Similar to my previous post about the rules for my 2025 Reading Challenge, I wanted to give myself a general direction for how to measure my success. This may be subject to change, but this is how I hope to see myself at the end of the year.
Measuring Overall Success
- The improvement to my life is more important than the book count
This may seem like a cop-out for a reading challenge but I want to emphasize this point to my future self. I want this challenge to be about improving my life, not the number of new books I read. And so, I am making a promise to myself now that if I only read 20, 45, or 51 books this year but my life is happier and healthier at the end for doing so, I will consider that to be an incredible success.
Conversely, if I read 52 books but feel uninspired and dead inside come December 2025, I will consider this project a nonsuccess. I was hesitant to use the word “failure” because that seems too harsh of a possibility for what I am trying to do. I think the worst outcome would be to see no improvement in my life- but that is not a failure. It is just a regrettable maintaining of the status quo. And even then, I want to be proud of myself for attempting this challenge even if I don’t experience the positive results I am hoping for.
This sentiment will hopefully take me out of my head over counting how many books I’ve read, or how many pages I’ve covered. I don’t want to care about the numbers, I want to care about the content. I am telling myself that right now.
The Beauty of Deciding Your Own Metrics
The modern world has a way of emphasizing numbers. Our watches count how many beats our hearts take and how many steps we take. Social media counts the likes and shares. Schools have standardized testing. I think the beauty of reading and a self-directed blog is that I get to make the choice of what to measure. I decide what is important to me. And this decision is ongoing and ever-evolving, just like life. Let’s see if I stick to that or if I too get swept off my feet by arbitrary numbers.
This is also a reason why I chose not to limit the minimum page count of each book. I want to be actually reading and not glancing at page numbers or wanting the experience to be over. I’d like to enjoy this challenge overall and I’d like to enjoy each book individually.
Measuring the Success of Each Book
Typically, when someone reads a book and posts their review online, they will give the book a rating out of 5 stars. I think that can be valuable information for someone searching the internet for a new book recommendation but for my purpose, I want to stay away from giving each book a number rating.
Sometimes I may include it, but I mostly want to focus on the impact the book has had on me, not any other factor like how well it is written. I also want to personalize this challenge to books that I think can be beneficial to me, and not focus on how other people have rated it.
I will however keep a record of my favourite books that I read and will post about that throughout this challenge.
Messy Bun Book Lover
(Originally posted on Mar. 1, 2025)