What happens when you set a high Goodreads goal

In January of this year, life was much different to how it is right now. Back then, reading was my nightly ritual and ending my day without reading one or two books was unfathomable. So I set my Goodreads goal to 32 as I felt that was an attainable goal based on my reading speed (I consider myself a slow reader).

In 2019, my goal was 23 and I ended the year with 44 total books finished. So based on that, I felt like 32 was nothing for me to achieve. I went in with the attitude that I was going to hit that goal by mid-2020.

And then the pandemic hit. And then it started affecting people around me. People I knew of my whole life started passing away. Add in a number of other personal observations and it was clear that my mindset was shifting from what it was in January. My situation was changing and I was no longer reading every day.

This led to me falling behind on my Goodreads goal, and as a result, I went into each new book thinking about how quickly I could finish it; instead of going in to enjoy it. This is exactly the kind of mindset that kills the value of the reading experience.

I thought back to last year, when I’d reached my Goodreads goal halfway through 2019. For the remaining months I’d been able to read whatever I wanted at my own pace. And that was when I really fell in love with the act of reading again. That was exactly why I ended up reading 21 books over my goal. Because I got to enjoy the act of reading without the mindset of raising an insignificant number.

When you set your Goodreads goal too high, you’ll begin to select books based on length. You’ll try to speed through them instead of taking in the words. And you’ll feel disappointment every time your Goodreads tells you that you’re x amount of books behind schedule.

My Reading Goal for 2021

Whether I complete my 2020 goal or not, my plan for 2021 is to set my Goodreads goal to just 12 books for the whole year. That’s a book a month. And although I feel I can hit that goal easily, my real goal is to fall back in love with the reading experience without the subconscious nagging to fill that challenge meter. I want to read whatever I’m in the mood for at any given time. And I want to read multiple books at the same time if I feel like it; without the added pressure of finishing each one.

In this complicated time in history, it’s time to focus on what exactly makes reading so important. And that’s what I intend to do in 2021.

Please do share your thoughts on Goodreads goals. Let us know what your 2020 goal was and what your 2021 goal will be!

Why am I lowering my Goodreads goal?

I consider myself a slow reader. Although, if I’m trapped away in a small confined space with no distractions, then I can power through a book quite nicely. But most of the time, the pressure to finish a book as fast as possible —so that I can move onto the next one— becomes too much for me. At the end of 2017, I found myself not really enjoying the books I was reading as much, mainly because I was worrying about how long they were taking me.

In 2018, my new approach is to set a low goal that is easily attainable, and then watch myself surpass it. All while enjoying every book I read to its full potential. I’ve told myself that 2018 is the year to really enjoy reading again. I don’t want to be choosing books because of the page count, or because the story’s lack of density. I just want to read books and enjoy them.

This is not a knock on my friends who love setting the bar high though. Every time I go on Goodreads and see friends climbing to 50 – 100 books read in a year and I envy them. Unfortunately, I’m not about that life. At least not right now.

In 2017 I managed to read 32 books, with my goal being 30. But even with going over my goal, I found myself not enjoying books like Night Circus as much as I should because I knew I had to finish reading it by a certain date (to start the next Redital feature). I suppose running a book blog doesn’t help matters. But with my goal of 20, I’m sure the year of reading ahead of me will be far more enjoyable than before.

What are you setting your Goodreads goal to in 2018? Be sure to let us know in the comments!