I spent over a decade tracking my reading habits and goals. Now that I've stopped, I love books more than ever.
My past self would never believe it, but I couldn't tell you how many books I've read this year.
After all, I've been hooked on reading since I was 7 years old, and for most of my life, I've kept track of all the books I've finished.
It started in middle school with reading logs and journals I completed for homework. Then, I took it a step further and started keeping track of books I borrowed from the library, and later developed a reading diary.
I loved that I could look back on different versions of myself and see how my reading preferences and taste in books changed over time.
My love for book tracking only intensified when I discovered Goodreads in 2014. The website (and app) allowed me to more easily track my books, reviews, and reading habits from my computer or phone.
Years later, I still read a lot. If I were to guess, I'd say I finish an average of 30 to 40 books a year, but I have no way of knowing the exact number because I no longer track the books I read.
Tracking my reading habits made the experience less about fun and more about meeting a metric
After many years of tracking the books I'd read, I began to lose some of the joy that came with reading.
I became obsessed with hitting the reading goals I'd set for myself on Goodreads every January. Whenever I fell into a reading slump, I'd force myself to read books I didn't even want to read yet just to achieve an arbitrary metric.
Last year, I spent a whole week trying to determine if finishing Madeline Miller's short story"Galatea" should count toward my reading goal for the year. Why did it matter so much? I was overthinking and missing the point of reading in the first place.
All in all, actively tracking the books I read was making me unhappy, so I decided to stop.
Ditching the metrics and goals have been freeing in many ways
Of course, some of this is my fault. Setting reading goals is optional, and book tracking doesn't need to be as rigid as I'd defined it.
Many people find happiness and satisfaction in all of the metrics and digital shelves, but stepping away from them has been great for me.
Now, I read because I want to enjoy the content, go on adventures, and learn more about myself, not because I'm trying to achieve something. I no longer feel pressured to keep up with new books or stress over whether re-reading old favorites "counts" toward a goal — I just enjoy the hobby I'd always loved so much.
I've given myself the freedom to branch out and read more than just books, too. I've expanded my interests to enjoy articles, think pieces, and poems I previously wouldn't have read because they weren't things I felt like I could easily track.
Now that I've removed book tracking from my life, I don't see myself ever going back. After all, what good is reading so much if it doesn't bring me joy?
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I spent over a decade tracking my reading habits and goals. Now that I've stopped, I love books more than ever.
My past self would never believe it, but I couldn't tell you how many books I've read this year. After all, I've been hooked on reading since I was 7 years old, and for most of my life, I've kept track of all the books I've finished. It started in middle school with reading logs and journals I completed for homework. Then, I took it a step further and started keeping track of books I borrowed from the library, and later developed a reading diary. I loved that I could look back on different versions of myself and see how my reading preferences and taste in books changed over time. My love for book tracking only intensified when I discovered Goodreads in 2014. The website (and app) allowed me to more easily track my books, reviews, and reading habits from my computer or phone. Years later, I still read a lot. If I were to guess, I'd say I finish an average of 30 to 40 books a year, but I have no way of knowing the exact number because I no longer track the books I read. Tracking my reading habits made the experience less about fun and more about meeting a metric After many years of tracking the books I'd read, I began to lose some of the joy that came with reading. I became obsessed with hitting the reading goals I'd set for myself on Goodreads every January. Whenever I fell into a reading slump, I'd force myself to read books I didn't even want to read yet just to achieve an arbitrary metric. Last year, I spent a whole week trying to determine if finishing Madeline Miller's short story"Galatea" should count toward my reading goal for the year. Why did it matter so much? I was overthinking and missing the point of reading in the first place. All in all, actively tracking the books I read was making me unhappy, so I decided to stop. Ditching the metrics and goals have been freeing in many ways Of course, some of this is my fault. Setting reading goals is optional, and book tracking doesn't need to be as rigid as I'd defined it. Many people find happiness and satisfaction in all of the metrics and digital shelves, but stepping away from them has been great for me. Now, I read because I want to enjoy the content, go on adventures, and learn more about myself, not because I'm trying to achieve something. I no longer feel pressured to keep up with new books or stress over whether re-reading old favorites "counts" toward a goal — I just enjoy the hobby I'd always loved so much. I've given myself the freedom to branch out and read more than just books, too. I've expanded my interests to enjoy articles, think pieces, and poems I previously wouldn't have read because they weren't things I felt like I could easily track. Now that I've removed book tracking from my life, I don't see myself ever going back. After all, what good is reading so much if it doesn't bring me joy?
