Being online instead of reading books?

[BabCNesbitt]

I may be posting this in the wrong place, but this seemed like the best spot to get others' perspectives on this. I have a huge Amazon books wishlist. And I buy books compulsively - we're spending 3 months in the UK and I've already got a small mountain to ship back home, to join the stacks of unread books waiting for me there. (I realise how bloody lucky I am in that regard!) When I do read, I always think 'Dammit, I should do this more often!'

And yet. Once DD is in bed at night or napping (like right now!), I find myself spending hours buggering about on MN, Pinterest, FB, etc etc. I DO want to read the books I buy - it's not like I'm buying stuff to make me look smart or anything like that! :D - but when I think about shutting the computer down and picking up a book, I always open 'just one more tab', or remember something that I have to look up that minute. Until it's well past my bedtime. Anyway, I'm just wondering if anyone else finds themselves pissing away valuable reading time because it's just so much easier to faff around online, and if anyone has any great advice (beyond 'Just do it!') for getting off the bloody computer?

[MaddAddam]

Actually the kindle has really helped my reading concentration cos I'm such a skinflint that I download masses of the free worthy classics so in the last 18 months I've read far more classics than in the previous decade. Reingniting my teen love of some of them, and finding others. Somehow they're more enticing on the kindle - light and portable. I just re-read War and Peace and Anna Karenina, even though I have the latter on my real bookshelves it's when I get it on the kindle and am carrying it around that I actually read a long classic.

[gintastic]

My OH hogs the laptop at home (it is his, fair enough...), so I do all my web based stuff from my iPhone. And it has got so all pervading in my life that I'm getting rid of it... I've bought a Samsung cheapy talk/text with no Internet access which should come on Monday. I've got a kindle, and mum has just bought me a GPS watch for my birthday for running. I've bought myself an iPod shuffle and that basically replaces all the stuff I did with my phone... My contract is up in 14 months so I'm giving it a year without a smart phone, if its dire I can upgrade 50 days before the end of my contract...

Should be an interesting year, I'm looking forward to seeing how my concentration span changes (or not!)

[NotYoMomma]

I actually sold my kindle fire and got a paperwhite as all I did was MN and Facebook

it was awful

[babybouncer]

Only partly agree with this - it definitely takes up my time, but I am still managing to find time to read. Mostly because I have a book next to the toilet and use it as a refuge ('you've got the kids, I just need to pop to the loo') and then I get hooked on the book and start carrying it round the house to read.

[TheChocolateTeapot]

Guilty - so very guilty. Love my iPad but wish I hadn't given my Kindle away because I thought I didn't need it now I have an iPad - always some bloody distraction when I should be reading.........