How I've Read 35 Books So Far This Year, and Plan to Read Over a 100!
My 2023 goal, to read 100 books. But I think I might read more!
As I write this it’s April 18th and I’ve read 35 books so far this year. I’ve read these books while raising a baby and two other kids, running a small business, and managing my home. So how have I done it?
It’s my personality.
Before I get into the actual details I feel like this should be addressed. Going after big goals like this, it’s just in my DNA. I am a ready-fire-aim kind of gal. I set my sights on something, and figure out how to do it along the way. It’s how I’ve run 5 marathons when I hadn’t run more than 5 miles before in my life. It’s how I’ve started and successfully run a business when I had never been self employed in my life. I just see something I want to do and figure out how to do it. I jump in feet first, sometimes to my success and sometimes to my failure. That’s what’s happening here. I have never read this many books in my entire life, I have never read this fast, and I have never been what I call a ‘reader’. I think it’s important to put this out here, because two people could follow the same plan to a similar goal, but reach very different outcomes.
2. I have set out to read 100 books, not 100 good books.
When I pick up a book to read I don’t always expect to enjoy it. When I pick up a book I have one goal in mind, to finish it. Some books have been harder to get through, I’m looking at you Night Music…. But I can generally appreciate anything I am reading. There is always something in the story line that is engaging me and my mind. But whether or not I like a book does not determine if I keep reading it.
3. I always have the next one ready.
Me and my library are best friends right now ❤️ I keep an endless list recommendation in my Goodreads ap, and once a month I log onto my library account and load up the requests. It’s like a fun book lottery , I never know what’s going to come up next and keeps the variety fun and surprising. I always have a stack at least 5 books deep on my night stands.
4. I have a reading schedule.
I stumbled upon having a reading schedule because I am still nap trapped with my 1 year old. I found my self on the weekends having to keep the house silent for her 2 naps a day. That meant no clanking around doing chores, and the older two kiddos were on their tablets (because it’s the only way they literally don’t make a sound). I started using this time to read, and in the hour and half (ish) she would sleep two times a day, I got a lot of reading in. I’ve kept up this reading schedule on the weekends even though she now only takes 1 nap a day. The other time of the day I read is in the evening, which means I cut out tv! After the kids go to bed about 5 nights a week I pick up my book and don’t put it down till I go to sleep around 10pm. Between reading during naps on the weekends, and after bedtime on the weeknights, I’m able to get a lot of pages logged.
5. I am an aspiring minimalist.
This might sound like a weird reason I have been able to read so much this year, but it truly is one of the most important . I have spent the past 3 years simplifying my life. Downsizing our possessions , decluttering our house, creating systems for our home, etc. Because I’ve spent so much time creating more space in my life and my home (physical and otherwise), I can now use that space and time for things I want to do. Like read 100 books. Managing and maintaining my home is not overwhelming , and even when things get behind it’s easy to catch up. Because I have streamlined and simplified my life and my home, I have more bandwidth for things that add to my life not take away from it.
If you want to come along on my journey to reading 100 books this year, follow me on Goodreads!