#teachingisfun

This year, I participated in a reading challenge for the first time. It was a spontaneous decision.

In autumn I started reflecting on the disadvantages of reading challenges.

This year, severe blackouts in Ukraine started in May. Usually, there is electricity for only 2–4 hours daily. russians have been bombing our power stations endlessly. My life paused as it was challenging to work and do other things.

Thus, I had lots of spare time to read. In July, I set a goal to read 50 books until the New Year. The start point was June. BTW, I completed the challenge at the beginning of October. 

1. It all starts with fun

First, I was very keen on it and enjoyed the reading challenge very much. For example, I read 13 books in July and 15 in August. Awesome? Hell yeah! 

Nevertheless, in August stress and anxiety knocked on my door. There are disadvantages of reading challenges that I didn’t anticipate.

2. Stress and Anxiety

Then, I felt extremely stressed because the app (“Goodreads”) that tracks my progress notified me I had to read 2.5 books a week to complete the challenge.

Every time I read a book, I would immediately mark it as “read” and then google how many weeks are left until the New Year, then calculate how many books I should read to keep up with the challenge. I did it because I hoped that the app had been mistaken and that I could read less than 2.5 books a week. This made me more stressed.

3. Reputation Strain

Taking on a big reading challenge might lead to reputation strain, especially if you do not meet the goal. People might start to judge or question commitment. Moreover, you might feel a bit embarrassed if you fall short of expectations, even though it’s all about enjoying the process.

All my friends knew about the reading challenge. My social media followers knew about it, too. If I were to fail the challenge, it seemed like an epic failure. 

4. Time and Effort

In July, I read 15 books. It was effortless. Honestly, I thought that I would have the same pace.

In August, I spent a lot of time searching for the books that I wanted to read, bookshops where I could buy those books, and adding those books to my TBR (To Be Read) list. Instead of reading books, I was busy hunting.

I lost time. I fell behind my reading schedule. Furthermore, I started to panic, which emphasized the disadvantages of reading challenges. 

To keep up with the challenge, I started looking for thin books (up to 200 pages). It was a good opportunity to read classic books and finish reading books that I had not finished. For example, “The Great Gatsby”. I lost time looking for thin books as well.

This was when I realized that it had gotten too far and that I should do something with it. 

Later that month, I read three thin books and decided to relax and not to pay attention to the numbers. Moreover, I read fewer books in September than I read in August. But every day I enjoy reading books without any stress. 

I gave myself permission to fail. The world will not end if I don’t read 50 books in 6 months. When you allow yourself to fail, you anticipate one of the disadvantages of reading challenges that can affect one’s mental health.

5. Unrealistic expectations

Looking at the results of other readers, who read 100-200 books a year, made me think that I could also do it. Later, I realized that we all have our own paces and life circumstances. Although, I consider myself a fast reader (I read 250 words per minute if no one bothers me, and I can read even faster), it seemed like not good enough. 

Many famous business people read 100 books a year; manage to write their own books and lead successful businesses. 

Lesson learned: my reading goal for 2025 will be to read 50 books, even though I read 79 books from June 1st to December 15th, 2024.

6. Neglecting other areas of life

This is another disadvantage of reading challenges.

I’ve noticed that the more I read, the less I write and edit texts for my blog. Honestly, I don’t like it.

One of my goals for 2025 is to have a balance between reading and writing.

I was thinking about setting a reading goal for 2025 — 150 books a year. However, I’ve changed my mind. I think I’ll aim for 75 books instead. If I manage to read more, great; if not, that’s fine too.

Conclusion

All in all, reading challenges are awesome. Yet, we should be aware of the dark sides and disadvantages of reading challenges, too. I believe that we should be realistic and accept that failing is O.K.

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