Book blogger or avid reader, most of us have a reading goal throughout the year. Whether that's the Goodreads Goal (follow my progress), that ever-growing TBR for this year or a readathon, it's always an amazing feeling once we've reached it!
*Cough* Speaking of readathons... have I mentioned I'm taking part in A-Spec August? No? Ah, well now you know! *Cough*
Here's some of my top tips for hitting your reading goals:
Only read the books that you'll enjoy
Okay.. so we've all fallen down that trap! As my fellow book bloggers and bookish peeps all know, sometimes we can lean more towards a book because it's relevant or important to our blog content, such as reading orange-coloured books in October and Christmassy books in December. Which is great n' all, but sometimes it can feel a little forced and therefore you may not enjoy it as much. When selecting the books for your TBR, make sure you really want to read it and aren't just adding it to that growing pile for the sake of it.
Or, perhaps you're a mood reader? Meaning that you choose your next read depending on how you're feeling at the time. Admittedly, I'm a bit of both. However you choose your next read, ensure that you like the sound of it!
DNF?
For those of you don't know, DNF means 'Did Not Finish'.
Leading on from my previous point, if you're not enjoying a book or discover it's not for you, don't be afraid to DNF. I've talked about this before in a previous post, but it's still just as important. There's no point reading valuable reading time on one book, when there's an unmeasurable amount of other fictional journeys to explore.
Set Aside Time to Read
Us book bloggers, we're busy folk! While much of our time is spent 'Behind the Scenes' on marketing, graphic designing and planning, we also need to read and review books too! Makes me tired just thinking about it... especially if you're a full-time worker too. It can help to set aside specific 'Reading Time' whether that's early in the morning or late into the evenings (I'm deffo an evening girl, with a cup of hot choc for good measure!), scheduling in some quiet reading time can help.
Mini Targets
Everyone has different speeds and methods towards reading, whether you're a fast or slow reader, mood reader or plough-on-despite-hating-the-book reader, then it can help to set yourself mini-targets - alongside the bigger reading target. Maybe you can challenge yourself to read a minimum of 100 pages a day? Maybe more, maybe less? Whatever works for you.
Remove Distractions
I'm not made of money. I'm not a blogger that can afford many physical books (and can only dream of a beaut hardback collection), so I actually tend to buy far more e-books than physical books. Yet, with this, it means that I often read them using my phone - so naturally, my reading is accompanied by the little 'Ping' of the notification bell now and again. If you're like me, and use your phone or device to read, it can really help to switch off your notifications and switch on 'Do Not Disturb' for some quiet time.
Similarly, if you're more of a physical reader, it can help to move your phone away from you completely. By moving your phone out of reach, you're less likely to check the latest notifications on Twitter and focus more on your fictional adventures.
The Bigger Picture
It's important to remember, that despite all of this, you don't actually have to complete your reading goal. There, I said it.
But really - it's not the end of the world if you don't meet your target. Lower your reading goals and forget expectations. I hope my readers understand that I don't publish content every Monday and Friday (although these are my aims) as sometimes, it's simply not possible. If it's causing you stress and you feel that you're reading due to pressures rather than enjoyment, then it is really worth it? Take a break, slow down and move on.
What are your top tips for smashing your reading goal? Comment down below!
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Take care and stay safe,
Sophie x
Hi Stephanie,
Yes, I'm the same! I always used to feel guilty about DNF-ing a book, but now I'm less so.
Thanks for your comment, Sophie x
I used to never DNF a book but I've become better at it in the last few years or so.
https://bookfever11.com/