Do you ever set your goals too high knowing that you won’t achieve them but also knowing that you will do better than if you set the bar lower? I try to do this for myself and it is a fine line between disappointing myself and achieving more than I would have been able to do otherwise. Yesterday I set a goal of reading four books. I actually think this was an achievable goal because they were all short books. But just because you can read 4 books in a day doesn’t mean that you feel like finishing 4 books! But, I did finish two books! And considering how slowly I have been reading, that has been a great accomplishment!
I have been having a hard time recovering from both my cold and my sprained ankle. And even though I am feeling much better I am definitely not up to full strength. Yesterday I decided to go work in the library. I packed up all my stuff and got there and started coughing. I posted a quick post, looked at the stack of work I intended to work on and headed back home. I thought I was feeling okay but when I got there the wind really got knocked out of my sails. I guess I should have stayed home because after I got back I had a hard time getting back into my reading momentum. When you lose your reading momentum do you try to spur yourself back on or do you just do something else?
My goal at the beginning of February was to read 20 books. This is more books than I have ever read in a single month. So far I have read 7 books and I have a full week of reading before more. I may not make it to my 20, I may be having a slow reading month but I challenged myself in new ways this month. I usually read about one adult title a month and this month I have already read 3 adult titles with hopefully one more title next week. It is interesting when we decide to read in a new way and how it changes how we read and when we read.
The other challenge I have really been focusing on is my PoC challenge. I have a lot of diversity in the titles that I own, but I don’t read many of the books that I own. I do not make an intentional effort to read multicultural titles because I am now more focused on finding books in the genre I like. I am not by any means avoiding multicultural titles, I’m just not actively seeking them out, or I wasn’t. It has been nice to make this effort now and read both within and outside of my genre of interest. This month I have read Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Parable of the Sower. I think reading these adult titles also has impacted the number of books I have been able to read this month.
Last year I was really focused on reading as many books as possible and as a result I would shy away from longer and more intensive books so that I could read more books. I told myself I would not let myself do that this year. I want more variety in my reading experience in both content and age levels. It is only two months in and i am happy with the variety of books I have found myself reading.
What books have you been reading and why?
Yikes - I haven't read 7 books yet this year, and I'm still ahead of my pace last year.
ReplyDeleteI'm a bad goal setter. Lately, I set them really low so I can achieve them....which makes it all the more depressing when I don't even achieve the low goals. Mayhap I should reform my goal setting strategy.... ;-)
I love setting goals, I tend to set achievable goals, because I love crossing things off lists, that's so weird, I know.
ReplyDeleteI hope you feel better soon. Also, you should be proud of yourself for what you do accomplish. I think some books require more time and thought,so I hope you give yourself permission to take your time.
As for what I've been reading, I just finished Copper Sun by Sharon Draper, and totally recommend it. I have a 1-Arc tour book that I need to read ASAP - The Total Tragedy of a Girl Named Hamlet. Oh and I'm plugging away on a book about astrophysics and War And Peace.
What did you think of Snow Flower? I think I have it around here somewhere. Tweet or email me or something and let me know what you think I'd think of it.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading The Maze Runner because you told me to, and How to Say Goodbye in Robot because David Levithan did (not personally, but at his signing.) When will I read something because I told myself to? We'll see. But bookish people are very bossy (read this NOW, read that NOW), so who knows?