I appreciate “The Unread Shelf Project” because as a “project” it can be carefully planned to accomplish a goal in mind, but it can be ongoing with loose ends and tons of room for improvement.
I say all this because my unread shelf is in shambles. I have no idea how many unread books I have (working on it) and I do not have a place for them all (working on it). When The Unread Shelf Project came across my Instagram feed in 2017 for 2018, I thought it was going to be manageable with my goals.
Last year’s goal to read 52 books fell flat, so it’s time to be realistic with myself. Here is my plan to tackle this project in 2019:
Find time to read a book every day
Teachers always make the argument that reading is everywhere – books, magazines, journals, articles, billboards, etc. It’s true and important, but if progress is to be made with my to be read (TBR) stacks, I need to be reading out of a book each day.
Realistic Goodreads Goal
Instead of setting a lofty goal on Goodreads, like 12, 24, 52, or 60, I’m going to set my goal at five books. When I come within reach of a book, the goal will be reset in a multiple of five. So when I hit four books, the goal will be reset to ten. Nine finished books, reset to fifteen And so on. Little bit of carrot and stick, but I’m thinking of it as setting small goals to accomplish larger ones.
Since starting to use Goodreads in 2011, here are my reading goal attempts:
- 2011 – 19 out of 20 – 95%
- 2012 – 33 out of 33 – 100%
- 2013 – 22 out of 25 – 88%
- 2014 – 18 out of 20 – 90%
- 2015 – 15 out of 25 – 60%
- 2016 – 16 out of 60 – 27%
- 2017 – 19 out of 60 – 32%
- 2018 – 9 out of 52 – 17%
We’ll see how 2019 goes…
Blog About Progress
I feel like being honest with myself throughout my reading process holds me accountable. It’s easy to not post when things aren’t going as planned, but if I blog about my status, books reads, an updated unread books count, etc. I feel like I will stay on track.
Running Book Totals (as of 01.20.19)
- Unread Books – 155
- Donated Books to Classroom Library – 3
- Books Read in 2019 – 1
What is your reading goal for 2018? What advice do you have for others when it comes to reading and reading goals?
Happy Reading!