When Reading Stops Being Fun and why I'm changing that

Stop me if you've been here before.... You're finally getting away, going on vacation, and you're thinking - yes, think of all the reading I'm going to do!

For me, it used to look like this—I’d gather a stack of books. Not one or two, but twenty. Maybe twenty-five. A full, ambitious pile that reflected not just who I was, but who I thought I should be: more well-read, more disciplined, more “on top” of my reading life.

I told myself I’d finally have the time. That I’d sit for hours, uninterrupted, moving from one book to the next with focus and intention.

And then reality would arrive.

A chapter here. A few pages there. Maybe a longer stretch if it rained. But nowhere near the marathon I had imagined.

For a long time, that gap felt like failure.

The Hidden Pressure We Put on Ourselves

As an author—especially an indie author—it’s easy to blur the line between passion and performance.

Reading becomes more than enjoyment. It turns into:

• Research
• Market awareness
• Skill-building
• A benchmark for “keeping up”

Somewhere along the way, something simple becomes something measured.

We start tracking how much we read, how quickly we read, and whether it’s “enough.” And without realizing it, we turn reading into a kind of silent competition—one that no one asked us to join.

A Small Shift That Changed Everything

This time, I tried something different.

I still brought books. (Old habits don’t disappear overnight.)

But I let go of the expectation that I had to finish them.

If I read a chapter, that was enough. If I didn’t read at all one day, that was fine too. If the only thing I did was want to read, that still counted as being connected to the part of me that loves books.

And something surprising happened: reading started to feel light again.

Not like a task. Not like a goal. Just… something I could enjoy.

Why This Matters for Creatives

If you’re a writer, you’ve probably heard it a thousand times: “You have to read.”

And it’s true. Reading matters.

But the way we read matters too.

When we approach it with pressure, we drain it of the very thing that makes it valuable—curiosity, inspiration, and joy.

When we let it be imperfect, we make space for:

• Deeper connection with the material
• Genuine inspiration instead of forced input
• A healthier creative rhythm

Sometimes, doing less actually gives us more.

Letting “Enough” Be Enough

I didn’t come back from vacation having read 25 books.

I came back having enjoyed a few quiet moments with a story.

And for once, I didn’t feel behind.

I felt rested.

I felt reconnected.

And maybe most importantly, I remembered why I loved reading in the first place.