Reading has changed my life, and it can be you next. Each year, 500,000 to 1 million new books are published, and this does not include self-published authors. However, not all books are created equal. So we should only read the books that are worth our time because they can shift our perspective and how we live for good.
With only 24 hours a day and a life span of 80 years, we cannot experience lives as we wish. But reading gives us the door to peek into other possibilities of living and grants us shortcuts to our destination.
If I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants.
– Isaac Newton
When we finish reading and put down a good book, we become a different and better person.
Now that you know the benefits of reading, let’s continue with the 8 reading goals for adults that you can start today, along with the tips to help you stay consistent with reading.
8 Reading Goals for Adults
Reading goals are perfect to help you build a reading habit because we don’t like a broken streak! However, it shouldn’t be too rigid that you feel forced by it, leading to you giving up prematurely.
Here are 8 reading goals that are intended to help you experience and maximize reading’s benefits with the least reading time. At the end of the day, the goal is to make you fall in love with reading, not loathe it.
30 to 60 minutes of reading every day
Unlike goals of X books per year or X chapters per day, the most efficient way of making reading habits stick is by allocating time for reading every day. If you have the time to scroll your phone during your commute or before sleep, you cannot say that you don’t have time to read.
Bill Gates is a huge advocate of reading. He even shared tips on reading books, including blocking out 1 hour per day to read. Personally, I agree with this because my reading habit only got into shape when I started reading during my commute which was about 45 minutes a day.
I have tried reading in the gap of 5-10 minutes within daily activities. Unfortunately, what I read in those stints didn’t stay as my mind was switching around items. So now I would just bookmark if I see something interesting online and read it when I have enough time.
1 hour might be too much for some of you if you are just getting started. You can always try out 30 minutes of reading before your bedtime. It’s good to help you unwind as well.
Read what your role models read
We all have role models, don’t we? I don’t promote blind idolization but it is good to have someone we look up to because we can learn and mimic their good characters and personalities to improve ourselves.
Harry S. Truman once said, “Not all readers are leaders, but all leaders are readers”. The truth is most of our role models read because books provide the ingredients for their great speeches, ideas, and achievements.
So, go through the books that your role models recommend and start reading today! This not only helps you peak into their thought process but it is also an efficient way to quickly narrow down books that you are interested in reading.
Read to learn new knowledge or perspective every week
It doesn’t have to be self-help books for you to gain golden nuggets from reading. If you have been reading the same type of books, try out a new genre or a new author.
As long as it is a piece of quality work, you can learn to see life from a different lens through the main character in a novel, or the unusual path a person took to achieve great stuff through a biography book.
Read to solve a problem every month
Nothing is more pressing than having a problem to solve. I bet there is a laundry list of issues and problems we face every day, so why not turn the headache into a catalyst for us to read more?
List down the problem that you want to solve for this month, then go through recommendations online to pick a book(s) that you think can give you ideas on how to solve your problem. Make it a monthly reading goal, and voila! You don’t just read, and acquire new knowledge, you also apply it in real life.
Killing three birds with one stone? Yes, you are now a productivity master!
Here are some of the problems I faced and the books that helped provide solutions:
- How to build an online writing business: The Art and Business of Online Writing by Nicholas Cole
- How to start investing: Girls That Invest by Simran Kaur
- How to implement cycle syncing: In the FLO: Unlock Your Hormonal Advantage and Revolutionize Your Life Paperback by Alisa Vitti
- How to manifest like a badass: Manifest: 7 Steps to Living Your Best Life by Roxie Nafousi (my book notes here)
- How to apply stoicism in my life: The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman
If you want to buy these books, you are most welcome to use my link. If it’s not for you, no pressure, no need to buy!
5 favorite quotes or excerpts from a book
This is another way to make reading goals fun, turning it into a scavenger hunt of quotes or excerpts. Remember those quotes that we cannot help but nod our heads to or give us chills because of the eureka moments. Our goal is to find those quotes or excerpts.
Sometimes we find a lot of them, then we will have to narrow it down. Through the selection process, you are likely to understand the core messages of the books, thus making you better than the average reader.
Make book notes
This is my absolute favorite although it means more work than just reading. You would have to synthesize and put the notes down through writing. But don’t let it stop you, because you can start with simple notes. You can pen it down on a paper notebook or type it in Notion app, whichever medium you like. It can be a list, mindmap, or paragraphs.
I like ebooks for this reason because I can highlight and leave notes easily. Unlike paper books, I can quickly search for my highlights and notes via the Kindle app.
Share book notes in public
After creating book notes, you can share them online, with your friends or family. This is a great reading goal because it pushes you to be an efficient content consumer and creator.
