It is National Book Month; yes, it is that time of the year to remind ourselves of the importance of reading and best practices to read.
Over time, I have discovered that it is the desire of many students to read but they cannot just bring themselves to do it. Some pass the initial stage of starting but give up almost immediately, others set reading goals, but are just never able to achieve those goals. Does this sound familiar? Are you or someone you know in a similar shoe?
You are in the right place. Just as the title says, in this post, I will be showing you some ways you can step up and crush your reading goals. Let’s go!
But just before we get into it, I would like to give you a background story of myself. Would you like to hear it?
My Story
Reading comes like second nature to me, however, there have been times in my life when I wasn’t motivated to read. In fact, I didn’t want to read. I knew the importance and benefits of reading, but I saw reading as a strenuous exercise. This made me realise that knowing why you should do something is not enough reason to start doing that thing. Have you met people who know they should study for exams and the consequences if they do not study but still do not study? Inevitably, yes. This is because, in addition to knowing why, you need to know how.
Back to my story! The thought of reading alone overwhelms me so much that I end up not reading anything at all. During this period, I had to figure out ways to crush my reading goals that worked for me, and guess what? I will be sharing them with you in this post.
Now, let’s get into it!
How to crush your reading goals
1. Pick books that are of interest to you
If you find it so difficult to read, you are probably reading a book that you do not enjoy. In a case where you get to choose the book you can read, go for topics that you are interested in. Often, we read books because of other people. This is good, but if it is not working out for you, you probably need to adjust that.
At a time in my life, I was interested in relationship and marriage books, so I put my hands on any book I saw that talked about it. As a result, I was able to finish about 5 books on relationships in a few months. If during that period, I was forcing myself to read books about money or development, I might not have gone very far.
The key here is to note that there will be various seasons in your life when you will be interested in certain things, at such times, maximise motivation and consume a lot of books on that subject matter. Believe me when I tell you that, right now, reading relationship books is the last thing on my mind, if at all it’s there.
What would like to learn about now? What are you interested in right now? Get a book on it and start reading.
2. Set SMART Reading Goals
If you do not set a goal to read, you might never get around to reading. What goal setting does is that it gives you a sense of urgency, and if you do not accomplish that task, it makes you feel like you missed something. That would never happen if you did not set a goal in the first place.
During the COVID break in 2020, I decided that I was going to read a certain number of books. I went to the bookshelf, picked out some books that caught my attention and lined them up by the wall in my room. That singular action did something to my brain. I’d wake up every morning, see those books and remember that I had to crush my reading goals for that day. By the end of the COVID break, I returned all the books to the shelf disappointed in myself that I didn’t meet all my reading goals. I would not have been disappointed if I had not set a reading goal in the first place. That said, let’s talk about the different types of reading goals and why you should set SMART reading goals.
Types of Reading Goals
- Reading a Certain Number of Books in a Year (or Month)
Does this sound familiar? Yes, I literally just gave it as an example. This is when you set a goal to read a certain number of books in a year or month. You could say I want to read 12 books this year, 1 every month. Now that’s a SMART goal.
- Reading a Variety of Genres
If you find yourself reading the same genre(s) over and over again, then it might be time to spice things up. This is when you set a specific goal for yourself to read a particular genre or type of book.
If you mainly read fiction, maybe set a goal for yourself to read 5 nonfiction books or memoirs this year. Or, maybe you want to try reading some poetry.
If you only read memoirs, try writing down 5 different fiction genres you’d like to try (such as contemporary fiction, mystery/thriller, romance, fantasy, and literary fiction). Or, plan to read one book from a different genre each month.
For this type of goal, it helps to be specific and intentional. The more concrete you make your goal, the easier it will be to keep yourself accountable!
- Read A Certain Amount of Time Per Day (or Week)
Here’s another type of reading goal that’s pretty straightforward: challenge yourself to read a certain number of minutes (or hours) each day or week.
Maybe you want to read for 10 minutes every morning with breakfast or 30 minutes before bed each night (just make sure you don’t end up reading the book in your dream). Ensure you do what works for your schedule and lifestyle!
This goal is straightforward because it is easy to track. You can simply mark in your planner how many days or weeks you were able to meet the goal.
- Books You Own vs. Buying New Books
This is a great goal because it focuses on something a lot of book lovers have trouble with – reading the books that are currently sitting unread on your bookshelf, rather than buying more new books!
Make a plan to read a certain percentage (maybe 50%, or even more!) of books you already own this year. You can even make a TBR list (‘to be read’ list) of specific books you want to read, to help when you’re not sure what to read next.
Why should you set SMART Reading Goals?
By this time, I’m certain you already know what a SMART goal is. If you do not, you can learn more about setting SMART goals here. However, I would like to mention why it is important to set SMART reading goals.
It makes it easier to track your progress.
It enables you to set goals that will be peculiar to you and will actually work for you.
Do you want to enjoy the process and feel happy after crushing your reading goals? Setting SMART goals is the way to go.
Wondering how you can start? Pick any of the types of reading goals we mentioned and get started right now!
3. Make use of any opportunity you’ve got to read
I used to be the kind of person who would rather not read if I was not in a quiet or peaceful environment, or with my big jotter to take notes while reading. However, it was only a matter of time before I discovered that if I were going to crush my reading goals, I had to make use of any opportunity I had to read. This means reading while I’m waiting in line to get something, or reading when I’m on a bus heading to a destination. The idea here is, do not wait for a perfect time to read like when you are home or well rested, rather read at any chance you get. This is a great way to crush your reading goals.
4. Join book clubs or reading communities
I cannot overemphasize the need for accountability when it comes to anything, including reading. By joining communities where we have to read a book, I have been able to read about 4 books in 2 months. I know too well that I would never done that had it not been for those communities. Communities help you stay motivated and encourage participation to crush your reading goals.
Would you join a book club or community today?
5. Schedule time for Reading
As Jim Kwik usuaully says, if you dont schedule it, you’re not going to do it. Set aside a specific time for reading. Mark it in your calendar that that particular time will be dedicated to reading, that way your brain will know that you’re serious.
Here you have guys; a list of 5 proven ways to get started reading and crush your reading goals. What do you think? I would love to read your thoughts in the comment section. Let’s celebrate National Book Month together.
Image credit to freepik.com and pexel.com.
