Setting reading goals can be a challenging yet rewarding task. Whether you’re a newbie or an avid reader, here you’ll find exciting and diverse types of reading goals for adults to broaden your reading experience and to make you feel satisfied by what you accomplish. Your new and improved literary journey starts now.
Quick List
For Beginner Readers
- Read more books.
- Keep a list of books to read.
- Read more of what you already like.
- Spend more time reading.
- Participate in a reading challenge.
- Join a book club.
- Buy a book subscription.
- Track your reading.
- Commit to quitting books you already started but don’t like.
For Intermediate Readers
- Read different genres.
- Read more diverse books.
- Read from more debut/indie authors.
- Read an entire series.
- Read the entire catalog of an author.
- Read more “backlist books” than newly published books.
- Read the books you already own.
- Read in a different format(s).
- Learn a new skill through books.
- Pair your reading with a real-life event, like watching the movie adaptation, traveling to a book location, or attending an author event.
For Advanced Readers
- Organize or declutter your bookshelves.
- Learn how to read multiple books at once.
- Read something that’s “hard.”
- Re-read your favorite books.
- Read fewer books.
- Buy fewer books.
Importance of Reading Goals
Setting reading goals first begs the question, “Why?” The answer comes down to the many benefits of reading, from learning something new to sharpening your communication skills and improving your mental health.
While this can be accomplished without actually setting reading goals, taking the time to do so can better set you up for success and push you further than you thought possible.
“Over 1,000 studies have consistently shown that setting high and specific goals is linked to increased task performance, persistence, and motivation, compared to vague or easy goals.”
– Frontiers in Psychology
I experienced this myself when I got back into reading several years ago. Halfway through the year, I noticed I was reading a lot and thought, “What if I could read 50 books this year?” It felt daring, yet achievable, and once I vocalized this and started tracking it on GoodReads, I quickly and easily made it a reality.
Over the years, I’ve since reached many reading goals, including reading 100+ books per year for several years in a row, completing many annual reading challenges (like the Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge), and even maintaining a Reading Journal. And, I can whittle my feelings about these achievements into one word: satisfaction.
That’s exactly why these reading goals for adults are so important, and they can be customized to your personal needs and desires at the same time.
Details On The Best Reading Goals for Adults
Below are more details about the top reading goals for adults to set, from beginner to intermediate to advanced, to help you set meaningful goals for yourself and build better reading habits.
Of note, while they are meant for adults, they may also work for kids.
For Beginners
If you’re just getting started with focusing on reading, these reading goals will help you read more, find books you’ll enjoy reading, and get more accountable to reading. These can be crucial to the success of new readers.
- Read more books.
- Keep a list of books to read (a TBR list).
- Read more of what you already like.
- Spend more time reading.
- Participate in a reading challenge.
- Join a book club.
- Buy a book subscription.
- Track your reading.
- Commit to quitting books you already started but don’t like.
I always recommend that new readers first commit to a certain number of pages or books per day, week, month, or year. Alternatively, you can choose an amount of time to commit to reading. This was the first reading goal I set, and it sent me on a life-changing journey. It’s truly the first step.
As a beginner, you should also work on figuring out what to read, and to do this easily, you can think about the books you already liked and search for books like it or let others do the work for you by participating in a reading challenge (like my Rory Gilmore Reading Challenge), book club, or book subscription that picks books for you or offers suggestions.
I also recommend that beginners track their reading (try The Literary Lifestyle’s Reading Journal) because it both keeps you on course and gives you satisfaction when you do well.
Lastly, I have to note especially for beginners (though readers of all levels can use the reminder) to quit the books you don’t like! I’ve seen so many readers get in a reading slump because they feel like they “have to” finish a book, causing them to start doing things like procrastinating their reading. I’m here to tell you that, this time, quitting is for winners.
For Intermediate Readers
If you’re ready to move on to bigger or different reading goals for adults, these intermediate goals help you broaden your literary horizons and get outside your reading comfort zone.
- Read different genres.
- Read more diverse books.
- Read from more debut/indie authors.
- Read an entire series.
- Read the entire catalog of an author.
- Read more “backlist books” than newly published books.
- Read the books you already own.
- Read in a different format(s).
- Learn a new skill through books.
- Pair your reading with a real-life event, like watching the movie adaptation, traveling to a book location, or attending an author event.
Once you’re doing well with your reading habit, branch out by testing different genres and authors, formats (like audiobooks, graphic books, or Kindle ebooks), as well as books about different people, places, or things.
At this point, you may also be getting influenced on social media by flashy new books that don’t live up to your expectations, so instead, you may choose to reel things in a bit and commit to a series or older books. This has personally been my favorite intermediate reading goal because I missed out on so many amazing books back before I was reading so heavily.
Lastly, the intermediate level is a great time to incorporate reading into your real life more with things like literary travel and cooking. It just kicks your reading up a notch!
For Advanced Readers
Finally, if all of the above reading goals for adults sound like a piece of cake, then it’s time for a challenge. These goals force you to think of reading in new and different ways.
- Organize or declutter your bookshelves.
- Learn how to read multiple books at once.
- Read something that’s “hard.”
- Re-read your favorite books.
- Read fewer books.
- Buy fewer books.
Once most readers reach expert level, their shelves can get out of control, so it may be a good time to de-clutter, engage in less reading (and book buying) and/or learn to read more efficiently.
It’s also a great time to challenge yourself to read something that still feels really hard, like a long book or a book in another language. (Believe it or not, lots of readers of The Literary Lifestyle do this, and it amazes me!) This year, I personally committed to reading one “big book” per season.
Lastly, since you’ve accomplished a lot in your reading life, it’s a good idea to re-visit a book or books that sparked the most joy in your reading life. This may be especially fun if you read it a long time ago. It’s one of those things we, as readers, always say we want to do but never actually get around to doing. And, it’s almost guaranteed to make you feel good.
How to Reach Your Reading Goals
“A goal is a dream with a deadline.”
— Napoleon Hill
Once you set your reading goals, you need a plan to achieve them. It doesn’t have to be a deadline per se, but the above quote illustrates the concept that goals work better in a more tangible form.
As mentioned at the beginning of this post, I first succeeded in my own reading goals when I was specific in numbers, broke my goals down to a definitive timeline, and tracked my reading.
To reach your reading goals, I recommend you do the same, along with reading Atomic Habits (a very practical, massively bestselling book on creating powerful habits), and these tips for reaching your reading goals, which break my book reading strategies down into more details.
Frequently Asked Questions
Good reading goals that work for most people are to set a goal to read a specific number of pages or books per day, week, month, or year.
Some good reading goals that work for most people are to set a goal to read a specific number of pages or books per day, week, month, or year. It’s also good to commit to at least some reading each day in order to achieve the benefits of reading. Lastly, it’s also important to try to read more diversely, so that you can learn about different people, places, and things.
Since students are often burdened by large amounts of dense daily reading, some good reading goals for them are to read lighter books in their free time and to commit to a small amount of personal reading.
Conclusion
Taking the time to set these reading goals for adults greatly improves the chance you will achieve them and enjoy all the benefits of reading, whether you are a new or advanced reader. You’re now on your way to a more expansive and meaningful literary journey.
Need even more help? Check out these books for your New Year’s resolutions.
