In A Reading Slump? Here Are 6 Ways To Read Differently

It’s summertime and the reading is easy. Or is it?

Summer is often the time we equate with vacation. We bring a book to the pool, the beach, or even the playground, and escape into an activity that perhaps we don’t make time for throughout the year. Except, this isn’t the normal summer for most of us. We’re working from home, beaches are closed, and if we have kids, we’re attempting to keep them busy and active as summer camps and programs are closed. In short, finding time might be difficult.

Even if time isn’t the issue, many of us feel more distracted. We have higher stress and anxiety, making it feel impossible to sit down and read for more than a few sentences at a time. Whenever we find ourselves lacking in motivation, especially when it comes to things we love, we’re probably in a slump. And, as an avid reader will attest to, reading slumps happen to even the most dedicated book worms.

But there’s good news! It’s relatively easy to kick that slump and jumpstart our reading with a few tricks.

Read A New Genre

How many of us have a book sitting on the nightstand right now, staring at us and our lack of reading in judgment? Here’s a secret: sometimes it isn’t us, it’s the book.

Whenever reading feels like it’s a chore, it’s time to change it up. Grab that new thriller, dive into that lush fantasy, or pick up a comedy guaranteed to spark lots of laughter. Reading in a different genre works different areas of our brain, giving us a boost in energy and focus that we may be lacking otherwise. This can spark excitement and creativity while improving concentration.

When we read the same genres, we tend to disengage our active reading muscles. We know what rhythms our favorite genres follow and this leads us to subconsciously know what to expect. This can cause our brain to disconnect from the material, leading to us feeling bored while reading. Switching it up gets our focus snapped back into place, removing the expectations our brain has become accustomed to expect and helping us find our reading rhythm once again.

Start A Small Book Club

With everything going on, life can feel a little isolated right now. Even though reading reduces stress and can feel like an escape for many, it can also feel lonely if we don’t have anyone to share our thoughts with. Especially those who may have been active in a book club or had a book buddy outside of the home. In this case, reading might be an extra reminder of just how different this summer is.

But by now, most of us have gotten pretty good at Zoom. So why not put those skills to use and get some close friends or family to talk about a book? Having a scheduled meeting can give us the extra motivation to read and often, once we start a behavior, it’s that much easier to continue. Plus, if we take notes or highlight ideas we want to talk about, our brain is forced to stay in an active reading state, increasing our concentration and focus even more.

Find A Reading Buddy

Enthusiasm is contagious. This is why finding a reading buddy can be an easy way to kickstart our enthusiasm for reading back into place.

A reading buddy can be a creative way to get our kids motivated to get through some summer reading. Or as a way to spend time with our partners or roommates. And it doesn’t have to be limited people we live with. Anyone we can read and talk to, even remotely or via text, is a perfect choice for a reading buddy.

Once we have our buddy and we’ve chosen the book, set up check-in points. Maybe it’s agreeing to read 50 pages a day and chat at each stopping point. Or simply checking in at the end of each day. However it’s structured, having a set point gives our brain a goal.

Additionally, knowing we want to talk about what we’re reading engages our brain to pay attention in closer detail. And the one on one connection over the reading material will likely spark emotional bonding, not only triggering our reward systems but increasing the likelihood for placing the experience in our long-term memory as well.

Try A Different Format

Our brain likes habits. But these habits can sometimes impact our motivation, especially in something like reading. Similar to reading the same genre over and over, reading the same format can land us in a similar reading rut. Our eyes gloss over the pages, we get distracted, or we just aren’t motivated to pick the book up at all.

One trick avid readers use is utilizing audiobooks. And this trick is good for more than rewiring our brain. Listening to a book while we do chores, take a walk, or do light housework is a great way to fit reading time into an otherwise busy schedule. We may find ourselves not only reading more but wanting to read more, reaching for audio during the day and print at night.

Another format to try is reading e-books. These digital print books make it easy to adjust the font and carry entire libraries in our pockets, making it easy to always have the perfect book on hand when the mood strikes.

Read The Book, Watch The Movie

Reading a book and then watching the movie or series may seem redundant. But it’s a trick in repetition and motivation that might get us out of a slump.

It’s taking the same principle we teach in spaced repetition. When we read something over and over, we’re likely to remember it. Especially if we use spaced repetition in our study patterns. But reviewing the information in a different context can also help cement the information.

While there’s likely not a quiz on any book we’re reading for pleasure, by watching the movie we’re still exercising our brain. We’ll notice differences in plot or perhaps changes to characters. Comparing these differences gets us to think critically about what we read, engaging our analytical skills along with our imaginations.

Re-Read A Favorite

Re-reading a favorite book may seem counter-intuitive to motivate our reading habits. But there’s some science to back this method up.

First, we may find the motivation to read because we are tired. Re-reading a favorite book requires less from our brains. We are familiar with the story, we don’t have to work to imagine key scenes, or focus to stay engaged in the plot. In short, we don’t have to work as hard to trigger the same rewards, which can be an easy hack to get back into our reading groove.

Second, it exercises our brain. Reading material we are familiar with is not only good for repetition purposes, but it can help to push us to read faster, stretching our reading muscles.

Finally, reading our favorites can help lower our stress because we know what to expect. There aren’t any surprises. We won’t feel let down by a less than stellar ending or anxious over a plot twist we didn’t see coming. We can simply enjoy the story for the story, and often, that’s the type of relaxation we need.

Conclusion

No matter what our summer of reading looks like, there are many tips and tricks that can help us reach our goals. Whether we want to find a new way to escape or slip into the comfort of a familiar read, the joy of reading can be rekindled in fresh new ways to fit anyone’s reading needs.