If you’re guilty of staring at your bookshelf, smiling about potential reads, then walking away after the overwhelming despair of indecision overtakes you, you might be in a reading slump. Don’t worry — you’re in the right place! Coming from a girl who just finished a 2,000-page book series after not reading for months, these steps are sure to pull you out of your slump and ease you back into reading. 

Put your wallet away

Stop buying more books when you already have a floor-to-ceiling stack of unread ones. Muster every ounce of discipline in your body to not turn it into a graveyard library. It’s a well-known fact that Barnes & Noble has the world’s most alluring smell, so it may be safest to steer clear of this store until you’ve gone through your existing book pile. If you’re doomscrolling through BookTok or browsing online and see a book that catches your eye, screenshot and move on. You can come back to it when you’ve finished the 12-book series that you committed to during past buying sprees. Resist the urge to make a big book pile even bigger — the larger the pile, the more daunting the thought of reading will be.

Choose a book, duh

Once you’ve placed that lock on book buying, you can take steps toward actually reading. To start, you obviously need to choose a book, but making the right choice after a slump can be difficult. There is a strategy to ensure you read further than just the back cover summary! Don’t pick an experimental read or something that you added to your to-be-read list just because of its popularity. The book you choose should be something that falls under a genre you typically enjoy and that you are genuinely excited to read. If you’re at the point in a slump where no book sounds appealing, pick one at random — you added it to your list for a reason.

Set the mood

Now that you have a book, it’s time to actually open it! Setting up a reading nook is a crucial step to guarantee you’re comfortable enough to resist immediately getting up and leaving. You need ambient lighting, maybe some white noise, and a serene place to sit. If you choose to stay at home, you can pick your lighting! I suggest something dim, but not so dim that it lulls you to sleep. For instance, I still have my Christmas tree up — I know that it’s April, but why would I limit tree time to one season — so I use its glow. If you’re in a shared dorm room with fluorescent overhead lighting and a mold infestation, consider some other campus locations. Earl Warren College has great reading spots by Crafted @ Minerva’s Cafe, as long as you avoid the burglar who, according to campus police, was running shirtless through the canyon a couple of weeks ago. I also love the wooded area next to Taco Villa, which has hammocks if you prefer to get really cozy while reading. In your tranquil reading oasis, you can now engross yourself in the world of your book.

Hide all devices

This may be an absurd and unimaginable task, but you need to put away all of your devices. Personally, I have to be in an entirely different room from my iPad to concentrate on reading. This way, you can’t be lured away by messages, games, social media, or any other virtual temptation. Make sure that those devices are also on silent; don’t underestimate your ability to hear your phone vibrating from afar. Any worries about checking the time or keeping tabs on your messages will fade as you read. When you have no other entertainment options but a book, it becomes easier to read it.It can be intimidating to start reading again, but it’s truly all about rediscovering your groove. Repeat these steps often, create a routine, and before you know it, it’ll become second nature to reach for your book instead of your phone! Reading is not only intellectually stimulating, but it can also improve your mental health and sleep cycle. You might have days when you don’t read anything aside from your class syllabus, but that’s okay. All that matters is trying to make reading more of a habit, and these steps can help you do just that.