To be annoyed that i'd rather go on my phone rather than read a book

[malificent7]

I used to read a lot as child and did a degree in English literature. I even taught it for a while.
Howver, since getting a smart phone i am addicted to surfing the net and given the choice between Jack Kerouac, George Elliot or junk on the internet i prefer the latter. Yes, i know i'm being hugely unreasonable.....but .....

I'm roughly the same as you bar the degree/teaching. My reading has dwindled a lot since fast internet and smartphones became available. I don't mind too much though. I think there's an awful lot of snootiness about phones vs books At my mum's house "sitting around on your phone" and not making conversation or going outside is viewed as degenerate...even if everyone else is reading the paper. There is a definite hierarchy from noble to scumbaggy which is roughly
Doing something outside/cleaning or tidying inside>playing with the children>reading a book, even a trashy book>reading the paper, even if trashy>watching telly>going on the PC or laptop, even if surfing trash> sitting around on your phone (not looking at, always termed "sitting around on").

Meh. I'm trying a read a bit last thing at night instead of internetting on my phone as its supposed to aid sleep but apart from that...don't care.

Joining in because this is me too!

I leave my phone charging downstairs and read in bed for half an hour or so every night.

I read a lot. But I read what I like.

Is part of the problem you feel you should be reading ‘worthy’ literature? I’ve read Kerouac and Elliot but wouldn’t choose to outside of my degree - so I don’t.

I downloaded a book called How to Break up with your Smartphone ages ago and am yet to read it... Definitely not a time thing because I also spend too much time on my phone. I wish I could spend less time on it as well, I used to read so much.

Same degree and also teach it. I am currently on mat leave, I have also realised I haven’t read this year yet. I have a stack of books my DP recently bought me that have gone unread or I have read a chapter then forgot about it. Shameful and I also spend far too much time on my phone .

I felt like this. The solution was to get a kindle and lots of easy to read books, with different genres. So whenever I finish one I immediately have a choice of what to read next.

I don't do heavy literature anymore. I do enjoyable page-turner books.

The other thing that helped was accidently buying a phone thats too big to comfortably hold and use in one hand. Has seriously reduced my usage!

I think it comes down to laziness these days. Much as I love reading, I like everything delivered in bitesized chunks.

Literally reading this thread while thinking 'I should go pick up that book from upstairs'! My excuse is I might wake the baby 😂

Yep. Phones have ruined my concentration span.

I say I am too busy to read but my phone tells me I’m online about three hours a day...

When I try and read now it’s a real effort to focus on one story for so long. I’m used to bite size stories now.

Been this way since childbirth. Drives me crazy. I can read a 800-post Mumsnet thread, but can't focus to the end of a paragraph even of a brilliant book. Makes me so cross with myself.

This is me too. Sometimes i’ll leave my phone in another room turned off for a couple of hours. I’ll spend that time reading or getting properly engrossed with a tv program/film without any distractions. It’s difficult though as I’m definitely addicted to my phone and feel tense without it

I read a lot more on the kindle app on my phone than I do actual books. In some cases I've bought the kindle version of a book I already have a paper copy of, because I just wasn't reading it.....now that they're on my phone they're always with me.
I try and read real books before bed, though, to reduce blue light exposure.

Ugh, yes. I do still read, as I don't take my phone to bed, so I read in bed before going to sleep. But I've taken days off work before where I've planned to have a lovely chilled day reading, and then spent most of the day dicking around on my phone and completely missed the opportunity to read.

yup. Me too. Hate myself a bit. Haven’t actually given up buying books though...

So so familiar. And I also hate myself for it.

I need to wean myself off my phone. I'm sure my life would be much the better for it.

Me too!

I do read before bed but sometimes just a page so it can take me months to finish a book!

So many of us are like this nowadays. I was a passionate reader from childhood until four or five years ago, now I can't concentrate on a book for any length of time without checking my phone, so it takes months to read a book instead of weeks. For example will decide to read so have the book on my lap and the phone on the table, but before I open the book I automatically lift the phone and before I know it at least half an hour has passed and I don't have time to read. Actually, as someone said it's a good idea to leave the phone in another room, so I'm going to try that now and go and read my book outdoors!

I completely agree. I'm addicted (not using the word lightly) to CandyCrush, MN actually, and a few other brain stimulating apps. I will sometimes escape the lure of my phone and read instead, but it pisses me off that I'm so tempted. Especially as I'm supposed to be setting an example. I've given MN and CC up for Lent before, it's been that much of a guilty pleasure.

Yes it is an addiction! Find myself having one last scroll through Mumsnet before I go out in the garden with the book!

Oh god this is me. I despair of my phone addiction I really do.

Mumsnet is the worst actually. I'm at work now, plenty to do, phone in my bag... but still on the internet talking about it with you lot. HATE myself.

My iPhone tells me I'm on my phone 4.5 hours a day!!!!! I need to break up with my phone!

Argh, this is me - love of books as a child, degree in English lit, work in education! Last book I read all the way through was a pregnancy book, and DS is now 17 months old.

My plan this year was to read a book a month. I have so far read 23 pages of Michelle Obama's autobiography. My reading is entirely covered these days by:

Mumsnet
Reddit
Random internet shit.

I'm not impressed with myself, but as yet have not found the will to change...

@nevernotstruggling sometimes at the weekend my phone will tell me I’ve been on it for 7 hours. It’s ridiculous! The amount of things I could get done in 7 hours instead of wasting my life scrolling through mumsnet and instagram