How to Determine a Reading Schedule

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Despite your best efforts, it's sometimes difficult to stick with your plan to finish that list of books. Other projects get in the way. You may find yourself overwhelmed by the size of the book you've chosen. You may just let the habit of reading slide or slip until you've forgotten much of the plot and/or characters; and, you feel that you might as well just start over. Here's a solution: Set up a reading schedule to get you through those books!

All you need to get started is a pen, some paper, a calendar, and of course, books!

How to Set up a Reading Schedule

  1. Pick a list of books you'd like to read.
  2. Determine when you will start reading your first book.
  3. Select the order in which you'd like to read the books on your reading list.
  4. Decide how many pages you will read every day. If you've decided that you'll read 5 pages per day, count the number of pages in the book that you've selected to read first.
  5. Write the page span (1-5) down on paper next to your selected start date. It's also a great idea to write your schedule up on the calendar, so you can track your reading progress by crossing off the date when you've finished your reading for that day.
  6. Continue through the book, tracking where each stopping point will be. You may decide to mark the stopping points in your book with a post-it or pencil mark, so the reading will seem more manageable.
  7. As you page through the book, you may decide to alter your reading schedule (add or subtract pages for a particular day), so you'll stop and/or start on a new chapter or section of the book.
  8. Once you've determined the schedule for the first book, you can move on to the next book on your reading list. Follow the same process of paging through the book to determine your reading schedule. Don't forget to write the page numbers down next to the appropriate date on a piece of paper and/or on your calendar.

Get Outside Support

By structuring your reading schedule in this way, you should find it easier to get through those books on your reading list. You can also get your friends involved. Share your schedule with them and encourage them to join you in your reading. It's great fun, you'll be able to discuss your reading experience with others! You could even turn this reading schedule into a book club.

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Lombardi, Esther. "How to Determine a Reading Schedule." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/how-to-determine-a-reading-schedule-738361. Lombardi, Esther. (2020, August 27). How to Determine a Reading Schedule. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-determine-a-reading-schedule-738361 Lombardi, Esther. "How to Determine a Reading Schedule." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/how-to-determine-a-reading-schedule-738361 (accessed May 28, 2023).
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