2023 Reading Goals: A Guide to Help You Read More Books This Year
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Have you ever wanted to read more books? Are you looking for a new challenge this year? Setting reading goals is the perfect way to increase your reading habits and discover new books that you’ll love. This guide will help you set achievable reading goals for 2023 and get the most out of your reading journey. From choosing the right books, to setting a schedule and tracking your progress, you will learn everything you need to read more books this year. So, let’s get started!
Why set reading goals?
Reading is a wonderful pastime that can improve your health and wellbeing in many different ways. For example, it can boost your creativity, increase your empathy and compassion, shift your perspective and help you connect with other people. It can lower stress and improve your sleep, increase your productivity and help you develop new skills. Setting reading goals is the first step towards discovering all of the health benefits that reading can bring into your life. However, reading goals aren’t just about the benefits—they’re also about the books! Reading gives you the chance to discover new worlds and characters, expand your horizons and learn about new cultures and perspectives. Reading goals can help you discover more books that you’ll love and become a more well-rounded person.
How to choose the right books for your reading goals
When you’re setting reading goals, the first step is to take some time to think about the types of books you want to read. There are some considerations that can help you choose the right books for your reading goals, such as: - The kind of books you like to read: Are you more of a fiction or non-fiction person? Do you usually read romance novels or sci-fi books? Or do you prefer biographies and autobiographies? Whatever kind of books you usually read, you can keep reading them while also adding new types of books to your reading list. - The topics you want to learn more about: What topics or subjects are you interested in? If you want to become a more well-rounded person, then reading books on a variety of topics can help. Whether you want to learn more about your own culture or another culture entirely or learn more about history, science, or psychology, you can find books on almost any topic. - The authors you want to read: Are there any authors you love to read? Many readers set reading goals based on the authors that they love to read. It’s also a great way to discover new books and new authors that you might not have discovered otherwise. - The reading challenges you’d like to try: There are plenty of reading challenges out there, such as the 100 Book Challenge, where you try to read 100 books in one year. There are also challenges that focus on one particular genre, such as romance novels or sci-fi books. - The topics you want to learn more about
Setting a realistic reading schedule
Once you’ve chosen the right books for your reading goals, it’s time to set a realistic reading schedule. You don’t want to set such high reading goals that you get discouraged and give up after a couple of weeks. Instead, set a realistic reading schedule that you know you can stick to, such as reading a few chapters a day or reading a specific number of books each month. A good rule of thumb is to set reading goals that require you to read one book per week. If you want to read more than one book per week, you can set additional reading goals for yourself that are less ambitious. If you’re having trouble deciding on the right reading schedule, you can ask yourself a few questions to help you choose the perfect schedule for your reading goals. For example, ask yourself: What other activities do you have planned for the year? Do you have any vacations planned? Are you taking any courses? Do you have children or pets that might require extra attention?
Tracking your progress
Now that you’ve set a realistic reading schedule and chosen the right books for your reading goals, it’s time to track your progress. There are many different ways to track your progress and keep yourself accountable, such as: - Using reading apps: There are many reading apps that can help you track your progress and keep track of the books that you’ve read and want to read. - Keep a reading log: Perhaps the simplest way to track your progress and keep yourself accountable is to keep a reading log. You can keep a reading log on paper, in a digital journal or in an online journal like Goodreads. - Make a reading bucket list: Or, you can keep track of the books you want to read by making a reading bucket list. You can make a reading bucket list on paper or in an online journal, such as Reading Journal. - Set reading goals with friends: You can also set reading goals with friends and track your progress with your reading buddies. You can set reading goals with friends by creating a group on social media, in an online forum or in a reading app.
Strategies for staying motivated
Once you’ve set reading goals and started tracking your progress, you might start to get discouraged. Reading more often can be a challenge, especially when you don’t have any motivation. To stay motivated and keep reading, try these three strategies: - Read what you love: The best way to stay motivated is to read what you love. If you love sci-fi books, don’t force yourself to read romance novels just because you set reading goals to read romance novels. Reading what you love will keep you motivated to keep reading. - Create a reading checklist: If you’re reading a variety of books rather than just one genre, you might want to create a reading checklist. For example, if you’re trying to read romance novels, a good reading checklist would be to read romance novels set in various time periods and genres. This can help you stay accountable to your reading goals and prevent you from reading the same book over and over again. - Find a reading buddy: You can also set reading goals with friends and find a reading buddy. You can set reading goals with friends in an online forum, on social media or in an online journal, such as Reading Journal.
Benefits of setting reading goals
Now that you’ve set reading goals, you’re probably wondering what the benefits of reading more are. The truth is that there are so many benefits to reading, and you might discover even more benefits as you progress throughout the year. Here are some of the most common benefits that come from setting reading goals and reading more: - Improved reading and comprehension skills: Reading more often can help you improve your reading and comprehension skills. This can help you in many different areas of your life, such as improving your grades in school, doing better at work and improving your communication skills. - Improved vocabulary: Reading more often can also help you expand your vocabulary and learn new words. This is especially helpful if you’re studying a language or just want to talk to people with different backgrounds. - Developed attention span: Another benefit of reading more often is that it can help you develop an attention span. This can help you pay attention longer and do better in just about every aspect of your life. - Reduced stress and anxiety: Reading is also known to reduce stress and anxiety. This can help you relax and unwind after a long day of work or school. It can also help you sleep better at night. - New knowledge and perspectives: Reading can also help you learn new things and develop new perspectives. This can help you become more empathetic and see the world in a new light. - New hobbies: Finally, reading more can help you discover new hobbies and interests. It can also help you discover new authors and books that you love to read.
Challenges of setting reading goals
While setting reading goals can help you read more often, you may also face some challenges along the way. Reading more often can be a challenge for many different reasons, such as: - Not knowing what to read: If you don’t know what to read, you may avoid reading more often. To overcome this challenge, you can set reading goals and choose the right books for your reading goals. - Lack of time: If you don’t have enough time to read more often, you can try to set realistic reading goals. - No motivation: If you don’t have any motivation to read more often, you can try some of the strategies listed above to stay motivated to read more.
