/**/ The Purposeful Wife: Make Reading Goals, Enrich Your Life As A Reader

Thursday, February 18, 2016

Make Reading Goals, Enrich Your Life As A Reader

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Lately I've stumbled upon a little nugget of gold in my reading life- daily reading goals. I've noticed that I've been flying through novels {good ones} which is so fun! The down side being that my non-fiction stack wasn't going anywhere. Come to think of it, neither was my housecleaning ;). 

I really wanted to finish two titles in particular to make a dent in that stack and give me a feeling of progress. So important! I decided to finish them this week

It wasn't the first time I've made such a decision, but in the past I've just done my best to stumble along, sometimes hitting my goal, but more often times not. This time I totaled the number of pages I had left to read, and divided them by the number of days left in my week. Simple math told me that in order to hit the goal, I'd have to read 60 pages a day in one of them, and 35 in the other. Yikes. This is a stretch people.

I started plugging away at my goal, and what do you know? I'm on day three and right on track! I'll let you know via Facebook or Instagram by Saturday night if I've managed to follow through entirely or not. 

95 pages of non-fiction is definitely a lot. It is a stretch, and some nights I've been staying up a wee bit too late just to finish. But you want to know the real benefit? I haven't been scrolling social media at all, and I'm very behind in reading my blog subscription emails. Instead of wasting time, I'm investing in books that build up my soul. It has been truly refreshing.

Here's how I'm managing to get all this reading done:
  • I read a few pages at every nursing session with Baby E. Sometimes I only get 2 or 3, other times 10 or more. But every time I feed her I intentionally grab a book.
  • I read on the treadmill. First I do my daily Bible reading, then I go straight to a book. This tricks me into exercising more, because all of a sudden it isn't just exercise. It's a luxurious little reading time.
  • I read every night before bed. As soon as the kids are down for the night, I clean the kitchen and plan for the next day. Then I shut down the computer, ignore my television, and get into bed with a cup of tea and my book. It is glorious. It feels so luxurious and relaxing, and its more than just pampering- it's growing me, challenging me, encouraging me. 
Do you set reading goals? And do you think this system would work for you? I'd love to hear your thoughts! 

P.S- How I make time for books. And in case your curious, these are the books I'm reading this week: The Life and Letters of Stonewall Jackson, and The Faithful Parent (one of the 12 parenting books I'd like to read this year). They've both been incredibly good so far!

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