Most people have goals in life. Maybe you have goals for business, goals for health and goals for your finances. Maybe you also have goals in other areas, such as creative goals or romance goals. Whatever goals are most important to you, don't neglect mental development, learning and self-improvement. If you have explored the information related to your goals, it can help you to achieve them.
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Part 1 of 3: Deciding What to Read
Step 1. Decide how much to read
The amount of reading you need to read to help reach your goal will vary depending on your goal. To get started, try to develop a general idea of how much to read. This will direct all your planning.
- For example, if your goal is to identify edible plants in your area, a good book or two on the subject may suffice. On the other hand, if you are planning to start a new career as a botanist, you need to read as much as you can about botany. This will include all the best known books in the field. It will also include many articles from other journals or periodicals.
- Some targets will require you to read on multiple topics. For example, if your goal is to build a winery, you will obviously need to read a number of books on winemaking. However, you will also need some books on how to run a small business. You should also read about the laws in your area that regulate the production and sale of alcoholic beverages.
Step 2. Find out which books to read
Not all reading material is created equal. Before you start reading, take a little time to determine the most important things to read. Do a little research and find out the most important books related to your target.
- There are many ways to find books about your target. You can visit the bookstore and browse the books on the shelves, or ask the staff there for recommendations. Libraries in your area may also be able to provide some suggestions.
- Many online booksellers also provide recommendations based on other books you've seen. This can be helpful in deciding which books to read, even if you didn't buy them online.
- If you know someone who is very familiar with the topic you are reading, ask that person for a recommendation.
Step 3. Choose periodicals
If your main target needs a lot of timely information, you may also want to include periodicals such as magazines and newspapers in your reading target.
- For example, if your goal is to master stock trading, you need to read up-to-date information on the ups and downs of various stocks. This could include the business column of the daily newspaper. It may also include magazines dealing with investment and finance.
- Again, you can also visit your local bookstore or newspaper stand. You can also perform a number of online searches using the topic you are reading with the words "magazine" or "journal" as a search term. For example: "wine-making magazine".
- Libraries at universities often maintain lists of academic journals in various fields of knowledge.
Step 4. Strive for diversity
For topics that require a lot of reading, it's a good idea to read content from multiple perspectives. This is especially appropriate if your topic is one that inspires a lot of debate or involves a lot of thought.
- A thorough understanding of the topics you read about is important for those who want to be truly successful in their goals. This is especially important for complex or long-term targets.
- For example, imagine that your goal is to become an economist. You will soon find that the neoclassical point of view of economics now dominates the field. But that doesn't mean you should focus your reading on neoclassical economics. There are many other schools of thought in economics, including Keynesianism, Marxism, and new classical economics.
Part 2 of 3: Organizing Your Reading
Step 1. Make a list
Once you've determined how much you need to read and which ones will be most helpful in reaching your goals, create a reading list.
At this stage, your list should include anything you think could help reach your goals
Step 2. Rank in your list
Ranking by importance when setting any type of target is often a good idea. This will help set priorities as you work towards your goals. This also applies to your reading targets.
- You can rank reading lists based on which readings you believe are most important to read and which are most recommended. Or, if the topic you are reading is new to you, you may want to start by reading some basic, introductory writing. Then, move on to the more difficult reading materials.
- For example, imagine that your goal in life is to become a film director, but you don't know much about filmmaking. Good reading material to start with is a book that covers basic directing techniques and concepts. On the other hand, a book that explains the author's theory in great detail but doesn't cover other topics may be something to read at a later date.
Step 3. Create a reading schedule
After ranking on your list, it's time to set goals for what you will read and when. Make a schedule for reading the books and/or periodicals that you think are most important.
- Be specific about what you want to read and when, by setting deadlines for completing individual books or even individual chapters. These deadlines will help you to stay accountable to your schedule.
- Be realistic about what you can achieve. Reading four books a month and staying current with important professional publications in your field is a great thing. But most people don't have time for that. Consider your own reading speed and the amount of time you have to dedicate to reading. Based on this, set a target that you can achieve.
