Are you tired of setting New Year’s resolutions that you never meet? Seriously! When was the last time you even set foot in a gym, stopped drinking the occasional booze, or spent less time procrastinating? Create a new paradigm! Say it with me, “2019 is the year when I’m going to set new and exciting goals and stick to them! I’m going to crush my goals and be proud of my accomplishments heading into 2020!”

Few people give considerable thought to reading. Life is hectic; it’s difficult to find time to even make breakfast much less commit several hours per week to reading. Book fanatics are probably the only people who make reading a priority and much of their reading is for leisure.

Let’s get one thing straight…reading is crucial for helping you conquer 2019 like a boss. It should be high on your 2019 New Years resolution list.  Before we discuss how you should set reading goals that you can stick to, let’s first explore 3 pivotal reasons that reading should be a part of your growth.

Why is reading important?

1. You learn something new.

View yourself as a lifelong learner. Education isn’t confined to a classroom and it doesn’t end when you graduate from school. In fact, there are many life lessons that schools can’t teach. There is a book for every conceivable topic. From learning how to knit a sweater to learning how to start your own business, books open the gateway into unfamiliar territory. True growth in life can only occur when you make a conscious decision to consistently learn something new.

 

2. It keeps your brain active.

Research conducted by a team of researchers at Tohoku University in 2013 revealed that the more children watch television, the higher their aggression and lower their vocabulary and language skills.  Additionally, a study conducted by Tina Hoang and Jared Reis that was published in the JAMA Psychiatry journal revealed that study participants with the lowest levels of physical activity and highest levels of TV watching had decreased mental acuity.

Conversely, according to Goodnet.org reading “inspires creativity, critical thinking, increases empathy, reduces stress and can improve memory.” Reading a book is a much better way to engage your mind.

 

3. It improves your creativity.

Creativity is an important quality of any successful person. The more innovative you are, the more likely it is that you’ll succeed. Your ability to think outside the box leads to the creation of unique solutions to problems. Books draw you into a world where you must create vivid images in your mind. The words come alive as you envision the plot unfolding. Investing in this creativity increases your potential for expanding your horizons.

 

The Four 2019 Reading Goals that You Should Set and How You Can Achieve Them.

 

Goal #1: Spend less time watching tv or scrolling through social media and spend more time reading.

 

Let’s put things in perspective. You’ve come home from a long day of work. You’re tired and want to destress. So, you take up the television remote and switch to your favorite channel. You spend hours mindlessly watching tv and scrolling through your phone until you fall asleep.

Here’s a thought. Why don’t you use that time to read a book? It doesn’t have to be anything complex or academic. You can read a collection of poems or prose; or begin reading a short novel in your preferred genre; or maybe even a few pages of an autobiography by the Former FLOTUS – Michelle Obama! The point is to read something that stimulates your mind instead of wasting energy watching tv.

It won’t be an easy habit to form and may be something that you do gradually. An approach you could take is setting a timer on your tv so that it turns off itself. The tv turning off is your cue to start reading.

 

Goal #2: Find books to read based on your life goals.

 

It’s good to create an overall goal or the year. For instance, your goal could be, “I want to save enough money to make a down payment on a house by the end of 2019.”  Achieving this goal means that you must develop new spending habits, find new ways to earn money and learn how to invest. Someone with this goal should create a list with at least 15 of the top books related to this topic. What the person does with these books is discussed in the next point.

 

Goal #3: Organize, then read at least one personal development book this year!

 

Ok! So, not everyone enjoys reading self-help books or personal development books, but, think about the world of growth and improvement you can achieve with reading just one for the year. You may be able to improve your habits and outlook in ways that power and motivate you though the rest of your reading list and similarly through all your new year’s resolutions.

Take the time to organize and plan how you’ll own your goals this year by narrowing down the list you created for goal 2 to a list of the top 12 books. Create a book reading calendar with the name of one of these books written for each month. Here are some creative and inexpensive book planners from Etsy:

1. This cute but practical 22 page printable planner
2. An itty-bitty daydream book log
3. These Book & Reading Tracking Sheets from the Happy Plan Project

Post the calendar on your wall, make it your phone’s wallpaper, insert it in your work diary…do whatever you must to keep that list at the forefront of you mind. Tick off each book the moment you’ve read it.

 

Goal #4: Evaluate your book reading progress.

 

Evaluation is often one of the elements missing in new year goal setting. You won’t stick to the plan if you don’t make a deliberate effort to track your progress. Evaluate your book reading progress at the end of each week using the following questions:

1. How much time did I spend reading this week?
2. How many chapters was I able to complete?
3. Did I complete the book before the end of the month and if so, is there another book that I can read that isn’t a part of my 12-month list?

BookFusion makes evaluating your progress super easy! With weekly updates what you’ve read, how much time you’ve spent reading and other interesting books on your digital bookshelf, BookFusion keeps you informed on your progress and motivated to power through achieving your goals!

 

 

Make Book Reading a 2019 Priority

Reading books must be a priority if you want to grow in 2019. Each book you read will teach you something new or reinforce things you already know. Act on your newfound knowledge and create more opportunities for greatness.

Check out the amazing books on the BookFusion platform or upload and organize your ebooks on your digital bookshelf by creating an account on BookFusion and begin your journey.

CRUSH those 2019 Reading Goals! Let us know what you’re doing to make reading a priority this year!