How To Get Out Of A Reading Rut
Photo by Alanur Özbek
Autumn is in the air and what says autumn more than sitting by a rain-soaked window immersed in a book? Yet even the greatest bookworm among us can fall into a reading rut every now and then. Inspired by a recent Dear Wallflower podcast, I came up with a few more tips to help inspire you to get back into the reading groove for your coziest autumn ever.
What kind of reader are you?
I once heard a very helpful reading theory on the podcast What Should I Read Next? The podcast guest was time management expert Lauren Vanderkam who suggests that readers fall into two camps, which she classifies as either supply or demand readers.
Supply readers make time to read no matter what. It is part of their schedules. Demand readers will consume books when they have something they want to read. Once they are in a book they ignore the sink full of dishes or stay up late to read. If you’ve fallen into a reading rut you might be a demand-side reader. Keeping your list full of books that you’ve been dying to read might help inspire you to squeeze more time in.
Join a book club.
Sometimes it’s just hard to figure out what to read next. If you join a book club, this obstacle will be sorted for you. Moreover, a book club means accountability. Since the point of the book club is to meet and talk, you can count on motivation to finish the book.
Look for book clubs through your local library or community gathering. You can even do a book club podcast. If you can’t find one that you’d like to join, start your own.
Try a reading podcast.
Alongside accountability, inspiration might be what you need. If you are not currently reading something, might as well listen to people talk about books, right? This way you might discover your next new read. One of my favorites is What Should I Read Next?
Choose a book series.
If you can manage to get sucked into the first book, you won’t have the problem of choosing what to read next. The longer the series the better. Consider reading a middle-grade series from your childhood.
Be mindful of your season.
Take note of the things going on in your life. If work and family life are riddled with stress, consider reading in a lighter genre or nonfiction. If you only have short bits of time and want to feel productive, make your way through a poetry book one poem at a time.
Reread something you already love.
If all else fails, read something you know you loved before and couldn’t put down. Once you are finished, you might crave to be lost in another story. If reading begets more reading, then this is a great way to jump start a new habit.
You have more time than you think.
Keep the book on hand. If your day is spent at home, keep it on the kitchen counter. If it’s at the office, bring it with you. If you are running errands, slip it into your purse so that you might read a paragraph or two while waiting at the check-out line. Be mindful of how many minutes are wasted on the screen and translate that into reading time.
Hopefully you found a tip or two to recharge your reading life. Happy reading!
