I recently read an awesome post by Clara at Lost in My Library called Are Reading Slumps Good? and it really got me thinking. I already knew I wanted to write a post about my current reading slump on the blog but I had intended to simply talk about what I’d been doing whilst the slump had taken a hold. I will still be talking about that but I also want to talk about how stressing over a slump helps no one.
Reading slumps suck. That is a fact, no one can deny they always come at the worst time. They are never convenient and it’s always annoying because it can affect your blog. That being said, it isn’t the end of the world and thinking too much on it normally only makes my slump last longer.
What I’ve been doing during this slump:
Binge Watching TV
Sometimes, binge watching an old favourite is all you can do to pass the time. It would have been cheaper if my binge watch show had been on Netflix, but buying each season of Psych hasn't broken the bank. It's fun and familiar and sometimes there is nothing better. I love Shawn and Gus and their whole dynamic. And seeing Shawn and his dad grown closer is brilliant, that is one of the relationships I loved first time around. I also now say ‘I’ve heard it both ways’ and ‘whaaaaat’ without anyone getting my references because they suck.
Watching All The Movies
A TV show can feel like too much of a commitment on a night after work. It can lead me to staying up until midnight saying to myself ‘just one more’ so watching a movie is always a nice option. I’ve found myself slowly watching films I’ve been saying I want to watch but haven’t gotten around to. I’ve seen Star Trek Beyond (and rewatched the first two), I’ve seen Moana, and Minions and I’ve got John Wick 2 all ready to watch over the next couple of days. It’s the perfect way to fill my hours before bed. Please give me all the film recs, be they old or new. You can never see too many films.
Reading Fanfiction
I am a big fan of fanfiction and I always will be. During my A-Levels and uni fanfiction was basically all the reading I did for a really long time and it’s still comforting to me, even now. I think my slump is not caused by not wanting to read but more an unwillingness to deal with unfamiliar characters and deal with the storyline. Fanfiction involves characters I know and have their own level of predictability to them. Sure, I know that’s usually what romance is for but I kind of feel like I can’t face all the words in a book. Gove me a 20000 word fanfic and I will devour it, though.
Blog Planning
I have actually been taking an interest in my blog itself. Not just the posts which I write, but the design of my blog and silly things like how I tag my posts. I’m putting in a greater effort to cross post my reviews and I am trying to basically to be a more active blogger. I may not be great at the whole social media thing but I can at least make my blog the best which is can be. I may have a blog redesign in the future, but I make no promises. I am notoriously bad at following through.
Bullet Journaling
My bullet journal is neither pretty or incredibly complex. I’m not good at minimalist and I have no theme or anything. My bullet journal is just a bunch of lists and things to do all in one place and I love it. I am putting a solid effort in to put in all my things in there. I find it quite nice having a place where all the things I think of I want to remember can be written. I’ve got a list for the books I want to borrow from the library, a list of my ARCs (which needs updating), a list of films I’ve watched and those I want to watch. Basically, I’ve got a lot of lists, more than I probably need.
So, there you have it. I may not be reading much lately but no one can claim I’m not keeping busy. What do you do when you’re stuck in a slump? What do you do when you’re not reading?
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