5 tips for Avoiding the Dreaded Reading Slump

Are you a book lover who’s been stuck in a reading slump? Ooof! I hear ya! Don’t worry, you’re not alone! It can be tricky to get out of a reading slump, so the best way to get out of one is not to get into a reading slump, to begin with!

In this blog post, we’re going to take a look at 5 tips for avoiding the dreaded reading slump so you never have to crawl your way out of one.

Disclaimer: Of course, these won’t all work all the time, but they’re a good starting point!

5 things you can do to avoid a reading slump

1. Read what you enjoy
2. Try out different formats
3. Set a goal for fun, not because you have to
4. Join a book club
5. Take a break

Read what you enjoy

Reading should be enjoyable and not a chore. There’s no point in picking up books that you don’t think you’ll enjoy at all.

I’m not saying you shouldn’t branch out of your favourite genres, but, for example, I don’t like war stories. At all. So I’m not going to pick up a story about war. The chances of me really enjoying it are slim to none.

And that’s okay! It just means that I’m going to read a book that’s in a genre that I do love, and I’m also going to stop reading a book if I don’t like it by a quarter of the way through.

Try out different formats

Try switching up your reading format. Instead of reading physical books, try listening to audiobooks, reading e-books, or reading a magazine or newspaper.

I find that if I read too many eBooks in a row, then I get sick of reading and I get into a bit of a slump. Instead, I try to mix it up and have an audiobook on the go, and then alternate between physical book (paperback or hardcover) and eBook.

Keeping it fresh by how you consume the stories is really going to help you avoid the reading slump.

Set a goal for fun, not because you have to

Make a goal of reading a certain amount of books or pages each week or month. Setting a goal will help keep you motivated and accountable to stay in the habit of reading.

But! If doing a challenge such as the Goodreads Reading Challenge each year is something that is overwhelming or just end up not wanting to read anything, then don’t set one.

Challenge yourself and not anyone else.

And hey, if you reach your goal, you can buy yourself a book as a reward! 😉

Join a book club

Joining a book club or online book community can help make reading more social and interactive. You can share your thoughts and get advice from other readers, and honestly? The accountability really helps!

I really like how you get a different perspective from people who see things differently from you or who can point out various things in the book you perhaps wouldn’t have noticed before.

The books that are usually at book clubs, I’ve found, aren’t ones that I would usually read, so that helps me not only read something different, but it also means I enjoy the other books I’m reading more.

Take breaks

It’s ok to take breaks when you’re not loving the books you’re reading, or you feel like a slump is on the way. Taking a break can help clear your head and give you the motivation to get back in the habit of reading.

Conclusion

There are a variety of ways to help avoid a reading slump. Taking a break, changing up the type of books you read, and taking advantage of audiobooks are all great ways to keep the reading momentum going. Reading should be an enjoyable experience, so it’s important to find what works for you. Don’t be afraid to try something new to help get your reading mojo back!

So! I wanna know:

Have you managed to avoid a reading slump? What did you do?