For some, 24 books is nothing.  For me and my busy schedule, it feels like a lot.

At first glance, thinking of reading that many books seems impossible.  The thought of the goal, and the inevitable failure to reach it, pretty much used to demotivate me from even starting.  So how do you overcome the first hurdle?

Simplify the goal.

24 books seems daunting.  But if it’s broken up by month, it’s only two books per month.  That doesn’t seem as difficult.  But if you’re like me, it still sounds unrealistic with a busy schedule.

So let’s break it down one more level.

How much would you have to read to accomplish the goal of reading 24 books in a year?  Let’s say that the average book is about 10-12 chapters, give or take a few.  If you read one chapter per day, you’ll finish 30 chapters in a month, which is about 2-3 books, depending on the size. Two books per month times 12 months in a year equals 24 books.

I don’t know about you, but the goal of reading one chapter a day seems pretty doable (especially if you utilize toilet time), ;).  And then if you read more than one chapter, you exceeded your goal.

This has helped me reach my book reading goals in years past.  What do you think? Could it work for you?

Image courtesy of “George Eastman House” | Flickr.com

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4 Comments

  1. Kyle VK January 8, 2013 at 5:02 PM

    Toilet time… nice. And. How was it for being disciplined to read everyday? Did you have many “make-up” days?

  2. Josh Christophersen January 8, 2013 at 5:03 PM

    Make up days usually aren’t necessary because there are extra days in a month and when reading a really good book you naturally want to read more than one chapter.