Habits

It seems like I get less and less serious about my reading goals as the years go by.

I know it’s good to have reading goals. Even if it’s just for the subtle motivation — turning on a book instead of music in the car to hit a goal.

I plan to read 32 books this year. Far less than the 81 I read last year, but I want to slow down and absorb as much as I can.

For 2021, I’m going back to the basics.

Instead of constantly trying to read all I can — reading every minute I have free and listening to audiobooks at 2x the speed — I’m going to re-read some classics I haven’t opened in a while.

Well the first quarter went great in many areas of my life, like finishing writing two manuscripts for books.

I realized a couple weeks into this isolation that I wasn’t reading as much as I should be. So I started. Honestly, I’ve read four of these books in the last few days. I can do way more in Q2.

It didn’t go so well for reading.

I planned to read 20 books. I read six.

These are my reading goals for Q1 (quarter 1 of 2020)…

I always start with the Bible. I just finished the year-long Bible Project plan, which was amazing. There are video intros to each book. Now I’m starting a deeper study into the new Testament. This study will go through one chapter a day, and it will remain within the New Testament. It will take all of 2020.

As far as last year’s study, I learned a few things. For one, I read 73 books. I’m pretty happy about that. I was able to find—in many ways and forms—a lot of wasted time to fill with something productive.

I also learned that I can stick to my goals better if I continue to do what I’ve done in the past and set quarterly goals. A year projection is nice, but not always the most effective. Either way, here’s what happened in 2019…

I’ve set my reading and learning goals high. The Bible is a given, and is therefore not listed. I will read through it at least once. I’ve tried to diversify the books and videos on this list. It seems like I’ve taken a particular interest in the Holocaust, the Gnostic Gospels, and evidence for the existence of God.

I’ve listed 50 books, 50 documentaries, and just over 20 debates that I want to get through in 2019. On top of that, I’ve listed the Gnostic Gospels, a few other religious texts, and some reading like the Catholic Apocrypha, which includes several books on its own. I’ll cross off each item as I make it through.

There’s plenty more that I want to absorb, but I had to cut it off somewhere. I believe a plan for growth should be intentional, and that’s what led to this list. I’m never questioning what to read/watch next; I plan ahead.

Here’s to growth for 2019!