5 Reading Goals You Should Try This Year

Dear reader,

How are your reading goals coming along?

Are you still on track, or have you veered off course?

Don’t tell me you didn’t set any reading goals this year. No, this is not about stacking more books on your TBR list, which you hardly ever read. It’s not enough to say, “I will read more books this year.” You must make deliberate efforts to set SMART reading goals and work towards achieving them. 

As you set business, financial, relationship, spiritual, health and academic goals, you should not neglect learning and personal development. Reading is one of the proven ways of enhancing learning and development. It widens your knowledge, expands your vocabulary, improves your writing, enhances your memory and reduces stress. 

The purpose of setting reading goals is to help you build discipline and consistency towards becoming a better reader. If you want to up your reading game this year, here are some reading goals you can explore.

1. Read More Genres

We often narrow our reading list to our favourite genres. I’m also guilty of that? On a typical day, you will mostly catch me reading romance. Don’t give me that look. Who doesn’t love a happy fairytale? However, recently, I’ve begun expanding my library to include business, finance, African literature, memoirs and self-help books.

Don’t be stuck in just one genre. Where’s the fun in that? Leave your comfort zone and explore different genres. You can decide to try out a new genre every month. Who knows? You may discover a new love for sci-fi or crime stories. 

If you’re wondering where to start, you can check our Book Store for recommendations.

2. Join a Book Club

This year, why not join a book club? 

A book club is a group of like-minded people who read and talk about books. 

Joining a book club will help you stay accountable and committed to your reading goals. It also gives you the avenue to discover and read more books. 

If you aren’t already in one, you can join our Book Tribe. 

3. Keep a Reading Journal 

I’m one of those people who forget things if I don’t write them down instantly. So, keeping a reading journal helps me remember lessons from the books I’ve read. 

If you are like me, then you should give it a shot. You can use a spare notebook or buy a fancy journal. Use it to scribble down key points or takeaways as you read. It’s an easy way of processing and retaining information. You can always go back to your notes for future reference.

4. Declutter Your TBR (To-Be-Read) List

For this one, I need to increase the volume of my mic so people at the back can hear. Many people buy books they never read. So, each year, their tbr list keeps getting longer and longer. 

New books are released into the literary world every year, each looking more enticing than the rest. Thus, you will be tempted to buy them and add them to your tbr. Meanwhile, your old books remain frozen on your bookshelf, patiently waiting for their turn to be read.

This year, set a goal to read all the books on your tbr. I know it’s difficult, but you must build the discipline to finish what you start. Remember, the goal is to become a reader, not a book collector.

5. Spend More Time Reading

Whatever you do this year, spend more time reading. Instead of setting a specific number of books to read monthly, your goal could be to read for 30 minutes each day. You could decide to read two pages of a book before bed or during your lunch break every day. 

By the way, do you know that food and books go well together? Absolutely! You can enjoy your favourite food and books when you visit any of our partner restaurants and food vendors; Nutrihit Cafe, Coffe Bar, Strobrie, and Clever Kitchen in Abuja, Nigeria.

No matter how tight your schedule is, you can rearrange your priorities and create more reading time. Regardless of the time limit or page count, the aim is to build a consistent reading schedule. 

Conclusively,

Setting a reading goal is one thing. Working to achieve those goals is another. Do you remember how enthusiastic you were while setting your reading goals? That is the same energy required for execution. So, block out those distractions, pull up your sleeves and start reading.

Cheers to reading more books this year?

Written by Nancy Legacy