It’s the beginning of a brand new year. You’ve been thinking a lot about what you want to accomplish including your reading goal for this year and how you can make it better than previous years.

One of the most important goals you can set is your reading goal, and if you’ve landed on BookMattic, then you’ve come to the right place to find out how to beat your 2018 reading goal.

 

I don’t know about for you, but last year I beat my reading goal by 7 books. I originally set my goal at 18 books and ended up reading 25. For some, that might be low, for others, it’s a lot. Well, this year I’m stepping up my game and will be reading up to 36 books. Hopefully more. Do you want to know how I’m going to do this?

In this post, I’ll be showing you the 7 habits I make so you can apply them to beat your 2018 reading goal.

Reading Goal #1: Set an exact time for reading every day.

For those of you that don’t have a lot of time in your day, which is probably most of you, whether it’s school or work, you probably find it hard to even fit 15 minutes in for reading let alone 30. I find it hard too, but I still do it faithfully. Sometimes I even take my break time to read for 15 minutes. So think about your busy schedule and commit time, no matter how much, to fulfill your quota.

 

Schedules

Some people find schedules to be helpful, for others not so much but for me, it’s not so much about the schedule as it is for the amount of time.

Every day my schedule is a bit different but I always manage to read at least 30 minutes even if it’s split up into 10 minutes here and 20 minutes there. 30 minutes isn’t a whole lot, but it adds up every day. By the end of the month, you’ll have read for 14 hours if you stay consistent to reading 30 minutes a day. You could probably read at least two books in that amount of time.

Also, if I find that I have some unexpected spare time, I usually take it to read. You should do everything you can to beat your 2018 reading goal.

But before moving on to the next tip, I’d like to advise you not to rush through the books you read especially if it’s a nonfiction, self-help, or business book. Those books were written to help improve your life, so treat them with respect by savoring the information given to you and soak it into your brain. Best yet, make what you read part of your life.

Reading Goal #2: Read what you’ve always enjoyed but explore new genres and authors you might grow to love later.

I usually find a genre or an author that I love then go out and buy a few of their books. There’s nothing better than finding an author that writes exactly in the style you love. I will eat those books up, apply what I’ve learned in my own life, then move onto the next.

But in order to not get bored with the same stuff over and over, I will space each book I read with a book from a different author or genre I’ve never read so that I can always be engaged in the reading experience and learn about the thousands of authors out there. I can always go back and pick out the ones I like the most in the future.

This will keep your mind fresh and broaden your taste in reading materials.

Here’s an example of this from my own experience:

 

Before 2015 I had never read a nonfiction, business book or anything other than science fiction. It was starting to get boring reading the same type of story over and over.

So when my friend I was living with at the time in Surabaya Indonesia moved back to the US, I got tons of books he couldn’t take back. Most of the books he gave me were fiction or nonfiction. I thought I didn’t really care for the genres he gave me at the time but I decided to pick one up anyway after a few months of them sitting in my closet. It was called ‘The Places In Between’ by Rory Stewart’ and it was one of the books that changed my whole perspective on what kind of books I love reading.

 

All of you reading this right now should consider starting a new habit of reading books outside your comfort zone so you can enjoy the wide variety of writing styles and gain more knowledge at the same time.

Reading Goal #3: Read more than one book at a time.

Usually, people only read 1 or 2 books at a time. Now for me, I personally usually read 4 books at a time. That might seem crazy to you but it works for me. Here’s how.

Main Book 1 (business)

I read this book just as much as main book 2 since it’s a different genre it doesn’t confuse me or detract from the material of either book. I always make sure I’m reading something that will help me with gaining knowledge in my niche. It is very important to study, highlight and dog-ear the pages to help make the content of the book part of my life. I read this book every day.

 

Main Book 2 (non-fiction)

I mainly read this book to gain knowledge about a topic that I’m not too familiar with or a topic I want to improve on. In this category, I’ll also include biographies or diaries of real people. I’ll read this book almost every day.

Secondary book 1 (fiction, science fiction or fantasy)

At BookMattic, I’m mainly about business and self-help books, but I still see value in expanding my imagination with a good science fiction book and occasionally a fiction book. This is a book I will read 2-3 times a week.

Secondary book 2 (older than 10 years from current date fiction, science fiction or fantasy)

This is a book I only read about 1-2 times a week.

