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WARNING: Some bad words might be used in the following post. Don't say I didn't warn you!
Hello my fellow readers! It's been a while since I've done a discussion post, but I decided today was the day. Not only do I feel like I've won over my blogging slump, I feel the same way for my reading slump. Fingers crossed it lasts, because honestly reading slumps are horrible for us book lovers! I'm going to tell you how I did it, hopefully you guys will find some of these tips helpful.
Let's get right into it.
My reading slump started creeping up on me sometime in March, a month after the quarantine started, and by the second week of April it was going full speed ahead. But I started doing some things lately that have helped and I'm here to share them.
With working from home becoming more widespread, it's easier to turn on the radio. There's no one around you that can complain they're distracted by your music! And while I love myself some music, I figured that listening to some audiobooks is the same as me doing my own karaoke show while working. I'm lucky enough that my work doesn't require me to me on a conference call for the duration of my work schedule, I realize that. But if you're like me, and listening to an audiobook isn't too much of a distraction, try them out. Spotify has tons of authors that have put their books there for free, and even though you can't speed up the reading, it's still a really nice way to spend the time.
My most recent full-length book from Spotify is A Princess In Theory by Alyssa Cole. Don't want a full-length book? Then listen to fiction podcasts. Read Me Romance or ReMade are two that come to mind.
You know, everything counts as reading. It doesn't matter the format, the genre, or the length. Reading is reading is reading. If you want to read, but you don't have the energy for a full-length story, chose an anthology of novellas. Want a comic book? You can totally browse the freebies section of Comixology for single comic book issues.
Even better? Try to check out the newsletters of your favorite authors. Some of them send out free stories, a chapter or two per newsletter. It doesn't matter how lengthy the story is, all that matters is for you to win against your slump.
My go-to method to get me out of a reading slump is fanfiction. Sometimes I watch a TV show and I fall so deeply in love with the story, that I need something more, especially when the show is finished. So I browse Archive Of Our Own for some fanfiction.
This might sound strange, but buddy reading actually helped with my slump this year. If you recall, me and Jamsu @ Jamsudreams buddy read the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series, and for a while those were the only books I've read. I just didn't have the energy for more. But having her read with me, having our chats, and our weekly review schedules helped a lot. And eventually, after we finished the reread, I realized I kinda wanted to read more, so I dived right into more books.
Most of my reading is done in bed. It's comfy, I have plenty of space, and tons of pillows. And, if I'm lucky, Thor will join me as a buddy read (though he snores through most of my reading). When I was in the middle of my slump I realized that I couldn't focus on reading in my favorite spot in the world. I'm privileged to have a garden, so I took full advantage of that whenever the weather allowed me to stay outside. But if you don't have one, you can totally just change rooms. Go in the living room, or the kitchen, it doesn't matter. Just change the location around the house, and leave your phone as far away from you as possible, because I know social media is really distracting. And if you read on your phone, just try to commit to 30 minutes of uninterrupted reading. That's all you need. Are 30 minutes too long? Aim for 10 minutes. Start small, then reward yourself by doing something else that brings you joy.
The important thing if you want to get out of a slump isn't to force yourself to read, because that will probably prove to be a miserable experience. It's like working out. Start small, and soon you won't even notice how much time it's passed since you started reading.
These are 5 things I did during my quarantine-induced reading slump. And while I can't go outside to read right now, because of the heat wave, I'm taking full advantage of my couch, with the A/C going. Let me know of some other tips you have for getting out of the slump, and let me know if any of these tips are things that you've done in the past and if they've helped!
Let's get right into it.
5 Tips For Getting Over A Reading Slump
My reading slump started creeping up on me sometime in March, a month after the quarantine started, and by the second week of April it was going full speed ahead. But I started doing some things lately that have helped and I'm here to share them.
1. Put on an audiobook while you work
My most recent full-length book from Spotify is A Princess In Theory by Alyssa Cole. Don't want a full-length book? Then listen to fiction podcasts. Read Me Romance or ReMade are two that come to mind.
2. Read short stories
Even better? Try to check out the newsletters of your favorite authors. Some of them send out free stories, a chapter or two per newsletter. It doesn't matter how lengthy the story is, all that matters is for you to win against your slump.
3. Read fanfiction
4. Buddy read
This might sound strange, but buddy reading actually helped with my slump this year. If you recall, me and Jamsu @ Jamsudreams buddy read the Vampire Academy and Bloodlines series, and for a while those were the only books I've read. I just didn't have the energy for more. But having her read with me, having our chats, and our weekly review schedules helped a lot. And eventually, after we finished the reread, I realized I kinda wanted to read more, so I dived right into more books.
5. Change reading places
Most of my reading is done in bed. It's comfy, I have plenty of space, and tons of pillows. And, if I'm lucky, Thor will join me as a buddy read (though he snores through most of my reading). When I was in the middle of my slump I realized that I couldn't focus on reading in my favorite spot in the world. I'm privileged to have a garden, so I took full advantage of that whenever the weather allowed me to stay outside. But if you don't have one, you can totally just change rooms. Go in the living room, or the kitchen, it doesn't matter. Just change the location around the house, and leave your phone as far away from you as possible, because I know social media is really distracting. And if you read on your phone, just try to commit to 30 minutes of uninterrupted reading. That's all you need. Are 30 minutes too long? Aim for 10 minutes. Start small, then reward yourself by doing something else that brings you joy.
The important thing if you want to get out of a slump isn't to force yourself to read, because that will probably prove to be a miserable experience. It's like working out. Start small, and soon you won't even notice how much time it's passed since you started reading.
***
These are 5 things I did during my quarantine-induced reading slump. And while I can't go outside to read right now, because of the heat wave, I'm taking full advantage of my couch, with the A/C going. Let me know of some other tips you have for getting out of the slump, and let me know if any of these tips are things that you've done in the past and if they've helped!
