Do you also feel obligated to finish a book?

So, I’m currently with the perditorian Enola Holmes investigating Lady Cecily’s disappearance by Nancy Springer. Concurrently, I just had disembarked at Sinegard Academy with Fang Runin after she passed the Keju exam from the mind of R.F. Kuang, all the while being on an arduous journey through the desert with Shaherazade by Jamila Ahmed. While I do have three exciting books, I also have a frustratingly decreased appetite to consume. Say hello to Reading Slump.

For a couple of months now, I’ve been trying to get back to reading after having a stirring run of mishaps and a Soviet political tour with Zuleikha. If Life of Pi had a Soviet cousin, this was it. That’s all I can tell you. The story was so vivid that in my mind, I smelt what a two-month-no-shower prisoner would be like. Regrettably, I wasn’t able to make a book review because it has so many details and before I knew it, names and places had slipped off my mind. And yes, this book is over 700 pages.

What is it?

It is not uncommon for hobbyists and hobby enthusiasts to feel overwhelmed at some point. Back in 2019, when I tried learning how to crochet, I made crochet projects for a year and then stopped like I had too much greasy pizza I didn’t want to eat anything like that anymore for the next ten years.

For readers, we have what we call a reading slump. When I think about it, overstimulation is one of the biggest factors why this happens. Some of us might be dealing with personal problems, family issues, financial stuff, sleep deprivation due to overwork. Bigger, more important areas of our life are needing our attention. While for others, it could be simply a sign of over-read minds, if that’s a thing.

Are you flipping through pages with goldfish-attention? I think at this point, it would be better for us to take a step back and assess ourselves.

What can we do?

If we look closely, the reading slump is always triggered by something which for most of us is overstimulation. Having too much on our plate creates a sense of pressure that immobilizes and demotivates us. Here are a few things we can do to tackle on this problem.

• Stay away from books

Yes, you read that right! Focus on other things especially if you have personal matters going on with your life. Don’t hesitate to completely avoid reading for a week, two weeks, or maybe even a month. If your income relies on you reading books and stuff, take a short break. If it doesn’t, go for an unplanned hiatus. Casual hobbies don’t need 90 percent discipline. Be as undisciplined as you want. Be as unmotivated as you want. As long as your bill payments does not come from reading, it doesn’t matter.

• Turn to short graphic novels or audiobooks

Have you tried reading graphic novels? My first advice will not fit everybody of course. Some of us want to motivate ourselves back into reading. If your goal is to slowly get back on your feet, I would suggest exploring graphics and audiobooks. I mostly read fantasy adventure but going through 600 pages of text can sometimes appear as daunting and boring! I found out that switching to graphic fantasy has been a successful move for me. I enjoyed the story frames and conversations, but most of all I always get entertained with drawings and landscape depictions, especially for colored graphic novels.

Try to find an interesting story with a drawing style that delights your eyes and then go from there. Slowly transfer to regular novels.

• If you’re earning by reading, use Pomodoro

Pick a book that you’ve been dying to read. Read for 25 minutes, then stop. Because let’s face it, reading is also business and some of us may need a bit more push and yes, discipline. If you fit in this category, I would suggest treating reading as if you’re studying for school.

Read for 25 minutes. Stop. Rest for 5 minutes. Count this as one cycle.

Repeat cycle four times. Then rest for 30 minutes.

If you’re unsure you can check out a ton of Pomodoro guides on Youtube!

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What do you do when you’re in a reading slump? Do you intentionally make a move to get out of it, or do you just let things be? I want to know your thoughts!