- Setting targets that are too ambitious will lead you to failure and despair. This can weaken your motivation to try to reach your next goal. This can derail the goal of setting targets from the start.
Step 4. Take notes
Once you start reading, it's a good idea to keep regular notes of what you've read. This will be useful if you need to revisit some information the next day. Ideally, your notes will provide the information you need so you don't have to go back to the original source.
- When taking notes, try to capture big ideas rather than small details. This idea is often something that appears in writing over and over again. You can also use visual cues such as bold or italics, chapter headings, or the use of tables, graphs, and numbers.
- Using outlines, note cards, binder borders, or other organizing tools will help you find information more easily later on.
- Research shows taking notes effectively will also help you better understand and remember what you read.
Part 3 of 3: Reaching Reading Target
Step 1. Choose a reading time
Set aside a certain amount of time each day for reading. This could be 15 minutes or maybe an hour, but try to read at the same time every day.
- Making reading a part of your daily routine will help make it a habit. After a while, reading at this time will feel automatic.
- For example, many people read before bed every night. Others make it a habit to read on the bus or train on the way to and from work. However, others like to read in the morning.
Step 2. Stick to your schedule
Unless you absolutely have to, don't miss a specially designated reading time. If you have to miss it for some reason, try rescheduling it at another time. You don't want to break your routine.
Remember that in order to achieve any goal, you will have to put in the required time and effort. There is no shortcut for this. If you are serious about your reading goals, you should read regularly
Step 3. Make an evaluation of the impact
As you continue your reading list, take a moment to assess whether your reading is contributing to your goals. If not, improve your list!
- You may conclude that one of the books you have chosen is nothing new to your understanding or knowledge. If that's the case, you may need to skip the book, and perhaps other similar books. For example, you may at one point feel that you have mastered the economic concepts of Keynesianism. If so, reading more books on this topic may no longer be your top priority.
- On the other hand, you may find that much of the literature you have selected refers to a number of other topics that you are not very familiar with. If a book on that topic isn't on your list, you may want to add additional reading. For example, imagine you are reading about winemaking. You may come across a chemistry concept that you don't understand. In this case, you should consider adding books on basic chemistry to your reading list.
- Finally, you may find that something you choose to read is more difficult than what you were prepared to read. Instead of forcing it on and failing to understand most of what was read, drop it down to the bottom of the list and look back at it at a later date. This may become more valuable reading as you learn more about the topic.
Step 4. Stay motivated
Motivation and persistence are the keys to achieving any target. Maintaining your motivation will be important to reach the target.
- It's a good idea to have a plan in advance with some ideas on how to stay motivated and overcome any discouragement you may encounter. This could include having friends around you who know you need a word of encouragement, or a reward system for getting to a certain point.
- Use reinforcement to help increase motivation. When you reach a point like finishing a book (or even a difficult chapter), give yourself a little reward. For example, you could treat yourself to a delicious dessert, go to the movies, or buy a new pair of shoes because you've finished the book on your list. This will help create a positive connection with achieving your goals and encourage you to reach the next point.
- If obstacles arise that will make it difficult for you to try to maintain a schedule for a while, it's okay to revise your plans. For example, imagine that your loved one has a medical emergency. This may make it difficult for you to focus on reading books on winemaking for a while. Once things calm down, come back and look at your plans. Maybe you can come up with a reasonable plan for building a schedule by adding a few minutes to your daily reading time. But if you're too far behind on that, adjusting the deadline doesn't mean you're a failure.
Step 5. Track your progress
Another great way to increase motivation is to regularly track your progress. Make a note of the books you've finished, or how far you've read a particular book, against your schedule.
- Deadlines in your schedule will create a sense of urgency and responsibility for accomplishing targets. No one wants to feel that they have failed.
- Use a journal, calendar or app to track your progress and update it regularly.
Tips
Diversity can help keep you interested in reading material. Maybe you want to choose some lighter books or explore the topic from a different perspective. For example, if your goal is to become a film director, include the bio of your favorite director on the list. It can complement books on directing technique and the film industry and add variety
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