It’s about that time of year when everyone sets their Goodreads goal. For the second year in a row I am going to pass on that opportunity. Not because I don’t find it encouraging, interesting, and love a good challenge. I am not setting a reading goal in 2020 for one main reason along with a few reading quests and self challenges.
My main reason for not setting a number goal is that I want to be more intentional with my reading. Reading for quality and not quantity is at the top of my priority list. In 2017 I felt obligated to read hundreds of books, especially if one was kindly sent to me from a publisher. I also agreed to read and review basically anything and everything when the opportunity presented itself. While I am extremely grateful for those opportunities, something has to give and things have to be lowered on my priority list. Being more intentional about my reading helps sharpen my mind, feel less pressure, and relax at the same time. This way, I can really take time out of my busy day knowing that I will be able to chill out, read for pleasure, and not constantly keep making a to-do list in the back of my head.
I went into 2018 promising myself that I would ONLY read books that were of interest to me and not be pressured into what social media norms were telling me. Sticking with this theory really helped at times. I found myself picking older books that weren’t necessarily the most popular or newest release. I find that this theory generally makes me happy! I want to savor every word read. I get that I’m not going to enjoy every single book I read, but my intentions will be for the absolute best. I will continue to work with amazing partners in 2020, just with a different mindset and better intent.
Another idea I had, instead of making a reading goal, was to start some type of “Un-Read Shelf” project. I have bought and been gifted SO many amazing books over the years. I want to spend more time reading books that I already own. This also helps me appreciate what I already own and weed out the several dozen quality books that sit on my shelves collecting dust. I am going to spread the book wealth in 2020. I am going to continuously recommend and gift books to friends and family members. I want to pay it forward, in a bookish kind of way, since so many publishing companies do the same for me!
What a year of fabulous reading to look forward to. My brain is much more calm and I can’t wait for my intentional reading to blossom. I have already started a few books, just in the past week, and I can’t wait to write reviews and share them with others. If you’ve ever felt similar and pressured to read a certain number of books, just know you’re not alone. I’m not saying every person setting a reading goal is wrong. I am simply trying to reiterate that this project just isn’t for me; and thats okay!
Happy 2020 Reading, Bookworms!
