The No Goal Approach to Reading More Books

I have been reading a lot more goal posts from bloggers recently, and I’ve noticed a trend. It’s popped up in the last couple years, but it seems to make most goal and resolution lists that I have read.

Read more.

Noble, yes?

I think so. I love to read. I am a reader from a family of readers hoping to raise readers.  The only way to do that is to read more, obviously.

After I had kids, I went through a season where I could barely remember to brush my teeth, let alone conquer some reading list. But as the fog cleared, I realized how much I missed and craved that outlet.

So I started reading again. I devoured fiction like it was candy. Specifically what I call junk mysteries.  No substance, entertaining, easy to solve. These were my jam. I have no shame about it.

It was the season I was in. But in the last two years, I have begun to be ready to read more of what I call “smart books”. These aren’t necessarily hard or long or classic. They simply aren’t junk mystery fiction. I snatched them up with the book budget like a fiend.

Unfortunately, I didn’t really read many of them. I posted a huge stack, er two stacks, of books on instagram last year, and I probably only read a few of them.

Which, honestly, I’m ok with that. There are many things in life I can feel guilty about that maybe warrants it more, but reading that stack of books is not one of them. Please.

All of this brings me to this year.

I have a desire to read more than my indulgent fiction. I want to read for my mind (cause it needs the stretching!), for my heart, and for my enjoyment. I’m not ready to force myself to read books I don’t want to read just because someone says I should, or because it’s on a list of books I should read before I die.

I want to read for me.

Here is what I have found to be common when people talk about reading more.

“This year I am setting a goal to read X amount of books.”

“This year I am going to read X amount of books each month.”

“This year I am going to read X amount of these kind of books, and X amount of these kind of books, and X amount of these kind of books.”

That’s awesome. And I know this works for lots of people. But here at Made Frank, I’m taking a perhaps more loose approach. I feel like this is an area it would be easy to be unrealistic in and then feel bad about not following through. Which is a little silly. At least to me.

Option 2. My option for how to reading more books this year.

I’m just gonna read my dang books.

See this stack?

That’s the scaled down stack…not the whole lot of them.

I’m going to read them. Maybe not all of them. But I’m going to grab one and start reading. In fact I’ve read four already (plus 4 or so junk fiction) and started two more. I’ll prob mix up the “categories” as I go, but I don’t have set ones per month.

My No Goal Approach to Reading More Books

1. First, I’m putting all of the books I have available that I want to read in one place. For me, I already own them. Oops. You might not. Then maybe keep a running list. You can create a reading list on amazon or on a piece of paper. I have a list on Amazon and just add books to it when one pops up I’m interested in. Make a note in your phone. Whatever works for you. You see a book you want to read, add it to your list.

2. Then, I’m going to read them one at a time, in whatever order I want.

3. When I am done I’ll move that book out of the pile. Or mark it off your list. Something that shows progress. Right now, mine are in the second drawer of my nightstand. Which is a dresser by the way. I’m excited to see the books in the drawer diminish.

4. I’m only going to read a “junk” mystery if it’s sandwiched between two other “smart books”.

5. I’m not going to buy a book til I finish two. Yikes. This will be hard for me. Bret and I both are book collecting people. But I’m determined.

Sounds simple, right?

It should because that is my plan. Simple, uncomplicated. Forgiving. Is it a SMART goal? Most would say no, I’d say it’s smart enough. It’s reading afterall. Seriously, this is not an area you should compare or feel embarrassed about. That’s crazy!

So go ahead, get reading if you want. Guilt free. Soon, I’ll share the full list with links to the books in my “pile.” And please share what I should get after I finish the two I’m working on!