What’s up, my nugs? 

I’m dropping by today to tell you about my reading plan in hopes that it might help you decide on a format for your own. A lot of people might say that you don’t need a plan to read. I mean, don’t you pick up a book and open to page one then go until the end? Well, yes and no, because a significant issue is people don’t know what to read. But Ken, what if I don’t know what to read because I bought too many books and can’t seem to stop. Then this is for you as well.

Last year I set a goal to read a book a week, so 52 books in the year 2019. I read 36 books. While many of my loved ones and friends tell me that it is quite an achievement in itself, it’s not good enough for me. I set a goal and then didn’t reach it. As I thought back to what made me fail on my goal, I came to a realization.

Have you ever heard the saying, “failing to plan is planning to fail?”

I heard it many times in the military. Then I started to hear it in the motivational videos I watch daily. (Don’t judge me.) All of 2019, I had been just lining up books and hoping that I’d get through them fast enough. I didn’t pay attention to length, topic, or any other details. It was just put a book in my hands, and I’ll read. So this year, I’ve decided to take a more strategic approach. I hope this will help you too.

The Plan

Since it’s a book a week, and there are four weeks in a year, I decided to break my books into weeks.

Week 1: Fiction book of your choice. 

I like to enjoy fiction novels since that is what I’m working towards. It helps me know what people look for in the genres I am writing in. You can choose any book you want, of any length, plan for you to be done in that week. It helps me to break it down by how many pages I need to read a day to reach that goal.

Week 2: A craft book in your field of desired expertise.

Brian Tracy said, “Reading one hour per day in your chosen field will make you an international expert in 7 years.” Well, seven years seems like a long time, but in the end, I can tell you it goes faster than you think. I don’t know how old you are as the reader, but if you want to get to the point where those around you look to advise in your desired topic, you need to start reading now. One thing I want to note is that you must read with the intent to learn. Don’t do it just because I said it, or a quote I shared, the big challenge about reading a book a week is wanting to do it. For me, the motivation to know I have to read a craft book a month helps me follow through with it.

Week 3: A self development/improvement/help book.

I know a lot of people will see this selection and roll their eyes. All this New Age bull shit is getting ridiculous, but I think it has something to back its claims. No, I don’t believe a single book will make you a millionaire overnight. Or that you can all of a sudden like people and have all the best friends after reading How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie. I do believe that these types of books get people into the mindset of changing how they interact with people. Whether you do it for personal gain, or to better yourself, I recommend one of these books a month. 

Week 4: Indie Author week.

I like to do this week to support my fellow writers. You can find a lot of good writing from self-published authors. With the shift away from a lot of publishing houses to Amazon publishing, it seems plenty of people are becoming successful on their own. It’s like singers who build their personal brand before some record label tries to buy them. I also try to practice what I preach. I won’t recommend you read a book if I wouldn’t read it myself.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, these are recommendations. I’m not saying that you have to read a book a week to be a good reader. I just wanted to offer you my plan of action in hopes that you might find it useful. So whether you read one book a year, or one-hundred, I hope this has been enjoyable and benefitted your day. Stay fresh my nugs!

An LGR post.