Why take up a reading challenge or set reading goals?

Why take up a reading challenge or set reading goals?
Reading is a wonderful habit that can have a significant impact on our lives. Whether it's for leisure, education, or personal growth, reading can open up new worlds, introduce us to new ideas, and help us become better versions of ourselves. However, for many of us, reading can also be a challenge. We may find ourselves struggling to make time for it, or simply feeling uninspired to pick up a book. That's why taking up a reading challenge or setting reading goals can be so beneficial.One of the main benefits of taking up a reading challenge or setting reading goals is that it helps us stay motivated. Setting a specific goal or challenge for ourselves gives us a clear objective to work towards, and provides a sense of accomplishment when we achieve it. For example, if you set a goal to read one book a month, you'll be more likely to make time for reading, and you'll feel a sense of accomplishment when you finish that book.Another benefit of taking up a reading challenge or setting reading goals is that it helps us explore new genres, authors and subjects. When we have a specific challenge or goal in mind, it can push us out of our comfort zone and try new things. For example, if you set a goal to read one non-fiction book a month, you'll likely be exposed to new ideas and perspectives that you might not have otherwise encountered.Reading challenges and goals can also help us improve our focus and concentration. When we set a goal for ourselves, we're more likely to stick to it, and that's especially true when it comes to reading. When we have a goal in mind, we're more likely to focus on the book in front of us, rather than getting distracted by other things.Finally, reading challenges and goals can be fun and social. Many people enjoy joining reading clubs or groups with others who share similar reading interests. These groups provide a sense of community and accountability that can make reading more enjoyable and motivating.In conclusion, taking up a reading challenge or setting reading goals can be a great way to stay motivated, explore new genres, authors and subjects, improve focus and concentration and make reading more fun and social. It's a great way to make reading a habit and enjoy all the benefits it brings to our lives. When it comes to setting a reading goal, here we need to note that the reading goal should be realistic. It should be achievable (I have mentioned this in the Book Question Tag section). And why should it be practical? Because, If we set an impossible goal, we will be more focused on accomplishing the goal rather than enjoying the book. That doesn't mean we shouldn't take up the reading challenge, now that we need to keep a realistic reading goal here.

Now, how to set an achievable reading goal?
To set an achievable goal, you must analyze your reading ability, which means how much time can you devote to reading? For example, how much time does it generally take you to read a book of a certain number of pages? Whether you are a working professional, student, or librarian, you all have different times set aside for reading. Take a look at your free time, analyze how long it takes you to finish a book and set reading goals based on these analyses. Don't force yourself to read more and more books; if you do, you will find them burdensome and want to run away from them. We must enjoy reading, it is a great pleasure to explore different characters, different places, different subjects and you learn new things while reading. Pay no attention to the fact that someone is reading more books than you because everyone has their own abilities to read a book and everyone's free time varies, maybe he is reading a book with fewer pages than you. Some people prefer short books, so it may be that their number of books is more than you. Some people prefer to read thick books, so it may be that their number of books is less than you. So, better to avoid comparison.

Here is how I set my reading goal:
On average, it takes me approximately 3-4 days to finish a 200-300 page book, which equates to reading 90-100 pages per day. I prefer to take weekends off from reading, so I aim to read one book per week. With 52 weeks in a year, my goal for the year is to read 52 books. However, some books I read are shorter than 200 pages, and sometimes even 100 pages, which means I can read two books in a week. Additionally, there may be weeks where I don't read due to festivals or personal commitments. To account for this, I add 8-10 more books to my goal, bringing my target for the year to 60 books. (Year 2022)