Traditional reading goals to kickstart your New Year!
Yesterday I shared a list of non-traditional reading goals to kickstart your New Year. If you are looking for inspiration for reading goals to set yourself coming into the New Year, you have come to the right place!
Whereas yesterday‘s post looked at non-traditional reading goals, today’s post follows the more traditional route and shares numbers-based traditional reading goals you can set yourself coming into the New Year.
Ready for inspiration to hit? Let’s take a look!
Traditional reading goals to kickstart your New Year!
Read X number of books a year
A goal I set myself every year, because I benefit from having a target to chase, is to read a set number of books.
This can be set as a total or even as a target for a specific genre. For example, my 2024 resolutions featured a Goodreads challenge of reading 60 books and 15 of those being non-fiction. That goal helped make nonfiction books a regular on my TBR now even without the special effort.
Whether you want to set yourself a goal to read a total number of books or to focus on a particular genre, having a number to work towards can be a great motivator. I like the Goodreads challenge as it can tell you if you are ahead, behind, or on track. You could, of course, use another tracker or work this out yourself – whatever works best for you!
Number of Pages/Measurable Time Goal
An alternative to a total book count is a quantitative measure of pages or time spent reading. As goals go, it makes this really easily measurable and can go a long way towards building habits.
Reading 40 books a year might seem daunting… but a goal to read 20 pages or 10 mins a day? That feels far more achievable – and they can amount to the same result. It’s just a matter of framing. If small, regular tasks work better for your time commitment level, consider setting a traditional reading goal to read a little every day. Those bigger reading goals will become far more achievable with a small habit.
Pick up a Fixed Reading List
A new reading goal I’m taking into next year is to pick up a fixed reading list. I’ve compiled a list of books I want to read in 2026. They have made it to the list for a variety of reasons; some are long outstanding on my TBR, some are recommended from fellow readers. There are also some classics that will push me out of my comfort zone.
Whatever the reason behind your list, setting a time limit to finish these books can help motivate you to finally make time for them. It also helps plan ahead and spread the books over the year so getting to the list isn’t overwhelming.
TBR down to X books
A goal I strongly considered setting this year, but ultimately decided against, is a target to reduce my TBR. If I don’t whittle down my list by this time next year, I’ll HAVE to make this a resolution.
My TBR has floated at around 200 books for a while. If you have an overflowing reading list and need some motivation to reduce it, setting a goal to reduce your TBR is a great idea.
Maybe I should review this for myself halfway through the year and see if I need to do this one…
Read a Book from X Genre a Month
Along the lines of trying to read more from a certain genre (touched on in Read X no. of Books a Year), a reasonable goal might be to read a book from a desired genre a month. That’s 12 books over the course of a year – not an insignificant number! Tackling one a month also breaks down the goal to make it feel more manageable too.
Is there a genre you don’t read much of but want to pick up more frequently? A couple of years ago, it was non-fiction for me. However, you might want to try more classics, literary fiction, or even a non-genre-specific focus like new releases or timeless reads. The criteria is flexible enough that you can pick what’s important to you and your reading goals.
Summary
Has today’s traditional reading goals post given you inspiration? If you’re looking for some alternative reading goals, try my non-traditional reading goal post for more options.
As I said yesterday, my reading habit and the blog kicked off with reading for a few minutes before bed in 2017. Small habits help make larger ones!
What reading goals are you taking into next year?
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