One month of 2019 has elapsed and it’s time for me to check in on my progress with the Unread Shelf Project and my reading goals for 2019.
As I said my post announcing my participation in the Unread Shelf Project for 2019, blogging about my progress allows me to check in and hold myself accountable, so here goes!
Personal Goals
Find time to read a book every day
I did not find time to read a book every day in January.
I recently read a Medium post by Alex Allain, a software engineer, titled “Ten minutes a day.” He worked on writing a book for at least ten minutes a day, every day. He would also not check his personal email until he wrote or edited/revised his writing, etc.
Everyday this month, I am going to try and find the time to read for at least ten minutes. I’m not sure what habit loop I’m going to create alongside this, but there are plenty of possibilities.
Unread Shelf Project 2019 Challenges
#1 – Pick a Book and Read It. Don’t Finish It By the End, Get Rid of It
While I did not finish the book I selected – How I Resist – I’m not going to be getting rid of it. It has been an excellent resource so far that I am trying to figure out how to incorporate into my classroom and teaching.
#2 – No Buy, No Borrow All Month
This goal is unrealistic for undergraduate and graduate students. My final two graduate courses started on January 7 and I needed to buy two books for one of my courses. Other than those books, I did not buy or borrow any new books all month.
Note/Reflection: Not sure if these Unread Shelf Project challenges are going to prove worthwhile for me, but I’ll keep considering them moving forward.

January Book Totals & 2019 Book Totals
- Unread Books Count – 206
- Donated Books to Classroom Library – 4
- Unread – 3
- Read – 1
- Books Read – 1
How are your reading resolutions and goals going?
Happy Reading!