Reading Without Limits or Expectations
Key topics
As readers weigh in on the perils of setting reading goals, a lively debate erupts around the best way to cultivate a love of reading. Some swear by ditching books they're not into, while others confess to getting stuck on a single title - until they discovered the joys of reading multiple books simultaneously. The discussion reveals a surprising consensus: when reading starts to feel like a chore, it's time to rethink the approach, whether that means abandoning goals or embracing a more relaxed reading list. By shedding the pressure to perform, readers can rediscover the simple pleasure of getting lost in a good book.
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Jan 5, 2026 at 3:50 PM EST
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I tend to read a lot of books simultaneously, but much I’m not convinced is the best approach (esp for fiction) but I’m undecided yet on if it’s a habit worth changing.
I don't want to "gamify" reading, that would make me choose short/easy reads. I love those challenging reads that stay with you, change you, give you new perspectives. (And I also love obsessive fun reads.) But I think often I don't read because I don't feel like I'm being "productive". So it's not lack of motivation, but this nagging feeling of "wasting time" (and so I'd open my laptop and click around aimlessly online as if that was more productive). However, simply being able to change an item in my org-mode file from "TODO" to "DONE" has mostly taken away that feeling, now I both read from enjoyment and don't feel like I should be doing something on the computer.
I'm not being graded. If I start a book and I don't care about the subject or the characters after 50-100 pages or so, it goes in my Goodwill pile. The only decent exception to that for me is Stieg Larsson -- his "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" books take their time getting started without being boring.
I sometimes read math papers - these are hard to read and I don't understand much, but I'm willing to deal with the chore because it expands my thinking long term to do so. People should read works like this that are at the edge of what they can understand. Even if there isn't a test, it will sometimes help with life (there is some evidence this delays mental decline and thus results in a longer life span - I'm not sure if it is true but an additional point)
When I'm reading "dragons vs rouges" or some such fiction I'm looking for fun so if the book isn't fun I drop it fast. I probably wouldn't get far with "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" if what you say is true - there are more fun books I would enjoy than I have time to read as it is, so if fun is the goal I'm going to drop anything that isn't proven fun quick.
I set a goal at the start of the year. And definitely at certain points I was optimising for that goal. And it took a lot out of me. I would have to do it rigidly, I would need to read X amount of pages.
I still enjoyed what I did. I still think it was ultimately a worthwhile goal. But this year my goal is to just "read." Not read N Amount. just to read for the pure enjoyment of reading.