Since i graduated Greek high school i started reading books. I started wanting and needing to learn and read books. I discovered that history is not just a meaningless course that tortures you with details of the past: names, dates, locations, who f* who, who killed who etc. I discovered the beauty of books and more precises the beauty of words and the meaning behind them.
As a person who has dyslexia school didn't provide me anything other than loathing for the subjects that i truly admire right now. It taught me how to fear learning and not how to learn. That fear, to this day, is still here with me. For instance, right now i want to study for my Digital Design course but every time i think about it my body fills with fear and then i'm searching for something else to procrastinate on (like writing this ASK HN thread).
A while ago, made the decision that, whatever i do with my life, i want learning, reading books and writing to be a fundamental part of my life, of my identity. I can't think how my life would be without them. Like it used to be. I lament about the fact that i lost so many years not reading and learning, instead i've developing social media addiction and crippling fear of even trying anything i want.
One of the hardest things about getting back into reading for me was maintaining my attention. Instant gratification and small dopamine hits from years of youtube and Reddit had burnt my attention span. My solution was to minimize distractions, build a habit, and read something I found interesting. For me, I was recommended the Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson. I had a slow start. I found book 1 interesting, but felt like I had to force myself to continue for the first ~100 or so pages. It eventually got easier, and I built a ritual.
Listening to music works for me. I now have time set aside before I go to bed, where I use an old iPod and have a cup of tea while reading (with my phone out of reach). This summer I was able to get through “Words of Radiance”, a book from another one of his series, in a week (1000pgs). This took me about 3 years, but I would say it is worth it. The level of satisfaction from finishing a longer story is so much more then the little dopamine hits of a 10 minute YouTube video.
I know the recommendation of “you just have to do it” isn’t that helpful, but it’s the only thing that has really worked for me. The best advice I can give you, is to find the right book for you. I find nonfiction boring, so I avoid it. Arcanum Unbounded by Brandon Sanderson is a collection of short stories that might be a good intro if you like fiction.