HOW I REACH MY READING GOAL: 2023 READING JOURNAL REVEAL

Have you ever wanted to set a reading goal but found it too intimidating? or struggling to keep up with your TBR pile and feel very overwhelmed? This was me a few years ago until I discovered the existence of reading journals. Reading journals? such an odd thing. When you think of a journal, the thought of ''dear diary'' or reflective journals come to mind, right? But believe it or not, reading journals do exist and are just as meditative and therapeutic as reflective journals or diaries.

After following different book bloggers on Bookstagram, BookTube and BookTok, I came across the idea of a reading journal. So many influencers? if that's the correct terminology, have been using them and that's how I began my reading journal journey. I made my first journal in 2021. I have to admit, it wasn't the nicest looking journal (as I'm not the artistic type) but it was fun and kept me motivated to read throughout the year. I will be continuing this habit for this year and in the future as well. Who knows, maybe I will move on from physical reading journals to digital ones because I've seen some on social media, and they seem pretty cool!

Having a reading journal is beneficial in soo many ways! It keeps you on track with your reading, helps you lessen your TBR pile, makes selecting your next read a little easier and also taps into the creative and artistic side you never knew you had (well for me anyway). Not only is it good for everything that I've mentioned, but it also helps you analyse your reading habits and allows you to discover what particular genre you read the most of and how fast or slow you read a book. One particular thing I enjoy about reading journals are the challenges you can set for yourself. When you create your own journal, you can be flexible with it and set challenges that get you out of your comfort zones and push your boundaries. This can be anything from reading a genre you don't normally read, or to finally stepping out of your comfort zone and reading a non-fiction book. However, if creating your own journal seems like too much of a task or is daunting to those who hate art, you can purchase stencils on Etsy or a physical reading journal from the popular book blogger/influencer Hannah Azerang from Clockwork Reads. She has created her own journal that can be purchased online and has some great reviews from previous users.

I created my own journal again this year and thought I'd share the layout with you. I created a YouTube video for this as it is a lot easier to explain verbally than through writing. I hope my journal has encouraged many of you to create/buy your own to begin using this year too!

Enjoy the video!

Until next week,

Andrea.

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