Even before the performative male with his bell hooks and Simone de Beauvoir paperbacks called our attention to the world’s reading problem, I knew I had it too.
I was at a fashion week after-party last year, waiting for a drink somewhere between Rahul Mishra and Law Roach, when I had an unexpected breakthrough. A friend texted me a photo with the caption “Look what I got you!” and I saw a picture of a navy paperback with browned beech leaves and silver-foil lettering: Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous. My past ramblings about the Vietnamese American writer’s collection of poetry, Night Sky with Exit Wounds, had led to this thoughtful gift.
It was March, and I stood there with a Negroni, drowning in indietronica, when it hit me—I hadn’t read a single book in the past three months. The desire had simply vanished.
By the next weekend, I dove into Vuong’s novel (his 2025 release, The Emperor of Gladness, is already on my TBR) and quickly realised the siren-like effect my electronics had on me.
After just a few pages, my phone screen seemed to glow brighter with every notification, and the urge to doomscroll became unbearable. I caved after an embarrassing 13 pages. Who had I become? The 15-year-old me who would practically wrestle my grandmother to finish the last 200 pages of Khaled Hosseini’s And the Mountains Echoed felt like a distant memory
Studies show that people are reading less than ever. At schools and colleges, professors and teachers are complaining about students’ attention spans. It seems, the fast consumption of everything, everywhere, all at once, accompanied by instant gratification, has transformed us. I decided to change that for myself, and over the next year, I did. Here’s how to you too can put your phone down and get back into the habit of reading books.
1. Audiobooks are books, too
My first trick was to change how I read. I have no shame in admitting that audiobooks are a magical solution, especially if you’re in a reading rut. You don’t need to carve out that reading time. With audiobooks, I found that I was always “reading”—while doing laundry, devouring a plate of biryani, or packing for a trip. It may not have been the perfect way back to ink and paper, but listening to Obama narrate his memoir with his smooth, deliberate tone was a start. The beautiful dramatisation of Gabriel García Márquez’s posthumously published novel Until August also helped. By the time I was halfway through Chetna Maroo’s Western Lane, I found myself ordering a physical copy of the book.
2. Sleep-divorce your phone
My trusty Kindle, which had been lying dead for almost a year, became a tool in my arsenal. Its front-lit screen helped me avoid dozing off after a page and a half. At least two nights a week, I tried to replace my before-bed phone time with my e-reader, and I undoubtedly slept better. I discovered that force-reading doesn’t work, especially if you’ve lost the habit.
3. Be guilt-free about giving up on a book
If doomscrolling still sounds more appealing than the novella you’ve picked, you might need to reconsider your reading list. An academic study in 2023 found that adolescents who read for pleasure performed better on cognitive tests and had fewer mental health issues later in life, and I believe this holds some truth for adults, too. BookToks and Bookstagrammers are a good place to look for your next read, but read what your heart desires, and drop what slows you down. The 50-page rule has served me well: if you’re 50 pages in and still struggling to read, it’s okay to drop the book and pick up something else.
4. Join a community
As my phone and I were sleep-divorced, my initial anxiety was replaced by peace. I could remove myself from my day job—thankfully, emails don’t find you on the printed pages of historical fantasies. This helped me reassociate reading with joy. But the cherry on top was finding a community. Goodreads felt a little dry, so when Fable launched, I tried it out and liked it. Gamifying your reads is a great way to chase some susegad without feeling lost. It also replicates the social interaction we love. There are other great apps like StoryGraph, but nothing beats a close-knit in-person (or virtual) book club. I recommend starting one with friends or family, or joining one on Reddit or Instagram if a physical one isn’t an option. This ensures you’ll still be reminded to catch up on the next two chapters, even when you’re digitally dazed.
5. Make it fun
Most importantly, I found that everything was better when you make it fun. If you haven’t seen Bella Hadid carrying Stephen King’s The Outsider or Dua Lipa colour-coordinating her outfit with Patti Smith’s Just Kids, you’ve been living under a rock. From Jonathan Anderson’s book-inspired Dior totes to style blogs that help you pick your next read with a matching outfit, books have been declared the sexiest accessory. Carrying your favourite copy everywhere might just keep you on track with your reading goals. Forget power-reading or other internet cheat sheets. Focus on making books your best companions, which in an XXL tote, they have the complete potential to be.
6. Don’t judge a book by its cover
The most potent approach is to stop judging yourself. No reading is bad reading, not even one page of The Princess Diaries by the pool every Sunday. Give yourself the freedom to read unseriously. I rediscovered the joy of reading nostalgic hardcovers and glossy paperbacks. When I wasn’t in the mood to use my brain to its full capacity, even children’s books were a great way to get words in. I found myself rereading Percy Jackson and getting lost in Foucault simultaneously, with the liberating option to switch between titles based on my mood or mental space.
I’m not waiting for the New Year resolutions to kick in. I’m already satisfied with what I have read throughout the year. It wasn’t easy, not one bit. But it was worth every minute I didn’t spend scrolling through content I wouldn’t remember the next day. In the age of information, old habits die easy, and parts of us gradually decompose. Yet, if we truly want to, the bits we lose can show vital signs once again—with a little effort, a lot of devotion, and maybe a couple of authors you have a lenient crush on.
