Everything is about being resolved to make a change for the coming year right now, but have you considered setting goals for your reading hobby? Make some reading resolutions and get the most out of the pages you turn in 2019!

Normally, our New Year’s resolutions resemble a wish-list of desired traits we’d like to master, such as losing weight, getting out of debt, or improving relationships. However, I’ve found that if I apply the same principles of goal-setting to other aspects of my life, I can start a cascade of success that keeps the momentum going long past February.

What do you normally read? For me, of course, it’s almost exclusively science fiction and fantasy. I’ve realized that I’m really missing out by not broadening my interests, so I’ve set a goal to read more books from various genres and from authors I haven’t read before. I’m a big stress-reader, so I need to make plans to accomplish this goal.

I’m going to really step up my game next year. I plan to read at least three books each month in 2019, and not repeat books from the same author twice in a row. So if I, for example, read Steven Erikson first, my second book must be from another author, and then my third book could be by Erikson again. This is probably going to happen a lot, because I’m deep into rediscovering the Malazan Book of the Fallen right now!

Another resolution I have is to read more books that teach me new things, so I’ll add a new emphasis on nonfiction into my reading lists. History is an easy subgenre, but I think some science (especially space) and writing books will make their way in as well.

That’s another good point (and the subject of a future post) as well: If you want to improve a skill or aspect of your life, read some books about it. I want to get better at writing, so I’m going to read books about it. If you wanted to, say, be a better salesperson, reading more about salesmanship and public interaction would definitely benefit you. Want to manage your company better? Read some books about business! The point isn’t necessarily to absorb the information you read directly into the way you do things but to develop your own philosophy and methodologies by exposing yourself to new ideas and points of view.

All ready for the new year? Let’s set some reading resolutions to make this one extra memorable!

Share your Reading Resolutions in the comments!

As always, be well.

~RP