How to Beat a Reading Slump

Reading slumps happen to the best of us. I’ve been in one since the first of the year, but I’m finally starting to come out of it. Here are few tips that helped me beat a reading slump.

Listen to Audiobooks

One of the reasons I haven’t been reading as much is because we’re busy. We’ve had a lot of things going on and by the time I make it to sit down at night I’m usually tired. So I started listening to more audiobooks. I can listen to them while I drive, work in the yard, etc. It really helped to keep my mind active in a story even when I didn’t have a lot of down time to read.

DNF Until Something Sticks

This is tip helped me the most. I would start a book and realize that it just wasn’t sticking. I wouldn’t be able to focus, and I wouldn’t want to reach for it. So, I decided that if a book was making me feel bogged down or anything less than happy it was time to dnf it. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the book I dnfed was bad. It just wasn’t the right book for me at the time. I’m a mood reader so I can’t just make myself read something that I’m not in the mood for.

Re-read a Favorite

Re-reading a favorite can help you remember why you love reading in the first place. There’s something comforting about returning to a familiar story. I started re-reading childhood favorites a while back and I really enjoyed my time doing that. It helped me feel refreshed and motivated to pick up a new story.

Try a New Genre

Sometimes breaking out of your favorite genre can help shake things up. I found myself getting tired of fantasy, so I started to pick up thrillers. It really helped give my brain the time I needed to recover from the fantasy overload.

Go to a Bookstore or Library

It’s hard not to be inspired to read at a bookstore or library. If you don’t have anything on your shelf that interests you, it might help to do a little book haul. Just browse around until you find something that catches your attention. I promise it will help a lot. It’s easy to get tired of looking at the same tbr shelf, sometimes you just have to spice things up.

If you decide you need to do a little online haul I have a 10% off coupon from Books-a-Million. Coupon: 10% off $25

Give Yourself Time

Lastly, don’t be too hard on yourself. Every slump is different. If you don’t feel like reading, then don’t. Find another hobby that makes your soul happy. You’ll eventually feel better and then you’ll want to read again.

So those are a few things that helped me beat a reading slump. They worked for me, but everyone is different. So, if you have some reading slump tips drop them in the comments. You might just help someone out.