How to Crush your Goodreads Reading Goal
I love reading books. I’ve been in love with books ever since my 5th-grade English teacher took us to the library & my eyes fell on shelves after shelves of colorful book covers. At first, it was Hardy boys and adventure books. During college years, I transitioned to mysteries by Agatha Christie.
After college, life happened, with work and other responsibilities I couldn’t set aside the time to read. I ended up reading around ten or so books a year. The number of books in my “read later” list kept growing. I was missing out on so many good books that were coming out. It was not until late last year that I figured out how to crush my reading goal.
Today, I completed my 2020 Goodreads reading challenge with five months to go. I read 27 books in these last seven months. Here’s how I achieved it -
- Make a Plan — I started by making a list of all the books I wanted to read every month. The list included books on my reading list, recommendations from friends & colleagues, books from favorite authors to be released, and Goodreads recommendations. The list eliminated the need to decide what to read next.
2. Get the material — Many a time, reading lags because what we want to read is not right in front of us. You finish a book and the next one you want to read is not there. I buy two or three books/audiobooks in advance so that I have something to read as soon as I finish the one I’m reading.
3. Listen to audiobooks — Audible launching in India was one of the best things that happened to me. I might not have time to sit and read at a stretch, but I sure have time to listen to an audiobook while I’m cooking, doing my chores, and traveling.
4. Figure out reading time — If a book is 10 hours long, and you read one hour a day, you’ll finish the book in 10 days. Audiobooks are helpful here. Even if you don’t listen to audiobooks, you can go on Amazon or Audible and figure out the length of the book. Audiobooks are usually at a relaxed pace. If you have a good reading speed, you won’t require as much time.
5. Have a routine — Set aside a fixed time to read your book and integrate it into your daily routine. I read two hours a day, one hour in the morning and one hour at night. So, if it’s a ten-hour long book, I know I’ll finish it in five days. Also, if the book is captivating, I read more than the set aside two hours.
6. Set reminder for finish date — Once you have figured out the reading time of a book, mark the date in your calendar as to when you are going to finish the book. Make sure you finish the book by that date.
7. Have fun! — Read the books you enjoy. Don’t slog through ones not holding your interest.
And, that’s about it. Follow these few steps, and you’ll be burning through your reading list in no time.
Happy Reading 📚
