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Crush Your 2025 Reading Challenge Goals with These Tips
Congrats on taking the first (and arguably most important) step of the 2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge: signing up! By joining, you're making a personal commitment to spend time reading throughout the year. And to help you get started, we're sharing these tried-and-tested tips for staying motivated.
(Haven’t signed up yet? There’s no time like the present—join below.)
Mix up your formats
There’s no need to limit yourself to just physical books. Incorporate audiobooks into your commute, workout sessions, or while doing household chores. E-books are perfect for reading on the go or in low-light conditions. This variety can help you fit more reading into your busy schedule and keep things interesting.
Always have a book with you
Keep a book (or your e-reader) in your bag at all times. You’d be surprised how much reading you can accomplish during unexpected downtime—waiting rooms, long lines, lunch breaks… Those small pockets of time add up quickly over the course of a year.
Set a daily reading target
Break down your goal into manageable daily chunks. Even 20 pages or 30 minutes a day can add up to a significant amount of reading over the year. Consistency is key—make it a habit like brushing your teeth!
Keep a book (or your e-reader) in your bag at all times. You’d be surprised how much reading you can accomplish during unexpected downtime—waiting rooms, long lines, lunch breaks… Those small pockets of time add up quickly over the course of a year.
Set a daily reading target
Break down your goal into manageable daily chunks. Even 20 pages or 30 minutes a day can add up to a significant amount of reading over the year. Consistency is key—make it a habit like brushing your teeth!
Include a mix of genres, lengths, and difficulty levels. Shorter books or graphic novels can give you quick wins, while more challenging reads can be balanced throughout the year. Browse the books that your fellow Goodreads members have been picking up for their own Reading Challenges, our big guide to Summer Reading, or articles from our editorial team, like these recommendations for books to bust a reading slump. And don’t forget to use your Want to Read shelf to help keep track of what you’d like to read next.
Create a cozy reading nook
Designate a comfortable space in your home specifically for reading. Make it inviting with good lighting, comfortable seating, and minimal distractions. Having a dedicated reading spot can help you associate that space with your reading habit.
Use the “rule of 50”
If you’re not enjoying a book after reading about 50 pages, give yourself permission to put it down and move on. Life’s too short to struggle through books you don’t enjoy, and forcing yourself through a difficult read can slow your progress and dampen your enthusiasm.
Schedule reading time
Just as you would schedule any other important activity, block out specific times on your calendar for reading. This could be 30 minutes before bed, during your lunch break, or first thing in the morning with your coffee. Treating reading as a priority ensures it doesn’t get pushed aside by other activities.
Don’t be discouraged if you fall behind—life happens!
You can always change your annual goal on Goodreads. The important thing is to keep reading and enjoying books at your own pace. With these strategies in your tool kit, you’re well-equipped to make significant progress on your Reading Challenge and perhaps even surpass your goals.
Remember, the ultimate goal is to enjoy the journey and reconnect with your love of reading. Each book you finish is an accomplishment, regardless of how many you read in total. Reading should be a pleasure, not a chore, so find ways to make your Challenge personally exciting and rewarding.
Happy reading. And may your year be filled with wonderful books!
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Lara wrote: "Why can‘t I see my friends reading challenges ?? That was so fun"Right?? I always found some books that seemed interesting to me there.
Hopefully this year I can finally hit 50 books!
Reading is such an important thing to do for your health and is a great healthy habit!
Pity I can no longer see friends reading challenges.
Janet wrote: "I'd much rather see my friends' reading challenges as I could in previous years than have the additional challenges."^This. I don't care at all about the new "achievements". I want to follow what my friends are reading.
Please give us a place to store books we have tried to read but abandoned. I don’t want to mark them as read, I do not want them forgotten, but I do not want them lingering in my currently reading pile.
Alison wrote: "Please give us a place to store books we have tried to read but abandoned. I don’t want to mark them as read, I do not want them forgotten, but I do not want them lingering in my currently reading ..."I had the same problem, so I actually made a new shelf called "got bored, will finish later". It has been so helpful! You can do it in the "My Books" tab I believe.
Alison wrote: "Please give us a place to store books we have tried to read but abandoned. I don’t want to mark them as read, I do not want them forgotten, but I do not want them lingering in my currently reading ..."You can create your own exclusive shelf for "Abandoned" at https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/edit If you tick the "Exclusive" box then it groups at the top of your shelves with the "Read", "Currently Reading" & "To Read."
exclusive shelves: All members have three default shelves (read, currently-reading, and to-read), which are mutually exclusive, meaning a book can only be on one of them. Members can create as many additional shelves as they like, and books can be on as many non-exclusive shelves as you desire. This may be useful for shelves such as "reference" or "gave-up-on." It may take a few minutes for the changes to propagate if you have a lot of books on this shelf.
I liked the challenge better when it was # of pages
I wish I knew the Rule of 50 sooner. Thank you for this, I feel better knowing I can DNF and not feel guilty.
I set 36 books for myself to read this year as I feel that 2024 was my “Get Aquatinted With Books Again” year. I didn’t keep tack last year because it was late in the year that I was introduced to Goodreads. I’m also a member of 2 book clubs so there are 2 books a month that I will be reading and for the 3rd book every month I will choose something fun like a rom-com. Right now I just finished reading Crown of Midnight and last night I started Onyx Storm. Good luck on your goals for 2025 everybody. If I feel that 3 books is too easy I’ll adjust.
Sarah wrote: "This year I may follow the "Rule of 50" more. I have a hardIm time giving up books even though I do not enjoy them."I’m with you there; so many books, so little time!
I'm setting at a 100 this year. I want to add more diversity try different genres.
All are great ideas to keep in mind while reading. I gave myself permission to set aside a book I wasn’t enjoying, despite possibly good reviews. I have also changed up my reading genre by joining a book club at my local library. I also mixed up my format. I’m a die hard physical book in my hand reader but while on vacation, I allowed myself audiobooks. Still not preferred manner of ‘reading’ but it helps while in the car or sometimes at the beach!
Ida wrote: "My Goal for this year is 240. Ambitious I know but that is the number of books on my 2025 TBR list. :)"Good luck!
Please go back to the old format where we could see our friends’ challenges too!
75 is my goal this year. Good luck to everyone!
Happy New Year! I am entering 2025 with a different mindset about reading. I accept that I am a mood reader, and I will follow that. I will go with whatever genre or book I feel like at the moment, and I’m not going to put any limitations on myself or the reading I choose to do. There are no restrictions on the type of book or genre, or even where I get my books. I will read whatever catches my eye and draws me in.This year, I also want to try to explore more genres and read more books that have border topics and tropes. With no limitations on what I can read, it gives me an opportunity to read more diverse books that I would normally avoid. I think this is a good idea for a lot of reasons, but the main one is that by getting outside my comfort zone, I might discover things I like or find authors that I enjoy. This challenge will broaden my horizons and lead me to more books I’ll enjoy.
I'm not doing the challenge, but after getting my last year's total I realize books only count if I enter them as currently reading and then as read. Entering the book as read in the books read list doesn't count. Entering a review during the calendar year doesn't count. You have to list the book as your current read, and when done , you change the status to read and enter your rating and review.
Been there, done that, got the T-shirt multiple years in a row… And gonna keep going at it also!
Sarah wrote: "This year I may follow the "Rule of 50" more. I have a hard time giving up books even though I do not enjoy them."I agree with you. I think it is because I cannot relate to many of the young authors.
I agree, too.