One thing I found helped me was finding a specific place and time to help turn it into a routine. Like if you say, every day in the evening, you sit on the couch and read even just one or two pages. I find the key is just to keep doing it, and it doesn't matter how long you do it as long as you start forming the habit. Eventually, you it becomes a routine, and you can start working on expanding the time you spend on it.
this post was submitted on 10 Oct 2023
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I also have a hard time forcing myself to read theory. I listen to audio versions while doing other things, but I need to take notes and discuss it with others to truly understand a text. It might be helpful to join a reading group like the GenZedong/GenZhou theory discussion group on Matrix; at the moment, we read at a slow pace and have biweekly discussions (in addition to any impromptu conversations in the meantime, although the bulk tends to be every other weekend)
Audiobooks while doing menial tasks (like cleaning).
Capital (all volumes) is available online for free.
If that's still too much then I recommend Prof David Harvey's lectures on Capital Volume I (he has some on II/III as well, but I will suffice). They're also freely available on YouTube, etc.
I would actually recommend audiobook/reading and then listening to Harvey's lectures for further context. He's not perfect by any means, but he does offer a lot of insight and additional context due to his experience over a super long career teaching courses In physical universities. Remember to consider that he has biases, as we all do, and his commentary and vision are limited, as we all are.
Reading and studying Capital, at least the first volume, is absolutely critical imo to anyone who calls themself a Marxist. Of course other books are foundational as well, but that one book, if you study it and pay attention, will get you most of the way.
https://lemmygrad.ml/post/1710144
I'm making this thing. It's not by any means complete, but maybe it helps?
It's... Dry, and mechanical. But it exists.
And then there's the study group in lemmygrad, which is... A bit slow, but you can start the posts and do your own reviews. Probably will cause people to join you. :)
How would you like to read/study it?
I will agree that many things are really hard to understand without context. I was reading Lenin on what is to be done, and the multiple groups he mentions just don't make any sense to me.
Maybe it should trigger me to make notes and go after the names. But life happens, you know?
Anyway, that's my struggle, you're not alone. :)