How do I stop constantly checking page numbers? I've recently developed a compulsion where I check my progress every time I turn a page. This is hampering my enjoyment. I believe this is a result of me (unfortunately) trying to use my time as productively as possible. In an attempt to condition myself I've tried putting an elastic band on my wrist which I snap every time I catch myself thinking of checking the page but that didn't work. Have any of you dealt with this before?
>>25343644Yes, I understand you. One time I tried cutting the spot of every single page where page numbers are located. Yet later, it kinda felt weird. Now I don't want to torture my books like that.
>>25343644..no? Idk anon, just pay attention to the words more kek
>cut your eyes out(Track reading progress through time, not pages. Read an hour a day instead of to pg blah blah)
Usually to disempower compulsions and intrusive thoughts, you have to stop placing so much weight on them in the first place.Do you get to the end of a session of reading and say to yourself "oh I only read X number of pages? not a great use of my time"? If so, that would be one place where you can dispel some weight by reminding yourself "I read more pages than if I hadn't read at all".Probably the most important one to dispel though is the actual act of checking the page number itself. This happens more frequently, so it has more of an opportunity to build a feedback loop. Each time you check the page, you feel a little bit annoyed, and that gives the ritual more power. It's like how an oyster builds up more and more sediment around an irritating bit of sand and it grows bigger.Instead, when you check the page number, just let yourself do it and don't worry about it. It's OK. If you do it and you have this negative "I am wasting time feeling" let yourself instead think "letting myself casually check the page number will ultimately lead to greater enjoyment, which is a better use of my time, by dispelling the power the check-page-number ritual has." If you feel negative, just let it happen. It passes by pretty quickly if you don't resist it and it's a necessary step towards being rid of it.It's likely a sub-clinical OCD pattern. Everyone thinks like that at times. OCD sufferers just have it more severely. This is quite minor so will probably go away fairly easily once you understand the mechanism of intrusive thoughts and compulsions.Key thing to remember: resisting, amplifying, or otherwise placing weight on them makes them more powerful. They are not that important and can be easily dispelled if you remember that.
