4 Ways To Get Back Into Books and Reading
As a self-confessed bookworm, I never thought I’d see the day where I’d have to actively get myself back into books.
After graduating University and ploughing into the world of work, I haven’t really been reading properly for a good 14 months. Real life and a newfound appetite for digital content took hold and I pushed aside menial hobbies in favour of work, reading blogs and reading online magazines.
Adding new titles to my bookcase was no longer a priority.
However, I’ve recently managed to pull myself out of the constant digital noise and I’m really enjoying reading a good ol’ book once more. Here are some tips to get you back on track with your book-reading goals…
Implementing a routine
Firstly, the one thing that helped to pull me out from the online world and back into a real book again was to establish some routine.
Like Bee suggests, making time to read is absolutely key.
Have a look in your diary. Perhaps there’s a spare half-an-hour after work that you could use. Do you usually end up scrolling through Twitter or Instagram, or channel-hopping between two TV programmes? Use it to read instead; even if it’s just a few chapters or pages.
I found that devoting 20 minutes to reading before work, plus 30 minutes before bed has helped me to set myself up for the day and unwind from the day, as well as bash through some titles on my TBR list.
Set yourself a goal
It can be surprisingly hard to wean yourself from digital reading and head back to the printed word. I’m finding Goodreads to be a brilliant tool in terms of getting back to reading.
Goodreads is yet-another-platform where you can add friends, build and join communities and, most excitingly, log all of your reads and see your reading progress. It’s really helped to get me back into reading because it has gamified my reading experience.
I’m a prolific tandem reader and LOVE to juggle reading several books, but seeing them laid out in black and white with reading progress in a percentage has helped me understand how to switch between my books. There’s nothing better than seeing visible progress!
I’ve set myself an annual reading goal (12 books in 12 months), as well as mini goals to reach 50% by 9pm, for instance.
Enjoy the read!
Don’t read something just because everybody else is reading it.
If you’re not enjoying a book, it’ll only slow down your reading experience or, worse, make you stop reading altogether.
I must admit I don’t necessarily practice what I preach here (Editor’s Note: It’s now 2019 and I happily ‘DNF’ and abandon books all the time!), because I like to see things through to the end.
But if you’re not enjoying your read, hand that book over to somebody that will enjoy it. Pick up an old favourite and reread it. I LOVE rereading old favourites to spark that original feel-good feeling and get me back into wanting to read more.
Plan to share reviews
Chances are if you’re reading this post, you’re a fellow blogger or digital creator, or are a Goodreads user.
By the nature of our trade, writing a blog post after doing anything is pretty much a given. We like to share things! Plan ahead to share a review of the book(s) you’re reading. Not only will it motivate you to read and finish the book, it’ll activate deeper analytical thoughts in your mind and set your creativity on fire.
Pen a review about the book. Publish it on your blog. Post about it on Goodreads. Send it to Twitter while you’re at it. I like seeing the output from something I’ve funnelled effort into, so I often publish book reviews on Daisybutter to add some variety and share what I’m currently up to in a new format.
What are some of your top tips for getting out of a reading slump?
