Yeah I'll second that. I listen while doing yardwork and stuff like that. Something about mindless physical tasks and the spoken word just pair really well.
I stopped reading for a bit because I could never find the books I wanted at the library(I was reading a lot of series and they were either out or the two weeek window at the time wasn't enough) so I bought myself a Kindle Paperwhite($120AU?) and I can get what I want. There's also a ton of free ebooks around and other ways to get books if you are tight for cash. If you don't care about the awesome light adjustment of the kindle then there are plenty of free ereader apps around.
As for what to find to read think about the books you liked a kid. You're still that kid now, you just think more. Goodreads.com is great for finding books by the same author and has a bit on the sidebar with "other books people read who liked this book". Otherwise throw out another submission here and ask for some recommends.
I made a few posts along with others on s/books.
Is "just sit down and read" not at the top of your list? It's really that simple. If you have to play tricks on yourself and set up an intricate reward system, you're really not interested in reading.
If "just sit down and read" is at the top, you'll make the time to browse for a book, make the time to sit down and read, and defend that time and it will be something you don't have to work at.
What subjects interest you? I haven't had the drive to read fiction in years, and it is something I used to love doing. Most fiction I've read has tended towards fantasy and medieval times. I always wanted to get into serious science fiction, but when I was younger I couldn't conceptualize a lot of it. Now that I'm out of school I should get back into it.
I think historical genres could be a good start.
For the most part I've been reading real estate, business and the occasional political book. At some point, the books I were reading started to feel like a drag. The books I were reading really felt boring, but it was in those categories that I were interested in.
Historical genre would actually be interesting. I've been curious about Roman history recently. I don't know much about it as I would like to.
Do you know about Blinkist? If you're reading about business mgmt and other related topics, they give you 15 minute summaries of the best non-fiction books. It's allowed me to read the important bits from 20 or so books this year so far and choose ones that i want to read in full without committing to buying them. Best Xmas present I got was a year's subscription.
/And no, I don't work for or have any affiliation with blinkist.
I've got a pretty sizeable library of books that I find in old shops that sound really interesting. I havn't read 90% of them, I just kind of collect them and display them in my living room. But one of those few that I actually have read quite a bit of is Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.
It might be a bit archaic, and it is definitely a drag at some points but it is still a great look into stoicism and a review of how the Roman's thought.
Reserve time to dedicate to reading. Find a spot in your day, that you can reliably take to yourself and read.
Find a good book that captivates you and draws you in. One that you're disappointed to put down and excited to pick back up. A book that you look forward to reading.
If all else fails, audio books are a cheating sort of reading.
Stop shitposting.