Reading as a New Year’s resolution

So often the New Year comes around and people decide to completely reinvent themselves. Whilst I don’t think this is a healthy outlook and believe that change should be gradual and therefore achievable, not dictated by the calendar, it can be useful to think of values you’d like to instil in your life, instead of drastic lifestyle changes. For many, in the fast paced digital age, they value finding small moments of slowness and calm. Reading can be a great way to achieve this sense of zen for even just half an hour and here are some ways you might actually stick to your reading goals.  

First of all, nobody is judging you for what you read and it is always better to read something rather than nothing. Read what genuinely brings you joy, not what you think is on the New York Times list of best books or what your lecturer wrote for their thesis. These things definitely have a place, and as an English Literature student myself, I am pretty interested in the New York Times’ thoughts, but that isn’t going to bring me peace. What will however, is romcoms and fantasy novels, so in my spare time I choose to read outside the canon, and I love somewhat predictable novels that make me smile. So, I think you should do the same. Find an author or a genre that makes you actually want to sit down and turn the pages every evening or morning, not a book that you think will look great to have read on your CV.  

Having a set time of day that you read can really help instil it into your routine. Maybe you like to wake up early and read over breakfast or maybe you read before you go to bed. Maybe you want to aim for 10 pages a day or a chapter a week. Setting goals can be motivating, as long as these goals are actually achievable in your life and current routine. Just because it’s January doesn’t mean your entire personality has changed. If you regularly wake up past 11 you won’t suddenly enjoy the 7:00am alarms you so vigorously set and so obviously ignore. If you know you are a night owl, or an early bird, lean into it. After all, this is a fun activity and shouldn’t be something you loathe.  

After all, this is a fun activity and shouldn’t be something you loathe

Buddy reading is something that became really popular over lockdown and has taken off in a big way ever since. Buddy reading, according to Fable.com is ‘’when you agree to read the same book at the same time as someone else so you can discuss it together. Think of it as a mini-book club.’’ This can be a really helpful way to stick to your resolution to read more as someone else is holding you accountable. It can also make the activity more fun, being able to discuss the book with someone else, and can make it a social activity if you seek that type of stimulation.  

A really helpful tip for maintaining your reading over the year can be to use a book tracking app. There are loads of great ones out there, I myself use a digital bookshelf app called TBR – Bookshelf that visually displays all the books I’ve marked as read on a shelf for the year in a colour coded format. Shop around on the Appstore as there are loads of great options, and as we are all so glued to our phones these days, having an app to track progress can be really motivating and also a reminder to put down your phone, ditch the doomscrolling, and read.  

Some people love to read in bed, others like to sit at their desk with some fairy lights on and some people like to read in the garden. This is a two part tip to keep on top of your goal to read, depending on how your lifestyle is. Some people love to read in the same place, in their house and feel safe and cosy doing so. That’s great, and for people who break routine easily, associating one specific spot with reading can be really beneficial to keeping your reading going. If this is how you work, great! Pick a spot to be your reading nook and get turning those pages. For those of us however that find sticking to one place a little monotonous, changing up where you do your daily or weekly read can really help keep it an interesting and engaging activity. I myself like to read outside after a walk and find a quiet bench to read on. This keeps the scenery different and it doesn’t feel stagnant. So, knowing yourself and how you reinforce habits can be a helpful way to keep reading but also to keep any goal.  

Overall, read what you like and love, what excites you and read it in a place that brings you happiness

Overall, read what you like and love, what excites you and read it in a place that brings you happiness. Try buddy reading and reading with friends and most importantly cut yourself some slack. It’s only the beginning of January – you have the whole year to work on your reading goals!