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America's Cup Winners
1851 America, United States, def. Aurora, England (and a fleet of 13 yachts) 1-0 at Cowes, Isle of Wight 1870 Magic, United States, def. Cambria, England 1-0 at Newport, Rhode Island 1871 Columbia, United States, def. Livonia, England 4-1 at Newport 1876 Madeline, United States, def. def. Countess of Dufferin, Canada 2-0 at Newport 1881 Mischief, United States, def. Atalanta, Canada 4-1 at Newport 1885 Puritan, United States, def. Genesta, Britain 2-0 at Newport 1886 Mayflower, United States, def. Galatea, Britain 2-0 at Newport 1887 Volunteer, United States, def. Thistle, Scotland 2-0 at Newport 1893 Vigilant, United States, def. Valkyrie II, Britain 3-0 at Newport 1895 Defender, United States, def. Valkyrie III, Britain 3-0 at Newport 1899 Columbia, United States, def. Shamrock, Ireland 3-0 at Newport 1901 Columbia, United States, def. Shamrock II, Ireland 3-0 at Newport 1903 Reliance, United States, def. Shamrock III, Ireland 3-0 at Newport 1920 Resolute, United States, def. Shamrock IV, Ireland 3-2 at Newport 1930 Enterprise, United States, def. Shamrock V, Ireland 4-0 at Newport 1934 Rainbow, United States, def. Endeavour, Britain 4-2 at Newport 1937 Ranger, United States, def. Endeavour II, Britain 4-0 at Newport 1958 Columbia, United States, def. Sceptre, Britain, 3-1 at Newport 1962 Weatherly, United States, def. Gretel, Australia 4-1 at Newport 1964 Constellation, United States, def. Sovereign, Britain, 4-0 at Newport 1970 Intrepid, United States, def. Gretel II, Australia 4-1 at Newport 1974 Courageous, United States, def. Southern Cross, Australia 4-0 at Newport 1977 Courageous, United States, def. Australia, Australia 4-0 at Newport 1980 Freedom, United States, def. Australia, Australia 4-1 at Newport 1983 Australia II, Australia, def. Liberty, United States 4-3 at Newport 1987 Stars & Stripes, United States, def. Kookaburra III, Australia 4-0 at Fremantle, Australia 1988 Stars & Stripes, United States, def. KZ1, New Zealand 2-0 at San Diego 1992 America3, United States, def. Il Moro di Venezia, Italy 4-1 at San Diego 1995 Black Magic, New Zealand, def. Young America, United States 5-0 at San Diego 2000 New Zealand, New Zealand, def. Prada, Italy 5-0 at Auckland, New Zealand 2003 Alinghi, Switzerland, def. Team New Zealand, New Zealand 5-0 at Auckland 2007 Alinghi, Switzerland, def. Emirates Team New Zealand, New Zealand 5-2 at Valencia, Spain. 2010 BMW Oracle, United States, def. Alinghi, Switzerland 2-0 at Valencia 2013 Oracle Team USA, United States, def. Emirates Team New Zealand, New Zealand 9-8 at San Francisco 2017 Emirates Team New Zealand, New Zealand, def. Oracle Team USA, United States 7-1 at Hamilton, Bermuda 2021 Emirates Team New Zealand, New Zealand, def. Luna Rossa Prada Pirelli, Italy 7-3 at Auckland 2024 Emirates Team New Zealand, New Zealand, def. INEOS Britannia, Britain 7-2 at Barcelona, Spain
