Considering I’m writing a post about how to get out of a reading slump while currently being very firmly stuck in one myself, you might want to take my advice with a pinch of salt :) I love reading, like really love it!.
If you have been here for a while, you will know I got back into reading a few years ago after setting myself a little challenge to read one book a month and absolutely smashed it!
In 2024, when I set the first challenge, I ended up reading 38 books after reading nothing for years!.
Last year was another amazing year of reading, and now, I haven't properly read for months!.
Life has been pretty exhausting and so busy lately that picking up a book or even my Kindle has honestly been the last thing I've wanted to do. By the time I finally sit down in the evening, my brain is done.
My books are sitting there looking at me; my TBR pile certainly isn't getting any smaller and somehow every evening I convince myself I'll read tonight, only to find myself scrolling on my phone for hours, Tik Tok i hate you sometimes!.
So, I’ve decided it’s time to drag myself out of my reading slump.
If you’ve also gone from flying through books to struggling to get through three pages without reaching for your phone, here are some of the things I’m trying to get myself excited about reading again.
PICK SOMETHING SHORT
This is not the time for me to decide I'm going to tackle a 700 page book. When you are already struggling to read, looking at an enormous book can make it feel like a task before you've even started.
I'm going to start with something fairly short and easy to get through. Finishing one book might be exactly what I need to get that little reading buzz back.
READ SOMETHING YOU ACTUALLY WANT TO READ
Groundbreaking, I know :) I think sometimes we get so caught up in what we should be reading that we forget reading is supposed to be enjoyable.
If everyone on TikTok is obsessed with a book but the thought of reading it makes you want to clean the bathroom instead, DON'T READ IT. Pick something you are genuinely excited about.
GO BACK TO YOUR FAVOURITE GENRE
I know exactly what works when I need something to completely suck me into a story: a good thriller. Freida McFadden has a few that I want to get into!
Give me secrets, questionable characters, a murder and a plot twist I didn't see coming from the first few pages, and I know I'll be hooked again in no time
If you're in a reading slump, this probably isn't the time to experiment with a genre you've never particularly enjoyed. Go back to the books you know you love.
PUT YOUR PHONE AWAY
Calling myself out with this one.I'll get into bed fully intending to read and then think I'll just have a quick scroll. We all know how that ends. 45 minutes have disappeared, I've watched seventeen completely unrelated TikToks and now I'm too tired to read :)
I'm going to start leaving my phone away from the bed for a little while and actually picking up my Kindle instead.
SET A TINY READING GOAL
Setting myself a book-a-month challenge was what got me properly back into reading a few years ago, so clearly having a little goal works for me.
But I'm not about to go from reading nothing for months to demanding five books a month from myself. Even ten pages a night is better than nothing.
Ten pages feels manageable. And knowing me, once I'm actually into a good story, those ten pages will probably turn into 50 anyway.
MAKE READING FEEL LIKE A TREAT
This might sound ridiculous, but atmosphere makes such a difference.
Fresh bedding, pyjamas, a cup of tea or coffee, a candle on and my Kindle sounds much more appealing than telling myself I need to read because I haven't done it for months.I don't want reading to become another thing on my to-do list. It's supposed to be the thing that helps me switch off from the to-do list.
TRY AN AUDIOBOOK
Reading doesn't have to mean physically sitting down with a book. Audiobooks are supposed to be perfect when life is busy because you can listen while you're driving, walking, cleaning or doing approximately four loads of washing that somehow appeared overnight. I've got Kindle Audio now so going to give this a go.
It still gives you that escape into a story without needing to find an hour to sit down and read.
DNF THE BOOK
I am terrible for this. Once I start a book, I feel like I have to finish it even if i am not enjoying it. Why do we do this ?! Life is too short, and my TBR pile is too big.
If you've spent weeks trying to force yourself through the same book and suddenly think you've lost your love of reading, maybe you're not in a reading slump at all.
Maybe the book is just boring :)
Put it down. Pick another one. Nobody is coming to arrest you.
STOP PUTTING PRESSURE ON YOURSELF
I think this is probably my biggest problem because I read 38 books in 2024, I feel like I should still be reading loads now, when realistically life has just been bloody busy and I haven't fancied it and the more I tell myself I need to pick up a book, the more it starts feeling like another job I need to tick off my list.
So I'm not setting myself some ridiculous target to catch up on all the months I haven't read, even though my head really wants to !!, I'm just going to find a book I actually fancy reading and see how I get on.
If I read one book, brilliant. If that gets me hooked again and I end up reading five, even better, and knowing me, all I really need is one good thriller with a ridiculous plot twist, and I'll be back staying up until 2AM telling myself one more chapter :)
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