💭 Reading Goals

2023.10.31

A while back I decided to quit Goodreads, which I had been an obsessive user of for a few years, in lieu of my own book tracking system. Along with that decision, I also decided that in 2023 I would no longer have a book goal. I had previously exceeded whatever goal I set for myself each year, but I felt as though I was just blowing through books for the sake of reaching a goal. I wanted to have a better relationship with reading that wasn't driven by quantity.

I think this was a good decision, but I do feel like I'm a little less motivated to read because of it. I am still reading but I would like to read more without forcing myself to with a number I need to hit.

I think I need to be better about not finishing books I'm just not that into. This year I read Universal Harvester by John Darnielle and by the end I was not really happy that I spent the time on it that I did.

Right now I'm about a third through A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay. I find it interesting enough, but I don't have that itch to read. I'm thinking that I might set some new rules for myself, such as if I'm about 20% into a fiction book and I'm not trying to read it constantly, and instead just reading it occasionally to get further in it for the sake of making progress, then I will give up on it. I'm going to put down this one. Trying to finish it anyway feels like the sunk-cost fallacy - the thought that I spent all this time on it so I should see it through, even though that'd be more time spent for something I'm not that interested in.

I also have read more fiction books this year than I normally would. I like fiction but I only want to read books I'm really into, and also spend a lot more time reading non-fiction books.

I'm going to get back on track with reading, but at my own pace and work on breaking useless habits around tracking.

Post 017/100 of #100DaysToOffload

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