Making 2017 reading goals

Now that we are experiencing a new year, it is time for a lot of us to make our goals. I have a lot of general goals for my life, but I also have a separate list of goals for my reading life. I have been making reading goals for several years now and although it is super nerdy, these goals have helped me direct my reading life in many different directions. Making the conscious decision to read a diverse set of books has opened my mind. It has also helped me discover many new favorite books. If you are thinking about making some goals for your 2017 reading life, here are my tips:

1. Only make a few.

If you're like me, reading is important, but not always the first priority. I have work, school, and socializing to do. Only after that am I able to focus on my reading. Because of this, I try to make my list of general life goals longer than my reading goals.

2. Be realistic.

One year, I made too many large goals and I wanted to read lots of large, dense books. Remember, there are only 365 days in a year, and you can only use a fraction of that time for reading. If you're unsure of what you're capable of in your reading, start very small and perhaps add some goals by the month. That way, you'll have a better picture of how much you can put into your reading on a daily basis.

3. Be diverse.

After watching the Ted Talk "My Year Reading a Book from Every Country in the World," I came to realize the importance of reading diversely. I believe it's important that we make an effort to purposefully read books by a variety of different people. For a very long time I was only reading books written by people very similar to me. Reading more diversely has helped me understand and empathize with other cultures. It has made me a more adventurous and curious person. Escaping into a world completely different from your own is both an uncomfortable experience and an eye-opening one.

4. Make it about fun and reading experience enhancement.

I try to structure my goals in a way that feeds my love of reading. Setting too many hefty or ambitious goals can turn you off to the thought of reading and put you in a reading slump. Remember, when you are reading, you are visiting new places and meeting new people! If your reading goals make your experience feel like a chore or boring business trip, make your goals lighter.

5. Use social media and/or spreadsheets.

Especially nerdy people may want to take their goals to the next level. I find it very satisfying to look back on the progress I've made over the past year. Last year, I read 25 books and I have it all on record on goodreads.com. I am planning on reading 40 books this year and tracking it again on goodreads. I also will be making a pie chart on Excel so I can see my reading statistics. I'll be tracking the amount of pages I read, how many countries I read from, and genres. In 2018, I may share these statistics with you guys.

It's now time for me to get back to my reading. Stay tuned - my next post will be a list of my actual reading goals! Happy reading.