by Brianne Anderson

Creating New Year’s resolutions is a time-honored tradition for many people. There is a whole, fresh year ahead of us and the potential to start clean with a new outlook is motivating and encouraging. The hard part about resolutions is that they are often really hard to keep. Making large life-style changes takes a lot of work and can be very discouraging when progress isn’t immediately apparent.

This past year I had two separate friends decide to track how many books they read throughout the year. They set goals for some truly remarkable numbers (imagine 50+!), and kept track on social media along the way. I am beyond impressed with both friends, but also fee slightly dispirited because my reading list was not near that accomplished. (Not to burst your bubble, but librarians do not actually get to read all day!) I’ve heard many people coming into the library and comment, “I get so jealous of my kids and the free time they have to read. I wish I could read half the books they do in a month.”

These thoughts prompted me to come up with a plan for how us busy, working parents can get back in the reading mindset. The following are suggestions from my research and my colleagues on how to maximize your reading potential.

• Set a time goal instead of a book goal. Books take a long time to get through, but meeting a time goal each day still hits your target.
   
• Start small to get in the habit – say 15 minutes a day – and you will feel like you are consistently accomplishing something. An hour a day sounds good, but may be unrealistic to maintain.
   
• Try different formats. Audiobooks are amazing for multitasking; why not listen to a book while prepping a meal, driving to work, etc? A lot of people love holding physical books, but there’s a ton of convenience in ebooks; While waiting in line at stores or doctor’s offices, you could pull out your phone and read a bit—a much nicer way to pass time.
   
• Read more of what you like. Don’t feel like you have to read all the hot, new, trendy books. Find an author or genre that appeals to you, and just spend time enjoying books that speak to you.
   
• Sign up for a library reading challenge; It will help you track your reading, plus you can earn prizes!

Happy New Year’s resolutions!