 

Many of you may disagree with this way of reading but keep in mind that everyone’s brain works differently. If you’re having trouble reaching your reading goals for the year then you might as well try this habit. Who knows, you might like it.

If the habit doesn’t work for you then just scratch it and focus on what really works for you to increase your speed of reading and intake of knowledge.

Reading Goal #4: If you’ve got spare time use it to read.

It’s rare that we ever have a large block of time that we can read nonstop without being interrupted by someone or something. Wouldn’t it be awesome if we could just have a whole day just for reading? Well, that would be paradise if you ask me, but I never get a whole day for reading.

But what I do do is any chance I get to read I’ll take it. For example, if my wife all the sudden wants to go shopping or needs to go to the salon there’s a chance for me to read while waiting for her to get done. For some others, you might have an extra 10 minutes at work. Pick your book up and read! Take your book everywhere. Use every chance possible to get ahead. You might even have a holiday coming up where you’ll have plenty of chance to read.

I covered this a little bit in habit 1, but I thought it would be a beneficial habit on its own for you to beat your reading goal for 2018.

Reading Goal #5: Keep track of your reading goal progress with Goodreads.

Goodreads is an amazing tool for any type of reader. You can keep track of all the books that you’re currently reading or want to read, get book suggestions and so on, but for habit 5 I want to talk specifically about keeping track of the progress in the book that you’re reading (If you use Kindle or any other type of e-reader then this habit isn’t as important since the device keeps track of the reading progress for you.)

Some may ask, why I should keep track of my progress online when I have a bookmark? For me, it’s about the visualization. When I track the page that I’m on it shows me the percentage of how far I am through the book and thereafter motivates me to read the rest of the book faster.

Give it a try at least for benefit of having a Goodreads account and if you never end up updating your progress you at least have tons more things you can use the social book platform for.

 

Reading Goal #6: Stay Focused, pick the best place, and follow your mood.

You should try to have as long of a time during the day or night where you can have complete focus on your reading for at least the main book. Get the most out of the time you spend reading since time is precious and you may not have a whole lot of reading time.

In order to have an ideal reading situation, you must also pick the ideal place. For me, I find it extremely difficult to read when just a few people around me are talking. It distracts me terribly and hampers my reading progress big time.

However, I love reading in coffee shops. The atmosphere seems ideal to me and helps me to get a lot out of what I read. The best place to read, in my opinion, is in a nice quiet and cozy woody-warm environment sitting on a cushy soft chair I can lean back in.

When referring to mood, what I mean is what kind of book you’re in the mood to read at the very moment in time you’re planning on reading. Sometimes I just don’t feel like reading a nonfiction book or business book. I want something thrilling and futuristic. That would be the perfect time for me to pick up my science fiction book.

It’s better to follow what you’re in the mood for because you’re bound to be able to read much more in one sitting and be that much closer to beating your 2018 reading goal if you’re reading something you’re fully engaged with.

Reading Goal #7: Know what’s next on your list.

Let this habit be the last one since it’s so important for an avid reader, especially one whose main aim in reading is to progress as an intelligent human being who will make impactful changes in this world.

I found that having an idea for the next book in your queue and even a few books in line for after that will help you a lot to stay on track to beat your 2018 reading goal.

The most important aspect in picking the next book in your queue is to check the value of the book and weigh it against your personal needs. Think about the specific things you lack in skill before you even pick the next book, that way you can search for the perfect book that fits your needs to improve the areas you lack in expertise.

Think about the time it takes to read a book. It takes a while, so you want to be sure you’re reading something that will give you the knowledge to make an impact. I know it’s cliche but I have to say it anyway, ‘Time is money.’ don’t waste it on things that don’t matter.

Definitely, take notes of the top books about your specific needs and make it a goal to buy those books and read through them before the end of the end of 2018.

 

Final Thoughts

This post is here to encourage you to work reading into your life with the highest impact. It usually takes 7-10 hours to finish a book depending on the size of it and your reading pace. That fact alone shows you how important it is to make the right choices about the reading materials you choose.

Since the outcome of reading every day is terribly beneficial to your well being and general happiness you must make the time to do it every day. You’ll be amazed at how much progress you’ll make towards beating your 2018 reading goal.

 

You’ve got a whole year to beat your reading goal. Use your time wisely. Share this post with every one of your friends who love reading and make sure to subscribe for more awesome posts.

 

Always remember to share what you’ve learned with the people you care most about.