i.o. wasn’t there. Alas, the little information I have isn’t much of a story, so I’m out of luck (and so are you) until I can get a fuller report.

That’s why, today, I’m going to write about how to read more books; how to get more reading done in general; and how to be productive and not waste your life away through purposeless scrolling!

There’s only one teensy problem with this article idea. I have no idea how to do these things. But you’re a forgiving soul. I’m sure you won’t mind if I write the article anyway, will you?

How to Read More Books, Get More Reading Done & Be Productive: According to Authors, Podcasters, & Redditors

Look, I’ve read the books. I’ve listened to the podcasts. I’ve wasted countless hours scrolling through Reddit, trying to figure out how to force myself to stop wasting time scrolling through Reddit. Here are some of the many strategies recommended by folks who know what they’re talking about (and a few folks who don’t):

• Delete your social media apps. Tell a loved one to change your passwords and make them swear not tell you what they are until two weeks have passed. Or delete your accounts entirely.
• Use an app blocker app like AppBlock or Freedom to restrict your access to apps and/or make it more cumbersome to access apps.
• Track your phone time using Android’s Digital Wellbeing app or Apple’s Screen Time option. Try to improve your stats.
• Keep your phone across the room or in a different room much of the time.
• Use a safe that locks up your phone and won’t release it for a period of time.
• Replace your smart phone with a dumb phone.
• Take up whittling. Get so obsessed with whittling that nothing else is attractive to you in life.
• Give away all your possessions and move to the Amazon rainforest.

How to Read More Books, Get More Reading Done & Be Productive: What Realistically Works & What Doesn’t

If you’re not trying to run a small business or keep up with social groups that span a larger area than your neighborhood or town, maybe you can delete your social media apps. I have deleted my social media apps on past occasions, and this did indeed free up time in my life.

But this is no longer feasible for me as an author and freelancer who’s trying to market my book and my editing, web design, and graphic design services. Plus, I have found that online social networking is a great way to maintain old friendships, as well as strengthen friendships with people you just met. Sure, I could delete the apps, but still go on social media on my laptop. But Instagram works better on the app. Plus, I know that, in that case, I will either waste time on my laptop instead of my phone, or find other ways to waste time on my phone.

I have used app blockers. They work for a time. But I often find myself sliding backwards. I’ll want to get to my apps so badly that I’ll override the controls, and fiddling with the controls is merely a different way of wasting time. Then I’ll go in and tweak the settings to try to make it work even better for me, wasting even more time. Or I’ll transition to scrolling different apps from the ones I blocked originally, or download new apps to waste time with.

Obsessing over the Digital Wellbeing app or Screen Time option, IMHO, is a good way to waste time and feel bad about myself at the same time.

Keeping my phone across the room or in a different room does work. But sometimes when I read I want to look things up. I don’t want to look too much up, or get distracted, but the inability to look things up feels bad and wrong. When I was young, I would carry a dictionary around with whatever book I was reading and look up words on occasion. (Yes, I was, and still am, a dork. What’s it to you?) Now that I have nearly infinite dictionaries and encyclopedias at my fingertips, it seems masochistic not to use them.

As for the remaining ideas, well, they seem pretty extreme. Not to mention impossible to implement while also making a living as an author and freelancer.

How to Read More Books, Get More Reading Done & Be Productive: Targeted Brain Practice

Here’s a radical idea. What if the answer is, we all need to do targeted brain practice to overcome our phone addictions?

Ahhh, I can hear you screaming at me now. Phones and apps are addictive! They are specifically designed to addict us! We have no control! We need to control ourselves through exterior constraints! Put me in a straightjacket and don’t let me within 50 miles of that phone!

This is a reasonable point. But it reminds me of something, and that’s making me doubt its full veracity.

It reminds me of the endless trouble I got in when I tried to rely solely on psychotherapy and psychiatric meds to solve my anxiety issues, which, by the way, was precisely what medical professionals advised me to do. The solutions would work for a while, but then they would stop working. My psychiatrist would jack up the dosage or add more meds. Soon I was on multiple meds and experiencing wild side effects, and my anxiety was still not under control. I was terrified that I was reaching the limit of what meds could do without turning me into a zombie. And while psychotherapy was sometimes helpful, it never provided a full solution for me.

How did I recover from my anxiety issues? I worked on myself, really, really hard. I learned how to meditate. I learned how to manage my brain. I did this by reading books and listening to podcasts and implementing personal strategies, slowly, over time, on my own. It was a long road, but it worked in a long-lasting way, unlike the meds, which acted quickly but not for long.

I’m so glad the meds exist! When I needed help, I needed help quickly, and they saved my life. But my personal work saved my life over the long term.

So, and hear me out, I wonder whether we should use quick fixes such as app blockers as a temporary strategy, but then, also, work on ourselves for more long-lasting solutions to our phone addictions. Whooee, that sounds like a long and difficult road! But maybe worth it in the end? I’ll let you know in a few years.

How to Read More Books, Get More Reading Done & Be Productive: Personal Identity

As I continue thinking about my phone addiction, it also reminds me of something else.

When I was younger, I had a terrible time convincing myself to go on a run. It would take an incredible amount of willpower and brain trickery to get myself into my running clothes and out the door. But then I took on the identity of being a runner. I’m a runner, and I run. Over time, I got used to this idea, and I got into the habit of putting on my running clothes and going out on a run, most days. Nowadays, this takes little to no willpower for me to do.

The same thing happened to me when I wanted to write a novel. I had to take on the identity of being a writer. I’m a writer, and I write. It used to be hard to force myself to do it. Nowadays, it’s who I am.

Maybe we need a new word to represent the identity we want in relation to our phones. I genuinely wonder whether the lack of a word is the roadblock here, not us or the tech companies. So here’s the word I’m making up right now: intentionist.

in•ten•tion•ist noun
: a person who uses the internet intentionally, rather than compulsively or mindlessly

I’m an intentionist, and I’m intentional about my internet usage. When I’m on my phone, I take certain actions because they are useful to me in reaching my life goals. When I’m on my phone, I don’t take other actions because they aren’t useful to me in reaching my life goals.

Note that the preceding paragraph is aspirational. I am not this . . . not yet. But in taking this on as an identity, I’m suddenly well on my way.

How to Read More Books, Get More Reading Done & Be Productive: Well This Was Surpising

Folks, this is incredible. I began this article by bullshitting around. But as I wrote, ideas came. I thought I was going to end this article by saying, more or less, we’re fucked, LOL! But I don’t see why these ideas (targeted brain practice and taking on the identity of an intentionist) can’t work.

We can’t get everything we want in this life. There are real constraints. But I believe we can get way more than we think we can.

To sum up this article: I have been scrolling mindlessly on my phone entirely too much lately. I would certainly have gotten more reading done if I hadn’t been doing so much scrolling. Maybe I would even have had a book to write about today! But now, I’m an intentionist, and I’m intentional about my internet usage. Yeah, folks, I’m ready for some serious book reading in my future!

One more thing: In researching this article, I stumbled across a book, published in 2019, called Reader, Come Home: The Reading Brain in a Digital World, by Maryanne Wolf. I haven’t read this one myself, but if you’re looking for more information about this topic, this might not be a bad place to start.

What do you think? Do you have productivity strategies that worked over the short term? How about the long term? Are you up for taking on the identity of an intentionist? Please drop your thoughts in the comments. I’m excited to hear what you think! (And maybe there will be enough comments that I can spend hours scrolling through them all; wouldn’t that be dope?!!)