How to get out of a reading slump

Lower the bar for a while

Make reading small enough that it is easy to start: ten minutes or a few pages. A short session is still reading. If you have a daily goal, lower it until books feel lighter, then raise it again.

A break is also an option. If you have no wish to read at all, put books aside for a week and try again later.

Choose a book that is easy to finish

A long or demanding book can make every evening feel like homework. For now, try something you can finish soon:

• short stories or a short novel;
• a graphic novel;
• a favorite book you have read before;
• a genre you usually enjoy but have not read for a while.

Finishing a book brings back the feeling that reading moves forward. Audiobooks and ebooks count too. Switching format for a while can help.

Set a book aside without guilt

Sometimes one book blocks all the others: you do not want to read it, so you read nothing. It is fine to stop and choose another one.

In Pagetime, move it to “Abandoned”. The book stays in your library with your notes and reading time, and you can come back to it whenever you like.

Find your way back into the story

If you stopped in the middle of a book, the plot may have faded. Read the last few pages again or go back to the start of the chapter. Your own notes help too: one sentence about a character or an argument can be enough to remember where you were.

At the top of the Pagetime library, the bookmark shows the book where you left off, the page and one of your notes about it. “Continue” starts a new session right away.

Change when and where you read

A slump often comes with a routine that no longer works. Try reading at a different time: in the morning instead of late at night, at lunch, on the way to work. A new place can help too, such as a café, a park bench or another chair at home.

Keep the phone away while you read. The guide to building a daily reading habit has more ideas for finding a regular moment.

Do not let a streak add pressure

If you track a streak, a slump can make it worse: every missed day feels like a loss. Pagetime covers one missed day per calendar week with a streak freeze, and the calendar marks that day with a snowflake.

A missed day covered by a streak freeze.

After a longer break, the streak starts again from zero. Your books, notes and reading history stay where they were. Each type of reminder can be turned off, so a slump does not have to come with notifications.

The free version holds up to 5 books and includes 20 page scans with text recognition in total. Deleting a note does not restore a used scan. Notes and the timer work offline without an account; sync is free after signing in. A subscription removes the book and scan limits and unlocks your full stats history, year in review and folder export.

This independent guide is published by Pagetime and is not authorized, sponsored or endorsed by Apple Inc. or Google LLC.