Reading goal
Also known as Reading challenge
A reading goal is a target you set for the year, usually a number of books, pages or minutes, and often tracked in an app.
Counting books per year became the norm once tracking apps added a progress bar, and it works for a lot of people. Seeing you’re four books ahead can be just the push you need on an evening you’d otherwise skip.
It has downsides, though. A book count rewards short books and punishes long ones, so by December people start avoiding the 900-page novel they actually want to read. It can turn a hobby into a scoreboard, and falling behind is a common cause of reading slumps. Some readers pad their count with novellas and picture books, which says a lot about what the number really measures.
You can get the motivation without the side effects. A page or minute goal is fairer to long books. A habit goal, like twenty minutes before bed, tracks what you do instead of how much you finish. And a variety goal, like trying new genres, formats or authors, changes what you read rather than how much.
Reading goal: common questions
What is a good yearly reading goal?
One you’d hit without changing your habits much. Most people do better starting a little below last year’s total and raising it later than aiming high and falling behind by March.
Do reading goals make you read less?
They can. A book count nudges you toward shorter books and makes falling behind feel like failing, which is a common cause of reading slumps. Page or minute goals avoid most of that.