Realize that it's just incomparable. It's not that there isn't a competition—a competition doesn't even make sense.

Take for instance: one person reads the Twilight series. In the same time, a second person reads the Iliad twice. Who “won”? The Twilight reader because they read three books, while the Iliad reader only read one? Or is it the Iliad reader, because they read a book that has arguably more “value” from a cultural standpoint? Is it the Twilight reader because they read more words? or is it the Iliad reader, because having read the book twice, they understand the words better?

Really, the only thing that truly matters is the enjoyment each reader got out of the experience. And that's not comparable. There's really no way to quantify or compare it (so long as you drop books that don't interest you, and don't force yourself to finish them regardless).

If you're still struggling, you can do what I do and read mostly classics. That way you can tell yourself that, even if other people might be reading more and “beating you” in terms of quantity, you're still outdoing them in terms of quality.

> Youtube videos are apparently too long for some people

Me who watches nothing but two-hour-long video essays on YouTube:

I'd like to share the “Rights of the Reader”, by Gabriel Pennac, with you. In particular:

> 9 The right to read out loud.

It's hard to get indoctrinated when you're aware of the author's biases and have reasonably well-developed media literacy.

Indoctrination is a problem when it's being used on people who aren't aware that they're being indoctrinated.

Probably not what you're looking for, but my copy of the Iliad has a cover that matches your description to a tee…