Better Than Before: What I Learned About Making and Breaking Habits--to Sleep More, Quit Sugar, Procrastinate Less, and Generally Build a Happier Life

by Gretchen Rubin

Self-measurement brings self-awareness, and self-awareness strengthens our self-control.

Keeping track of what we're doing helps to steer us in the right direction, and keeping track of the books we read helps us to read more. It lets us see how much (or how little) reading we're doing. It gives us a feeling of accomplishment ("Wow, I didn't realize I'd read so many books last year!") or disappointment ("I love to read, but I see I'm not making enough time for it, so I'll figure out ways to read more in the future"). Every week on Facebook, I post a photo of all the books I've read that week. I don't finish a book if I don't like it, so if I post it, that means I enjoyed it. I get a lot of gratification from posting my photo of that book pile each week. Any kind of monitoring is useful: notebook, app, social media, photo, whatever works for you. Many people track their reading in Goodreads, where it's easy to set a reading goal and monitor progress in a satisfying way.