Discussion: Why I Lowered My Goodreads Reading Challenge Goal

100 books. That was my original goal at the beginning of this year. I hadn’t really been invested in my Goodreads account until last year, after I returned from Ireland and began to read avidly once more. I read so many books last August that my blog turned into a book blog and I began to leave reviews on Goodreads.

Because the year wasn’t over, I decided to join the Goodreads Reading challenge and set a goal of 50 books to read, starting September. I ended up reading 66!

If I could do that in 4 months, think of what I could do in 12, I thought to myself. So, this January I joined the challenge again, but this time, 100 books was the goal. Easy peasy, right?

Not so much.

Class. Work. Internship. Homework. Community service. Social outings. Friends. Errands. Dance rehearsals. Sorority events. Fundraisers. Date nights with myself.

The result:

I got busy, and the free time I could dedicate to hardcore reading turned more into free time I could use to take a nap, to watch Netflix, to catch up with friends, to blog, and to read when I was in the mood (which wasn’t very often, actually).

My goal of 100 books was looking pretty abysmal. I was sure it wasn’t going to happen. I pushed myself to try to read more but the more I tried to force myself, the more I remembered how many books I needed to read to stay on track which only added more stress.

I was still reading, but mostly just the hyped-up books of the present month. Meaning, by the time I finished school and summer rolled around, I was a good 9-10 books behind schedule.

I didn’t want to zoom through a mountain of books just to reach a number. So, I did the next best thing and lowered my goal to 60 books. Turns out it was one of the best decisions I’ve made. Here’s why:

Caters to Limited Reading Availability

I was too busy to do a lot of reading while in school, and honestly, I am still too busy to do a lot of reading. I don’t have hours upon hours to read anymore. I have some time while on the train every other day to read and some time during the evening, but I occasionally use this free time to listen to music or to watch TV. Reading isn’t as frequent as it used to be just this past year for me. A huge reading goal just doesn’t make sense to me anymore. And frankly, I probably wouldn’t have the motivation or energy to complete it. A smaller goal is now the best fit for my lifestyle.

Reading once in a while, at least once a week, is an achievable task. Which leads into the next advantage…

Reduced Stress

By lowering my goal, I’m not constantly reminding myself of the exceedingly large number of books I would need to read within a week, within a month, to meet my 100+ goal. I don’t have to nag myself to pick up a book even though I’m not really in the mood to do so. I’m a voracious reader, so I will read regardless of the limited amount of time I have. But forcing myself to read when I don’t want to, only to meet a huge goal, is something dreadful and ridiculously stressful.

A smaller goal, like 50-60 books, is an easy amount for me to read within a year. No matter how packed my schedule is, I can at least read one book within a week, and make that little reading goal happen, no problem.

Room to Enjoy

A smaller reading goal encourages me to slow down and contemplate my reading experience. I can take the time to really read a book and to record my favorite quotes, to reread some sections, and to just evaluate how much I liked or disliked the book I spent some days reading. I don’t have to rush to move on to the next book and instead, I can take a few days to mull over a story without feeling pressured, leading on to my next point…

More Time to Review

While I haven’t exactly been on top of my reviews lately, theoretically speaking, a smaller reading goal allows me more time to think over a story, which in turn, helps me to develop a more in-depth, comprehensive review! This isn’t to say that my reviews from before – when I was reading 2-3 books a week – weren’t well written. They were, but I’m much happier with the reviews that I write now because I’ve given myself enough time to process, analyze, and pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of the books that I pick up (all in my own opinion, of course).

I don’t have to write a review immediatlely after concluding a book, although, allowing 2-7 days to pass after reading a book is a comfortable length of time to think things over and write an insightful review. That being said, I should probably stop waiting months to write a review……………………

Pleasant Surprises and Motivators

Yes, if you set a 100+ reading goal, you clearly have some motivation to read multiple books throughout the year. A smaller goal, however, works just the same. As before, I’m very motivated to reach my goal of 60 books. I don’t want to stop reading, no matter how busy my schedule turns out to be. And because I try to take whatever opportunity I can to read, I usually read more than anticipated. And seeing that I’m ahead of schedule is a winning feeling.

Seeing that I’m ahead of the game either motivates me to read more and reset my goal to a higher number or it encourages me to slow down and take a week or two from reading to watch TV, draw, volunteer, blog/blog-hop, bake, and just do other things outside of the reading world.

Discussion:

• What’s your Goodreads goal? Are you close to reaching it? And if not, what are your plans?
• Have you ever lowered your goal? Why? And how has it worked out for you?
• Are you any less of a reader for not setting a huge reading goal?
• What are some other advantages you see in having a smaller reading goal?
• What’s the largest and smallest reading goal you’ve set for yourself?

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I’d love to hear your guys’ thoughts on this! As always, thanks for stopping by you guys and I’ll see you soon! ❤

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