When you know that you have to share your book reviews and notes in public, you are intentional about what books you are reading. While reading, you are scanning for the theme and message of the book, and you make notes of what is worthy to share. Then when you are writing, you might reread the paragraphs you highlighted and this further retains the book’s essence in your memory.
So, don’t be afraid of sharing book notes, nobody cares except those who are truly interested in getting the book. I love reading book notes as it prevents me from reading mediocre books. Here are my book notes if you need some inspiration or courage to begin sharing in public.
Reread one book each quarter
You are never the same as you were the day before. We are constantly evolving. It can be a lot to take in when we first read a book. But with added life experiences when we reread it, we can understand the concepts that the author trying to deliver and the nuances between texts. Suddenly, it is like a new book.
“A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon, and by moonlight.”
― Robertson Davies
When you find yourself enjoying rereading a book, you know it is a gem that is worth your time visiting it again and again.
It’s time to get started: How to build a reading habit
Great! Now that you have a reading goal in mind, let’s dive into ways to help you build a reading habit. This is how I managed to read every day, so buckle up and let’s go!
Don’t read books that you are not excited about
Just because you think you should, doesn’t mean you have to. Reading a 200-page book is a commitment and we don’t want to commit to something if we can’t stick around.
Why did you choose to play with friends rather than study at school when you were young? Because it is fun right? So to make reading fun, you should only read books that excite you.
Ideally, you should resonate well with the book introduction and the reviews that you know you wouldn’t be able to put down if you were to start reading.
Set a daily reading reminder
There’s a lot to do throughout the day, so it is important to time block for reading daily.
You can use Google Calendar to remind you or habit-tracking apps like Habit, Productive, Streaks, and Habitify.
Build your favorite reading routine
This practice is part of making reading fun. There are a lot of aspects you can customize in terms of your reading routine and below are some inspirations for you.
Paper books vs. ebooks. If you are reading ebooks, do you read using a Kindle, iPad, or your phone?
Read in silence or listen to music or white noise (I love listening to classical music when I read)?
Read in the morning or before sleep?
Highlight and make notes or do you prefer your book clean?
Read indoors or outdoors?
If you like having a cozy ambiance, maybe light up a candle when you read.
There’s no right or wrong, as long as you enjoy reading.
Stack it with an existing habit
If you already have an existing good habit, great! You’re one step ahead of others in building a reading habit because you can stack them together. If you don’t have an existing good habit to pair it with, consider how I built my daily meditation habit by leveraging on other simpler habits.
6 months ago I was a night owl but I wanted to meditate in the morning. So what I did first is create a small win to help me wake up early, which is making my bed. It’s an easy 3 steps in which I fluff my pillows, lift my comforter, and lay it flat. It sends a signal to my brain that yay I did one thing great this morning, let’s conquer the next one.
Then I will drink a glass of salt water to help my body start its engine, and I get to meditate for 5-15 minutes afterward. Since then, I have been meditating almost daily except for the days I feel sick.
As you can see, it is very doable. You just have to find that easy-peasy good habit to stack it with if you think reading is too hard.
Keep a reading journal
If you have been following me for some time, you know I cannot stress enough about the benefits of journaling or writing. When you are scribbling or creating a mind map in your reading journal, it helps you connect the points in your mind, so that you can see the message, idea, or the bigger picture clearer. You can remember the wisdom from the book for a longer time as well.
It tracks your progress in reading so that you know how much time you have spent on it, whether is it too little or too much. In the end, it makes you question if this book is worth your time. If you find yourself scratching your head hard yet nothing much you can write about the book you’re reading, the answer is no.
Remember, read only books that inspire us to make notes, our time is precious!
The advice to my younger self: read and learn more
To recap, here are the 8 reading goals for adults that you can try today:
- 30 to 60 minutes of reading every day
- Read what your role models read
- Read to learn new knowledge or perspective every week
- Read to solve a problem every month
- 5 favorite quotes or excerpts from a book
- Make book notes
- Share book notes in public
- Reread one book each quarter
To build a habit of reading daily, I swear by these 5 practices:
- Don’t read books that you are not excited about
- Set a daily reading reminder
- Build your favorite reading routine
- Stack it with an existing habit
- Keep a reading journal
You can also join a book club if you enjoy having the accountability check and sharing your learning with others. I don’t because I think my time is better spent in reading more books and sharing my book notes with others online.
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
– Chinese Proverb
You cannot change yesterday but you can change tomorrow by deciding how you are going to live today.
Pick a great book and happy reading!
Like this post? Share it on Pinterest – thank you!
Disclaimer: Some links contain affiliate links. Should you decide to purchase through these links, a small commission is earned, without any added cost to you. This support is what fuels our blog, allowing us to continue sharing genuine content that we hope enriches your life.
