HOW TO READ WITHOUT SCROLLING ON SOCIAL MEDIA

I read a study recently that found that many of us can no longer sit down and read a book for an hour before bed (one of life's simple pleasures) without constantly picking up our phone and scrolling through social media.

I don't consider myself an especially addictive user yet I do it constantly. I got so annoyed at myself that I decided to try out some ways of reading without pausing to scroll. When our attention span is trained by social media to expire at the end of a 15 second video, how do we engage with things we used to enjoy?

Is reading better than social media?

You could write a book about the benefits of reading. People probably have. You probably get double the benefits if you read a book about how great the benefits of reading the book are.

You could also write a book about how harmful social media is. Most of us know this intuitively. It makes us feel empty, misinforms us, takes up our time with ads and feeds us poisonous messages.

It's not black and white. There's loads of great stuff on social media and loads of rubbish books out there. But lots of people enjoy reading, and nearly all of us would benefit from spending more time consuming long form content from reliable sources.

1. Try the obvious things

If your addiction (yes, it's probably an addiction) to social media is weak then the kind of tips you'd find on Buzzfeed might work.

Have a go at putting your phone on silent. If this works, you don't really have a problem - congratulations.

You can also try putting your phone in another room, downloading a social media blocking app or switching your phone off.

If these don't work (I'm guessing they won't), we need to get creative. Here are some ideas that don't appear on the first few pages of Google.

2. Make reading easy

Scrolling on your phone is super easy. Reading is always going to require more attention than looking at photos of cats or watching a video of someone explaining how to clean a hot tub (you don't even own a hot tub).

Minimising the effort gap can help stop you choosing your phone as soon as reading requires the slightest amount of attention.

Ways I've found of making reading easier:

• Reading on a Kindle - it's not a screen so doesn't hurt your eyes and is lit from the sides so doesn't keep you awake

• Having books on hand that are easy to read - even if you love challenging non-fiction or sci-fi novels that have maps at the front, have some easy reads on hand for when you're tired

• Make it free or cheap - join a library, look for e-book 99p deals, buy from charity shops

• Have lots of unread books on different topics or of different genres available to you

3. Mimic the social media you keep turning to

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Can't stop looking at Instagram? Find a book with some pictures in. I'm serious. Books like A Toolkit for Happiness by Dr Emma Hepburn, Big Feelings by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy, or 99 Maps to Save the Planet are good examples.

Love reading short Tweets? Try books that are a collection of essays or shorter stories. The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, Women on Nature, and Men Explain Things to Me are examples. Baby steps.

I don't know what to tell you if you love TikTok. Maybe you're too late to save...(joking. Just try the other tips).

4. Cater to your short attention span

Social media has done us dirty in many ways. Shortening our attention span is one of them.

Over time, we can get back to the attention spans we used to have in the rose-tinted days of devouring the new Harry Potter book in a day. For now, let's try some reading that caters to our stunted abilities.

Magazines are great. I wrote about the best nature ones here. There are magazines about science, sport, health, cooking, anything you like. They usually have pieces of different lengths, so if you feel your attention waning you can turn the page over and read a news piece that is one sentence long, or look at a nice photo of a whale.

Another way to pander to your impatience is to have lots of books around you. If you feel your attention on the one you're reading start to slip away, instead of picking up your phone pick up another book. This works particularly well if some of the books are easy to dip in and out of; non-fiction books are usually best for this as there's no need to remember characters or plots.

5. Pander to the mood you're seeking

Sometimes we don't seek content, we seek a feeling. Try to identify the feeling you're looking for when you turn to social media and see if it helps to mimic this with your reading.

If you're looking to switch off and relax, try easy reading like Away with the Penguins by Hazel Prior. If it's escapism you're searching for, go to another world with something like The Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett.

If burning anger is floating your boat, pick up the likes of Men who Hate Women by Laura Bates or Why I'm No Longer Talking to White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge.

If it's personal connection you're looking for, try autobiographical books like Everything I Know About Love by Dolly Alderton or Spider Woman by Lady Hale.

To find after-work laughs, pick up As Good As It Gets by Romesh Ranganathan. You get the picture.

6. Remind yourself of your love of reading

You can do this in lots of ways. Some of my favourites include:

• Making your favourite books or books you're most excited to read visible - mine are piled in front of the TV

• Talking to other people about books - it's way more fun than talking about someone's selfie

• Writing book reviews - I write mine here, but you don't have to share them. Reflecting on what you've learnt or enjoyed, and even on what you hated, is a great way to engage with reading

• Sniffing books - man, new book smell, amirite?

• Getting your hands on books you can't wait to read

• Reading what you want to read, not what you think you should be reading

• Trying new genres or topics

Ideas I hate

We're all different, so it's worth including some ideas I read on Google that don't work for me but might work for you.

• Make a to do list (a to be read (TBR) list) - turning reading into a chore to be ticked off is a no from me, but if productivity is your jam then go ahead

• Join a reading challenge - ditto

• Follow book accounts on social media - like using white wine to clean up red, I think this just makes more mess, but some people swear by it

• Block social media notifications - if you're only checking social media when you get a notification, you're in 2009-stage addiction and don't have a real problem like the rest of us

• Delete social media - a major downside to this is that if you do it you have to tell everyone about it all the time

• Create the ideal reading spot - only the likes of sitting before the Grand Canyon could stop my urge to look at my phone

• Setting rewards - also makes reading a chore. Reading is the reward!

Happy reading

I hope this helps you love reading again! Let me know how you get on and whether you have any other tips.