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Comment by general1465 | Hacker News Reader

I am not reading either for pleasure. I am reading so much during my daily life (Documentation, coding, manuals, logs) that reading for pleasure sounds like a bad joke.

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That difference is like comparing taking a piss and having sex. While you use the same body part the experiences are not at all alike.

The thing with analogies, we can make them go either way.

It's like having sex after a whole day of sex work. Exhausting.

Have you never read a good book you can't put down?

I can empathize with the commenter you're replying to. I still read for pleasure and have to read constantly for work of course. On some days, I feel like I can't. It is like exercising the same muscle every day which will lead to injury in a short amount of time. Switching to audiobooks or just taking a break does resolve that.

From what I am seeing around me though, reading for pleasure or even to gain knowledge has decreased a lot. I noticed it in adults first and this is being reflected in their children.

Except you don't get injured. You know what happens when I read a book at the end of the day after working all day? I fall asleep about 20 pages in, and sleep like a rock. You know what happens when I read HN at the end of the day after working all day? I'm up till 3am and getting 5 hours of rest. Same for any screen time really. People think screentime is some big rest but it isn't really.

Just rip the bandaid off. Get over the inertia of doing the task. You won't injure yourself reading a damn book.

This is why I prefer audibooks piped through my whole house sonos. It allows me to consume long form while walking around the house completing various projects. Reading isn't a chore, but the thing I engage in while doing chores.

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