Somehow, it is January again, and as we wave goodbye to 2025 and welcome in the new year, we enter a season of goal-setting and bucket list-making. Although it’s important to remember that personal goals don’t have to be seasonal, the start of a new year is as good a time as any to reflect on moments past and lay the groundwork for what’s to come. Of course, with a new year comes a new term, which can make it harder to set and stick to goals.
When setting a reading goal, there are several things to consider. A reading goal is a completely subjective thing, and there’s no right or wrong way to go about it. Your friend might want to read 50 books in the next year, and you might be aiming for 10; and there’s nothing wrong with that! Letting other people’s ambitions discourage you is one of the easiest ways to prevent you from achieving your goals. There are also different ways to break up a reading goal; you might just decide you’d like to commit to reading for a certain amount of time each day, however many pages that ends up being.
When it comes to tracking your progress, there are many different ways to do so. If you are committed to reading a certain number of books, apps like Goodreads and StoryGraph are an easy way to log books as you read, and can even show you statistics based on your reading habits. These platforms can also be great ways to find your next read, as you can read other readers’ reviews and add titles to your to-be-read list. If you prefer a pen and paper approach, a reading journal can also be a great way to stay on top of reading goals. Simply jotting down what you’re reading and when can help you get into a routine while also keeping track of what you’ve read that you can look back on.
Now, here comes the trickiest part. Finding the time. As college ramps back up, and timetables and social calendars fill up, it can be hard to fit in time to read (for pleasure, that is). College is time-consuming on its own, and that’s before taking into consideration participation in clubs and societies, jobs, and other possible commitments. It can be hard to find a moment in which to pick up that book you’ve been wanting to read for ages now, and often, by the time you get home, you’re too tired to get to it. And that’s assuming you make it home by a reasonable hour. Although it can feel like there truly is not enough time in the day, if you put your mind to it, you might find you have more time than you think you do.
When it comes down to it, it’s not so much about finding the time as it is making the time. If you are committed to a reading goal, flexibility is important. There isn’t always going to be the perfect time to sit down with a book, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have the time. For instance, if you commute, that’s a perfect time to pull out your book and read, even if you only have a few minutes before your bus or Luas stop.
It also helps to consider how much time is spent on your phone each day. If you feel like you haven’t had the time to read, think about how many times you checked your phone today, and how long you spend scrolling through Instagram reels or TikTok. Often, when you have a spare second, it’s instinctual to pass the time on your phone. They’re easy to reach and provide instant entertainment. But, if reading is important to you, consider picking up a book instead next time you go to reach for your phone. And, if accessibility is an issue, there are tons of ways to read on your phone or other devices as well; even if you can’t fit a book in your schoolbag, that doesn’t mean you have to wait until you get home.
As any college student knows, time management is a fickle thing. It’s good to hold yourself accountable when setting goals, but it’s also important to be realistic and gentle with yourself if you don’t always meet them. Quality over quantity is a great outlook when it comes to setting reading goals. When you realise that a few minutes or pages are better than none, it makes setting and achieving your goal much easier. Little progress is still progress, and it all adds up in the end. Happy reading!
