What Is A Reading Slump? Why It Happens And 9 Ways Out

Over two decades, the share of Americans who read for pleasure on an average day fell by more than 40%, according to a study of American Time Use Survey data from 2003 to 2023 by researchers at the University of Florida and University College London, published in the journal iScience in August 2025. The authors found a decline of about 3% a year, and the study is observational, which means it describes what happened without explaining why. So if you are in a reading slump, reading less than you used to and missing it, you are in very large company.

A reading slump is the personal version of that statistic. It is a stretch when you want to read, or want to want to, and nothing sticks. This guide explains what is usually going on, how to tell which kind of slump you have, and nine ways out that librarians and book writers keep recommending.

🔍 What a reading slump actually is

There is no formal definition. Book Riot’s writers describe slumps ranging from a few weeks to years without reading, and a public library blogger describes one as losing track of the last book you finished or enjoyed. A useful working version: a reading slump is any period when your usual reading habit stops working, even though you still care about it.

That last clause matters. A slump is not the same as being too busy or choosing to do something else. It is the feeling of a habit that has gone quiet and the mild guilt that comes with it.

🧩 Why it happens

The causes named in the sources listed below overlap, and most are ordinary:

• Attention is going elsewhere. Book Riot’s 2014 advice says reading falls away when creative energy is going to other priorities, and a librarian’s slump post suggests putting the phone down.
• Life is tiring. A 2019 Book Riot article lists winter weather and lack of sunlight, general exhaustion and being too busy to sit with a book.
• The last book set the bar too high, or too low. A book so good that nothing else compares, or one that disappointed you, can both stall the next one, according to the reading-challenge platform Beanstack.
• Mood and genre fatigue. Reading only what you feel like, or too much of one genre, can wear a groove into your habits.
• Breaks in routine. Beanstack points to holidays and school breaks as natural slump points.

None of this is a test result, and we have not found a study that tests any of these causes or remedies for adults. Treat them as widely shared observations, not proof.

🩺 Which slump do you have?

If it feels like…	It is probably…	Start with
You open a book and drift to your phone	A distraction slump	Way 2, then Way 5
Every book sounds fine and none sounds good	A genre or mood slump	Way 3, then Way 7
You cannot stop comparing everything to one book	A hangover	Way 1 or Way 6
You are exhausted and reading feels like homework	A burnout slump	Way 4, then Way 8
You used to read daily and have lost the thread	A habit slump	Way 9

🛠️ Nine ways out of a reading slump

1. Reread a favorite

Two of the sources listed below recommend rereading a book you already love, and it is the lowest-risk option: you know what you are getting. If you fear it will not hold up, read the first chapter only.

2. Put the phone in another room

A librarian’s slump advice includes putting the phone down, and the reasoning is simple: a book is slower than a screen, and a slump is when you are least willing to wait. Charge the phone outside the room for one week and see whether the first page gets easier.

3. Try a different genre or format

Book Riot and Beanstack both suggest reading outside your usual genre, and Book Riot also suggests comics, magazines or nonfiction. If you normally read fiction, try short nonfiction for one week.

4. Lower the bar

Start with a few pages a night, as one library blog suggests, and give yourself permission to stop. The goal of a first week is not progress through a book. It is a book that is open on the table.

5. Switch to audio

Audiobooks come up in three of the sources, and they are useful when your eyes are tired but your mind is willing. Listening while you cook or walk also moves reading out of the evening hours when you are least energetic.

6. Pick something short, easy or from a favorite author

The sources suggest short books, favorite authors and the next book in a series you already know. These are slump-friendly because they ask for very little commitment. If you want a short list to begin with, 5 best books for beginner readers is a good place.

7. Borrow more than you need

Book Riot suggests borrowing a stack from the library and returning whatever does not grab you, and Beanstack suggests sampling several books. A library card removes the cost of a wrong guess.

8. Take a real break

A slump that comes from burnout may need rest more than a method. Book Riot’s burnout article suggests stepping away and trying again. The library blogger’s advice is to stop feeling guilty. If you are overwhelmed in general, 7 comforting books for tough days is a gentle place to return.

9. Rebuild the habit in tiny pieces

Once the slump loosens, protect it. Ten minutes a day is enough; the power of 10 minutes explains how to do it, and how to start reading again gives a ten-step restart.

📅 A one-week reset

If you want a plan instead of a menu, try this for seven days. On day one, put the phone in another room and reread the first chapter of a favorite. On days two and three, read five pages and stop, even if you want to continue. On day four, borrow or download two or three short books you have never opened. On day five, listen to a chapter of one of them while you cook or walk. On day six, pick the one that held your attention and read for ten minutes. On day seven, decide whether to keep it, swap it, or take a break. The plan has no target number of books, because the aim is to prove to yourself that reading still works for you.

⚠️ What not to do

Avoid buying ten new books, setting a bigger yearly goal, or forcing yourself to finish a book you dislike. Each of those adds pressure to a habit that is already under strain. The more useful question is what would make reading easier today.

🧭 When it is not a slump

Sometimes a drop in reading is a change in season of life and not a problem to solve. If you are not missing it, there is nothing to fix. If you are, and the same patterns keep returning, 5 real reasons you struggle to maintain a reading habit looks at the habit side, not the slump side.

Final thoughts

A reading slump is common, and it does end. The sources agree on the basics: reduce pressure, make the first step small, and choose the book that asks the least. Pick one of the nine ways this week and leave the others for next month.

Which of these will you try first, and what is the last book that made you forget your phone?

Sources

• Reading for pleasure in free fall: New study finds 40% drop over two decades, University of Florida (August 21, 2025)
• Proportion of Americans reading for pleasure fell by 40% over 20 years, UCL (August 20, 2025)
• 5 Tips For Getting Out of a Long-Term Reading Slump, Book Riot (September 24, 2014)
• What to Do About Reader Burnout, Book Riot (February 27, 2019)
• Reading Slumps, Whitefish Bay Public Library (September 28, 2017)
• 12 Tips For Getting Out of a Reading Slump, Beanstack (July 11, 2024)