Set Your Reading Goals for the New Year

Reading is one of the best ways to manage and continue your own personal development. And when I say reading, I include audiobooks as well as reading articles and magazines. However, there is a tremendous amount of benefit that can come from specifically reading books on different subjects that can help you gain new perspectives in different areas.

Reading does not always have to be for learning. I state that as much as a reminder to myself as for any of you. You will no doubt see that my list of books read in 2019 below is heavily stacked to the side of ‘learning’ versus ‘fun.’ However, in my defense, many of the ‘business’ books I have read, I would also qualify as ‘general interest and fun,’ yet they are still considered non-fiction. I definitely agree that mixing in fictional reads is a good idea to find some balance in your reading habits.

Listening or reading

I am an audiobook person. It is much easier for me to listen to books than to physically read them. It also allows me to consume reading materials in different places. I find audiobooks much easier to manage for travel purposes (I can have any number of books with me and yet none of the weight or space considerations.) I also listen to books in the car more than any place when looking at it across the entire year. I have about a 30-minute commute each way to work, five-days each week. I use that time almost exclusively for podcasts and audiobooks. Across the course of a year, that is a lot of time that I can dedicate to listening and learning.

It started with an Audible subscription

About five years ago, I subscribed to Audible (from Amazon) for a monthly audiobook. Since that time, I have read/listened to at least twelve books each year. That was easily ten more each year than I had read in the previous five years. I think this is one of the best ways to set yourself up to read more each year. There is a little bit of obligation that goes with having that subscription and knowing that you are paying for a book per month (essentially).

Have a plan

All of that said, you do still need some type of plan for how you will build your reading goals. I have stayed fairly steady, and I am planning to set a goal of fifteen books read in 2020, with at least three of them ‘fun’ or fiction books. Your time constraints and your options for reading or listening may influence your goals. Setting aside specific time for reading is the first step in moving towards having a goal you can achieve. Using time in your car, even if it is only fifteen minutes each day, is a good starting place. If you travel by train or bus, those are also excellent options for either reading or listening to books. Or make time each morning or evening to dedicate to reading.

One change I plan to make for 2020 is to dedicate at least 20 minutes three nights per week to reading just before bed. My hope is two-fold: add some additional reading time, and eliminate some time that is being spent on a device viewing something. Since I listen to books, I will still need to use my iPhone to start the book. But I can be intentional about how I go about that and avoid looking at other things. I can build this into my nightly ‘shut down routine’ and believe it will help me transition quicker into being ready for sleep.

Whether you like reading or listening to books, they are a great way to learn new things, gain fresh ideas, or perspectives, but also for an escape from the everyday world. I think one other thing to keep in mind when reading books, especially for business, is that you do not need to put everything you read into action. I have read many books, where regardless of the data or research they provided, I didn’t believe that it was possible to do. There is always an element of critical thinking that goes into reading, and honestly, that is where some of the best learning can come from.

Take a few minutes before the end of the year and write a reading goal for yourself. Start with an appropriate level of challenge based on your current reading habits and build from there. I have shared the books I read in 2019 as a potential starting point for ideas of some books you might read in the coming year. Happy reading.

What books are on your list for 2020?

2019 Reading List

Here is what I read in 2019 in case you would like to check out any of these.

The Infinite Game

Simon Sinek

Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader's Guide to the Real World

Marcus Buckingham, Ashley Goodall

This Is Day One

Drew Dudley

How the Mighty Fall: And Why Some Companies Never Give In

Jim Collins

Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World

Cal Newport

Every Tool's a Hammer: Lessons from a Lifetime of Making

Adam Savage

Free to Focus: A Total Productivity System to Achieve More by Doing Less

Michael Hyatt

Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

Robert B. Cialdini

The Litigators

John Grisham

Rising Strong: How the Ability to Reset Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead

Brené Brown

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones

James Clear

Make Your Bed: Little Things That Can Change Your Life...and Maybe the World

William H. McRaven

Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts.

Brené Brown

Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done

Jon Acuff

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