:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/start-reading-again-GettyImages-1584316936-9d201349257a4ebdbfd95876cc5653b8.jpg?w=1024&resize=1024,1024&ssl=1 "In a Reading Slump? Here’s How to Get Back Into Books After a Long Hiatus")
As a kid and teenager, I was a voracious reader. I signed off on my first library card in chicken scratch when I was barely four years old. I checked out piles at a time, reading and rereading, with no purpose other than to explore and escape. As I got older, the responsibilities of adult life, along with the takeover of social media as a tempting form of entertainment, began to eclipse my reading habits. I turned to my phone more and more as a respite when I needed to turn off my brain. Even after graduating college, reading for fun was still nearly foreign to me—I read a measly two books in 2023 and knew something had to change.
Although I’ve always been hungry for new perspectives and good stories, I needed to refresh my approach to actually doing it, according to Dr. Katy Milkman, author of How to Change. “People assume that just because they know it’s important to stay in shape, learn a new skill, save money, or eat right, that importance will motivate them to do the daily work,” she says. “But in fact, if we don’t enjoy the daily actions we need to take—working out or studying or sticking to our budget or eating healthy meals—then we tend not to stay with them no matter how important our long-term goal. Find a way to make it more fun to make the change.”
With #BookTok taking over the websites of booksellers like Barnes and Noble, ThriftBooks, and Bookshop, we seem to be in an era of a renewed interest in reading, especially among young people. Through my own struggle to read regularly again, I have discovered a handful of low-effort, low-cost strategies that worked for me to meet (and beat) the reading goal I set for myself this year.
5 Ideas to Help You Get Back Into Reading
Use an E-Reader, Tablet, or Phone
“The best strategies [for re-forming a habit] would be those that are attuned to why the habit was disrupted,” says Dr. Milkman. “In general, identifying the barriers is the first step and one people sometimes skip. The best solution depends on the barrier.”
Relying on my phone for accessible, instant entertainment in place of other hobbies was a major barrier to getting myself back into reading. So, I bought a Kindle, which helped transform my mindset about reading from something that had a time and a place to something I could do anywhere. I thought of it like training wheels—the transition from scrolling on my phone to looking at my Kindle was smaller than going from my phone to a physical book.
It doesn’t have to be a Kindle—maybe you’re reading this article on your phone or tablet right now. Why not download some e-books or audiobooks for long car rides or waiting rooms? Using the devices you already have can help you to more seamlessly integrate reading into your daily routine.
Create a Libby Account
With a card at my local public library, I can access apps like Libby and Hoopla that offer a multitude of library resources, including e-books and audiobooks. For me, this was a game-changer for re-forming a reading habit. Not only did I have a way to access e-books for free to read on the device of my choosing, but I could also access them instantly.
Depending on the popularity of the book or the number of electronic “copies” your library has, there can be long hold times, so I recommend creating an account and placing holds on any books you might want to read—you can always delay delivery of the e-book until you’re ready. Libby also allows you to store multiple library cards, so if there is a long hold time at one library system, you may be able to check it out sooner with a different card.
Track Your Progress
“Tracking can be helpful because it’s a way of measuring goal progress and holding yourself accountable for following through,” Dr. Milkman emphasizes. “To build habits, frequent repetition is key.” For me, tracking the books I read provided an incentive to read more often. I use the Goodreads app to track books in three categories: Want to Read, Read, and Currently Reading. My long “Want to Read” list means I always have options to choose from if I’m at the library, a bookstore, browsing on Libby, or revisiting my own bookshelves. Tracking “Read” books shows me how close I am to my reading goal, and as the list grows, the more motivated I am to keep going. Marking a book as “Currently Reading” allows me to update the specific page number as I read and follow a progress bar to the end of the book, which, like my “Read” list, serves as a satisfying visual aid. Dr. Milkman agrees: “The more you can make it rewarding to do a behavior and the more often you repeat it, the more likely it is to become a habit.”
Joining a book club can be another excellent way to hold yourself accountable in a social setting. Or use your own method—mark the days you read on a calendar, use a spreadsheet to collect information on books you’ve read, or simply maintain a list on a bookmark or in your phone’s Notes app. As with reading itself, the path of least resistance will be the most effective on-ramp to tracking your progress, so choose the method you can implement most easily.
Choose the Right Books
Throughout high school and college, when I did read a book, it was typically nonfiction. I wondered if breaking from my usual reading choices would provide a reinvigorating change of scenery. I set out for something with enticing prose and a strong, fast-paced plot. For example, discovering that I love psychological thrillers opened up an entire world of books I had not considered before, when in reality, I was subconsciously limiting myself to books similar to ones I had already read.
If you are stuck on where to look for that first reinvigorating book, I recommend looking to the past. Reread books you loved as a teenager or look for a book in a similar genre or writing style. It may take some trial and error to find that perfect page-turner, so remember to be patient and know that not every book is for everyone.
Set Concrete, Achievable Goals With a Purpose
In order to form any habit, our brains need tangible goals to focus on and be motivated by. However, if these goals are too lofty, they can become a barrier to success. Dr. Milkman echoes this sentiment: “Follow-through failure on our desired goals and habits is incredibly common for a variety of reasons, even when we’re excited to get started. One is simple inertia—we tend to follow the path of least resistance and if a new habit doesn’t fit with our existing routines, it can be hard to kick-start.”
My initial 2024 reading goal was five books for the entire year. This allowed me a little over two months per book. Since my goal was quite modest, I didn’t set any daily or weekly goals (like reading a certain number of pages or chapters), and this gave me space to test out different ways of incorporating reading into my life. But if smaller goals like that help you, set those too! For me, the important thing was having a flexible, achievable goal to strive for.
What You Can Learn From Reading Again
First and foremost, be forgiving. If you don’t like a book, or if you go a few weeks without reading (life happens!), beating yourself up about it will only create pressure around reading. For me, my initial goal of five books allowed me to be flexible and forgiving within a reasonable constraint, and was the key to turning reading into something I looked forward to again.
And, of course, be intentional. I asked myself why reading more was so important to me. Focusing on the answer(s) to that question—I loved to read as a kid, I wanted to write more (and writers read), and I wanted to learn—painted an alluring picture for myself of what my life would look like if I fostered this habit. Once I had a clear why, the only thing left to do was open a book.