5 Tips To Help You Achieve Your Reading Goals This Year

At the start of the year, I asked a few people what their New Year Resolutions were and reading more books was at the top of their list. Apparently, the desire to read more and read more frequently is something ingrained in many of us goal-setters.

Here are a few key tips to working towards increasing how much you read in 2017.

1. Set A Goal: Don’t just say you’re going to read more, set a specific goal for how much you want to read. For example, if you read 5 books last year, increasing to 8-10 would be a good goal.

2. Get A Reading List: Determine ahead of time exactly what books you plan to read. You can add or subtract from the list as time goes by but it helps to have a list of what you want to achieve.

3. Have A Reading Schedule: Create a schedule for reading the books you think are most important. Be specific about what you want to read and when, setting deadlines for finishing each book or even each chapter. These deadlines will help you stay accountable to your schedule.

4. Join Reading Challenges: I’ve seen a couple of them online like the 52 Books Challenge, in which you read one book a week (give or take) for the year. This comes with the bonus community of r/52book, where fellow readers can cheer each other on.

5. Carry Your Book(s) Everywhere: There’s always an opportunity to read. Maybe in the car or before a business meeting. Whenever you have a moment, you can bring out your book and read. This is also very possible if you like to read digital versions. I still prefer hard copy. 

What other methods can you employ to help achieve your reading goals this year?