If you enjoy reading, as I do, you know all about reading slumps. They’re inevitable obstacles readers encounter and always struggle to overcome. Or at least, that’s always the case for me.
I’m currently in the midst of a two-year reading slump and I’m doing everything possible to remedy it and get back to my bookworm ways.
Here are some of the ways I’ve tried to beat the slump.
choose a popular book to read
If you haven’t heard about BookTok by now, do me a favor and get acquainted with the book lover’s side of TikTok. You’ll find some great book recommendations, one of which is The Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller. This book has nothing but great reviews and is a guaranteed favorite read. So, I bought the book and hoped for the best. So far, the book has lived up to its hype, and choosing this book has made it easy to continue reading until the end.
Start Annotating Your books
I used to be very strict about the condition of my books, but I’ve recently become more lenient. Previously, I did everything possible to maintain a book’s original mint condition. However, since experiencing a reading slump, I’ve been inspired to annotate my books by underlining lines and writing in the margins. It helps keep my mind from wandering and actually understand what I’m reading, versus just seeing the words.
Currently, I’m annotating with pencil only and slowly working my way up to a pen. Maybe I’ll even use a highlighter soon. It’s all about baby steps here.
Take Your book with you everywhere you go
Even as I take it with me everywhere, I don’t always take my book out to read, but it serves as a reminder of my end goal. And when I do find myself with a few minutes to read, I take advantage of it.
dedicate time to read
The plan was to dedicate half an hour each day to reading, but unfortunately, I don’t always stick to that time frame. Sometimes it’s five minutes, other times I don’t read at all, but I try to stick to my original plan as much as possible.
If You can’t bring yourself to read, write
Sometimes, you just don’t want to read, and that’s okay. So when I find myself unable or unwilling to read, I take out my journal and write. It doesn’t have to be something deep and emotional. Sometimes I make a list of things that make me happy, or of what I want for myself in the future. Other times, I write down all the emotionally draining things going on in my life to help me feel better (and it works!). By the end of my little writing session, I even find myself going back and reading what I wrote, so it comes back full circle.
While it may be a struggle at first, you’ll eventually start to see the results of your efforts. Just make sure to keep up a routine, even if you find yourself missing a day.