I quit social media many years ago and to answer the question: No, I just watch Youtube. If I could stop watching Youtube, I'm totally sure I'd finally be able to read books again /s
The problem is the award delay. In Youtube, I get my "award" in 10 minutes max. Starting to enjoy a book requires 1-2 hours investment, and the award can be anything between 1 and 10 in a scale of 10 (while median being more like 7), and Youtube is 3-6 with a rare 9.
I read a lot of self-improvement books lately, or heard to be honest. They didn't help me start reading. Atomic Habits came close.
I have (diagnosed, yet untreated, because of side effects) ADHD though. So maybe not the typical experience. I also couldn't read much (or do any homework) as a child.
Currently trying to stop myself from starting with short videos.
Social media never really caught my interest, so quitting made zero difference to anything. I do want a fair bit of YouTube for periods of time, then almost nothing, and instead read a ton of books for a few months and then switch back.
I really want to swap out the YouTube part of more programming, but I find that I need at least an hour or so of quiet time before my brain sort of switches mode and can start enjoying it, so it's harder to get started on and disturbances quickly snowballs into not getting anything done.
Maybe you didn't quit really. "Social media" is a rather misleading term now. With TikTok success, almost all of them bet on short video format. So really Youtube is in the same group as Instagram, FB, TikTok, and Xwitter.
The only thing I need to stick to a good sci-fi book is:
- have it on my kindle
- actually have read a bit. a page is enough.
- phone out of the bedroom (the hardest)
> I quit social media many years ago and to answer the question: No, I just watch Youtube. If I could stop watching Youtube, I'm totally sure I'd finally be able to read books again /s
You /s, but when I quit the internet completely, I did become a voracious reader of books. I also spent hours practicing piano. And I went to bed on time.
Like you I also have diagnosed and untreated ADHD. But at this point it feels like it's a misdiagnosis and I'm simply incompatible with the internet.
You'll probably think that I'm sort of maniac or that I'm messing with you but honestly, I feel like I'm part of the internet. I mean it. I'd probably feel like a screw that fell of a large ship. The ship is unaffected, while I'd be collecting rust at the bottom of the ocean.
My jokes sound like reddit. I give HN reactions to new startup ideas. I review code like I'm in front of a large crowd from GitHub. I make meme references. I don't play games, I watch other people play -> less stress.
On the other hand, I want to read books! I want to practice the piano! (See, I bought this nice YAMAHA keyboard that's collecting dust).
The problem is the award delay. In Youtube, I get my "award" in 10 minutes max. Starting to enjoy a book requires 1-2 hours investment, and the award can be anything between 1 and 10 in a scale of 10 (while median being more like 7), and Youtube is 3-6 with a rare 9.
I read a lot of self-improvement books lately, or heard to be honest. They didn't help me start reading. Atomic Habits came close.
I have (diagnosed, yet untreated, because of side effects) ADHD though. So maybe not the typical experience. I also couldn't read much (or do any homework) as a child.
Currently trying to stop myself from starting with short videos.