—A brutally honest guide for readers who keep lying to themselves. (It’s me. I’m the reader lying to myself.)
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Let’s talk about reading goals.
Not the cute, aspirational kind you set on January 1st.
The ones you abandon by February and then side-eye all year like they personally betrayed you.
If your yearly goal looks like “100 books” but your actual schedule looks like “work, doomscrolling, and emotional exhaustion,” babe—we need to recalibrate.
This post is here to help you set realistic reading goals and, more importantly, finish more books without turning reading into a chore.
🚨 Step One: Stop Romanticizing Your Free Time
Be honest. Painfully honest.
Ask yourself:
- How much do I actually read in a normal week?
- How often do I finish books vs. start them?
- Am I a binge reader or a “one chapter before bed” reader?
If you finished 25 books last year, setting a goal of 120 is ✨delusion✨, not motivation.
📌 Rule of Thumb:
Take last year’s total and add 5–15 books max.
That’s growth. Not self-sabotage.
🎯 Step Two: Set a Goal That Fits Your Reading Style
Not everyone reads the same—and your goal should match your habits.
If you’re a binge reader:
Set monthly goals instead of yearly ones.
“2–4 books a month” feels way less scary than “48 books a year.”
If you’re a mood reader:
Ditch rigid numbers and track pages or hours instead.
Consistency > pressure.
If you’re a chaotic reader:
Have multiple books going at once—different formats count (ebook, audio, physical).
Yes, this is permission.
📉 Step Three: Lower the Bar (On Purpose)
Here’s the secret no one tells you:
Lower goals get finished.
High goals get abandoned.
Hitting your goal feels good. Missing it feels like failure, even if you read a TON.
Set a goal you’re 100% confident you can hit, then quietly exceed it like the legend you are.
🚫 Step Four: Stop Forcing Yourself to Finish Books You Hate
This is a PSA.
You do not get a medal for suffering through a boring book.
DNF it. Release it back into the wild. Free yourself! Check out my post on how to DNF like a pro because books you hate:
- Kill your momentum
- Stall your progress
- Make reading feel like homework
Finishing more books starts with quitting the wrong ones.
📖 Step Five: Make Finishing Easy
Want to finish more books? Stack the deck in your favor.
Try this:
- Read shorter books between epics
- Mix in audiobooks during chores or commutes
- Keep a “currently reading” pile of 1–3 books max
- Always have a comfort genre on standby
Momentum is magic.
🔁 Step Six: Track Progress—But Don’t Obsess
Tracking helps. Obsessing does not.
Use Goodreads, StoryGraph, a notes app, or a literal notebook. (yes, people still use them)
But remember: numbers are data, not judgment.
If you read fewer books one month?
Cool. You still read.
📚Relationship Goals (With Books)
Reading goals should make you excited, not stressed.
They should pull you toward books—not push you away from them.
So set realistic reading goals that fit your life, protect your joy, and leave room for mood swings, slumps, and surprise five-star reads.
You don’t need to read more books.
You just need to read better, smarter, and kinder to yourself.
📌Building your TBR? Pin this post and come back anytime you need bookish inspiration. ✨
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