[phromo]

For me, the most enjoyable part of reading is adding my own thoughts to the experience. It might be vivid imagery as part of reading a sci-fi, or musings on life and truth in a non-fiction. If you frame reading as achieving a predefined goal ("learn topic X"), it's easy to forget this part and become obsessed on speed, with the focus on "consumption" instead of "co-creation". Try setting aside 2 hours where you can either be bored or read. I typically start by relaxing. Sometimes I just relax the entire two hours and dont read at all. When I feel I'm ready, I start reading. Use a watch that measures heart rate variability if you need some extra bio-feedback to get that tension out of your body. When relaxed, your mind will do the rest.

[whatgoodisaroad]

This reminds me of how Roland Barthes would categorize prose as either "readerly" or "writerly", whereas a readerly work is a straightforward and passive experience for the reader, a writerly work is a sort of framework for the reader to participate in the writing, and co-create as you put it.

Recognizing that a work is writerly isn't always obvious. It's often obscured by the fact that reading it can be so stimulating and enjoyable.