How To Set Your Reading Goals For 2022

Reading is still in fashion in 2022. It does not really make any difference if you are reading a physical or digital book. Getting through a year with a lot of books finished in itself is a huge achievement. Even though several studies prove that an average person can only finish 12 books a year, some readers are devoted to their reading goals, even reaching up to more than 40 books. In the age of instant gratification and receding attention spans, reading a book might be a thing of the past. Yes, it is true that sites such as YouTube have lots of videos that can summarize the gist of the main points of a particular book, but it does not beat the experience of reading the book cover to cover. Here are several ways bibliophiles can get around their reading goals. 

Credits: IFY Bookstore

The first step in setting your reading goals is to set a time or schedule for reading a book. Nothing beats good time management. As aforementioned, our dependence on the Internet and will hinder us from achieving our reading goals. It is suggested that before going to bed, a person should be free from distractions brought on by the Internet.

The second step in setting your reading goals is to set smaller goals that will help you progress gradually on your reading journey. For example, reading one book at a time is recommended since finishing a fiction book in an episodic manner is the quickest way to finish the book. We all remember those all-nighters we pull off when we reach the climax and get to the conclusion or in the case of nonfiction books, the afternotes and other references to the topic covered. 

Image Credits: Writer's Relief

The third step in setting your reading goals is to use a reading tracker website or app. Book tracking websites and apps help a lot in keeping you on track on what you are reading. The most popular tracker used by bibliophiles is offered by GoodReads, but there are other viable options that offer other data or stats on your reading journey. Some of these websites may have monthly subscription fees, but if you find these trackers effective it is worth your money.

The fourth step is to sort your TBR(To Be Read) pile. Your TBR pile will be a chaotic amalgam of your reading backlogs and newly acquired titles if you keep on adding new titles without organizing them in the manner when you will read them. The most efficient way in organizing your TBR pile is to add or sort a 'maybe' piles of books you might have bought on impulse. In this way, you will determine the books that you think is more worthy of your time or books listed as essential or perennial reads. 

Image Credits: A Pen And Purpose or apenandpurpose.com

For the fifth step, keep a reading journal. Reading logs or journals can go hand in hand with reading tracker apps or websites in keeping you on a hook with your reading journey. Keeping a journal or diary can also help you retain the information of the books you have read, it will also keep some readers from putting highlights and notes in their books. If you're a freelance writer or a budding novelist, a reading journal since its contents will help you in getting new ideas for your works. 

So here are five steps to follow in setting your reading goals for 2022. I hope this list will be a huge help in your reading journey for another challenging year. Frank Zappa once said, ''So many books, so little time'' but with the right tools and mindset you can read so many books with just a little time that we have. 

By: Joen Rico M. Orde, IFY Bookstore