Updated: October 17, 2024
Almost the end of the year… well, you know what that means! How are you, #BooklyReaders? Are you on track with your reading challenge, or are you starting to feel the pressure? 😅
Well, if you have a lot of books to catch up with until the end of the year, worry no more! Settle into your reading nook, get all the blankets, your favorite hot cocoa mug, and get ready: here are our tried & tested tips & tricks to help you crush all your reading goals by the end of the year.
Tips & Tricks To Win Your Yearly Reading Challenge
1. Find Time to Read Every Day
We’re all busy bees, with tasks piling up on our daily to-do lists, friends to hang out with, and Christmas movies to catch up with. Finding the time to squeeze in some reading between all these other commitments we’ve got going on can be extra tough unless you purposefully schedule “reading time” in your daily agenda. ❄️
Start by setting a few timestamps during your usual day-to-day activities when you’ll do nothing but read – be it for 10-15 minutes or half an hour. Because, at the end of the day, when you’ll add them all up, you might find out you read 45 minutes in total. And that’s an awesome start.
Reading a little bit day by day is what will actually keep you motivated to increase your daily reading streak in the long run, and may even get you in the mood for a longer reading session.
2. Always Bring a Book with You
Before you open the front door and go out, make sure to bring all your necessities: phone, wallet, keys, and your current book.
Whenever you’re out and about, you’ll find yourself either waiting in line, commuting, or just enjoying a walk in the park. This way, you’ll use all these little pauses in your day to get in some reading.
Those reading goals don’t look so far away anymore, right? 💪
3. Reduce Disruptive Digital Noise
One of the most popular excuses people give when asked why they feel unable to read more or as much as they’d want to is that they don’t have time for it.
We all have small pockets of time that we could use for building a better reading habit, but instead, we tend to scroll through the social media feeds and Netflix recommendations. It’s essential to minimize distractions if you’re serious about winning your reading challenge!
So, whenever you feel bored, why not go for that book on your nightstand before grabbing your phone or the remote?
4. Find Your Own Reading Corner
To help you make reading a daily habit for the rest of the year, it might be a great idea to assign one or more spaces for reading within your home.
Whether you like reading on your sofa, on your bed, by the windowsill, or on the floor next to some cozy pillows and fairy lights, in time, your mind will automatically associate that certain place with the act of reading. These book nooks can become powerful reading cues that help you make reading a habit.
In general, think about those places that can provide you with comfortable seating, good lighting, and generally a relaxing ambiance, perfect for flipping pages. 📖📖📖
5. Track Your Reading Progress With Bookly
One of the most important things you can add to your reading routine to help you keep yourself motivated is tracking your progress.
It’s that one thing that will hold you accountable when you’re serious about making reading a habit. You can log your reading in either a notebook, in your bullet journal, or, you guessed it, an app.
Our users have been tracking their reading systematically for years, and it’s allowed them to get a much better picture of what they read and for how long. This has, in turn, made them want to up their game. 🤩
Bookly can help you track books, keep you accountable, and improve your reading habits over time 💪
Looking for more advice on how to improve your reading habit? Make sure to check out Porch’s article, “Top Tips for Book Lovers Q&A: Advice from the Experts”. This will surely help you crush all your reading challenges of the year!
Still in need of some extra motivation? Here are some end-of-the-year readathons to help you get through your own reading challenge and crush your goals!
End-of-the-Year Reading Challenges:
🎈 Clear Your Shit: A ReadAThon (1 Nov-27 Dec) – If you’re in for a little bit of mystery while trying to get through your TBR for the remainder of 2021, then this is the readathon for you! Follow the story of Ariadne and the Narrator as they guide you through a range of challenges to help you finish all your books. 💪
🎈 Buzzword Readathon (1-7 Dec) – We bet you’re already familiar with this monthly readathon! The challenge is always to read as much as you can for the first week of every month of 2021, based on a given theme. For December, the theme is “a day, month, or season.”
🎈 Queer Lit Readathon (5-11 Dec) – As usual, the Queer Lit Readathon is here to challenge us to read more intersectional and inclusive books this season. Up for it? 🌈
🎈 Mini Manga Readathon (10-13 Dec) – Bought some new books from your favorite manga series, but still haven’t read the ones on your shelves? Here’s your chance to get through them in a weekend! #sugoi
🎈 Japanese ReadAThon: December Edition (10-19 Dec) – If you’ve always been interested in diversifying your TBR list, this reading challenge’s for you! Ready to fall in love with some great Japanese literature? 🌸
🎈 #AYearAThon (13-19 Dec) – This reading challenge is for those of us who still have to finish or catch up on a series you’ve been wanting to read but didn’t get the chance yet. This month, it’s time for graphic novels, manga, or short stories.
🎈 Reindeer ReadAThon (1-31 Dec) – In the need of some extra motivation to finish up your reading challenges, while also enjoying the holly-jolly spirit of Christmas? Then this is the readathon for you! Get ready to meet other readers, get paired up in teams, and go through festive challenges. Yaaas, sleeeigh bestie! 🎄
🎈 “Merry Bookmas” SeasonAThon (1-31 Dec) – Not sure which is your favorite literary trope? Well, now might be the time to discover them all! Join this winter’s seasonathon and go through 12 different tropes with the “Merry Bokmas” reading prompts!
🎈 End of Yearathon (26-31 Dec) – Guess this readathon’s theme… Yup, it’s to read as much as you can until the year is over! Join the readathon and get ready to fly through your final TBR 🕊️
Win Your Reading Challenge In A Nutshell…
1. Start Small
If you’re used to reading a book a month, don’t force yourself to read 10 or you’ll end up hating it. Instead, ease your way into reading more until you’re able to get closer to reaching your yearly reading challenge goals.
2. Include Little Moments for Reading in Your Daily Life
Try reading a book instead of scrolling through your social media feeds, or go to bed earlier so you can read before falling asleep or in the morning.
3. Find Topics You Relate to in Your Life
If you’re all about being a better you, you might want to read mindfulness books. If you have a big project going on, try reading motivational books that will lift your spirits. Or if you want to advance in your career, try to read everything you can about your industry. Or stick to your passions and read some new dark fantasy books – it’s all up to you, as long as you read.
And don’t forget that Bloo, your reading assistant, will always be by your side and help you improve by tracking all the books for your next readathon along the way!
Download Bookly for iOS 👉 https://bookly.app.link/nAH81rtpg9
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So, now that you have all these awesome tips & tricks, what are you waiting for? Get started with your reading, and smash those yearly goals! Download the Bookly App now!
