Why don’t I participate in reading challenges anymore?

If you have a Goodreads account and log into it, the first thing that catches your eyes is the Goodreads Reading Challenge. Set apart from its usual colour template, it is quite easy to be noticed. And quite hard to ignore.

Reading challenges have become common over the last few years. It is a great way to track your goal. It is supposed to motivate you to read more by helping you crunch out the numbers on your set challenge.

And that is why I opted for the challenge in 2018 and 2019. I was in a reading rut before then. I loved books, but my priorities were dwindling, and when I opened my Goodreads account and saw the shiny new label, I thought that it’d be a good motivator for my reading habit.

Or so I thought.

The first time I did it, in 2018, I went for 12 books as my limit. I was just getting back to reading for pleasure, and I thought that a book every month is a nice way to start.

I finished 10 books that year.

I didn’t complete the challenge that year. It wasn’t very reassuring, especially for someone trying to get her groove back.

I was more determined the next year. I decided to put in 12 as my limit again. It was still a fair number for someone to get started.

I completed 15 books in 2019.

I was proud. I know 15 seemed nothing compared to the number of books people read every year. However, I was more focused on getting started. Not on competing against other people. I finally felt like I am getting my groove back.

However, when December came around, Goodreads started popping the ‘2020 Reading Challenge’ every time I logged in. After some pondering, I decided to drop it.

Why? After all, it was urging me to read more, right?

Right. That part is correct. However, that’s only half the story.

So, here are my three reasons for dropping out of reading challenges.

I am competitive with myself

Every time I logged into Goodreads to record my progress, I was constantly reminded of my goal. Even today, Goodreads is sure to ask me to set a number. Not to mention the percentage of my goal completed. It made me anxious. I started setting the challenge because I thought it would motivate me to read. It did. However, it also made me want to keep reading until I finish the goal. And then, some more. So that I can see the number increase as I log in. This was not the mindset I want to have while reading books.

I am a mood-reader

I see many people having a monthly plan. While I do have a TBR list, I pick up the next book according to my mood. I might have a detective novel in my TBR pile. But, for the time being, I want to read some non-fiction. It does not matter how many pages the book has. I do not want to concede to a number. I’d rather focus on the content. I do not plan my months with two non-fiction books, three fantasy novels, and a comic. Thus, it is hard for me to determine the cumulative number for the whole year.

I read for pleasure

Lastly, I wanted to remember why I read. I read for pleasure, for the fun of it. Being competitive and setting a yearly goal only made me more stressed about the issue. I do not want reading to be less fun for me. I want to enjoy every word, every page, and every book, without keeping in mind that this is the nth number of books I am reading this year.

So, here are my reasons for opting out of reading challenges this year. With 2020 coming to an end, Goodreads will be sure to prompt me about it again. However, I do not plan to go back to it, at least for the time being. However, it has advantages too. For example, when I was losing interest in reading a few years ago, it helped me rekindle my interest in books once again. It is up to you to decide if the pros outweigh the cons. And make a decision based on that.