I participated in Neil's Ulysses group a few years back, and can't wait to tackle it again. Getting through Ulysses also motivated me to attempt (and complete!) War and Peace, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Infinite Jest.
One tip if you keep getting distracted: grab an audiobook edition as well. Then block out enough time to listen to the chapter, find a quiet place where you won't be disturbed, and listen /while/ reading. Listening alone won't give you the retention, and reading alone lets you get hung up on the hard bits. Bonus: narrators tend to pronounce things correctly, which gets important later!