HOW I HIT MY READING GOAL IN 2022
ARE YOU READY TO MAKE 2022 THE YEAR WHERE YOU GET MORE DONE, ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS, AND STILL HAVE TIME FOR YOUR FAMILY? LET ME HELP YOU GET YOUR TIME BACK WITH MY FREE PRODUCTIVITY PLANNER!
**Disclosure: I love giving recommendations and I promise I will never recommend anything that I haven’t used, read, or tried out myself. That being said, please note that there are affiliate links contained in this post, which allows me to earn commission from the things you buy with these links.
I’ve had this goal for the last several years to read 20 books throughout the year. And every single year, I would get maybe 16 or 17 books read – always falling short of my 20-book goal.
So, in 2022, I decided that maybe reading 20 books was too big of a goal. So I lowered my goal to read 10 pages per day – or just 3,650 pages for all of 2022. That’s approximately 10 books. That’s doable, right?!
Not only did I read all 3,650 pages in 2022, but I also hit that goal by June – AND I ended up reading 23 books in 2022!
What changed? Why could I NEVER hit my goal of 20 books year after year, but not only easily achieve my pages read goal but SMASH my 20 book goal?
I stopped reading what I thought I *should* read and started reading what I actually wanted to read.
As a business owner, I was constantly consuming personal development books, business podcasts, courses, and trainings – all these things that I thought I needed to hit my goals for my business. I thought that the more things I consumed, the more I would learn, and in turn, those things would help me achieve my business goals.
But, year after year, I found myself continuing to throw spaghetti at the wall and hoping something – ANYTHING – would stick so I could FINALLY achieve my goals in business.
In reality, what I needed to do was actually focus on things specific to my own business. I needed to dive into my data to see what was working and what wasn’t working. I needed to stop consuming and actually start taking action on the things that were working.
And that didn’t include consuming more books, trainings, and podcasts.
Instead, I joined a mastermind last year and got 1-on-1 coaching on the things that would actually move my business forward. I set realistic income goals based on my personal business data. I tweaked my messaging based on data and feedback from my launches and sales funnels. I grew in the areas where I actually needed to grow so I could hit my business goals.
And because of that, I had time to read what I actually wanted to read: thrillers and other fiction books that I would never “allow” myself to read.
I was afraid that if I actually read things that weren’t going to help me personally, my business wouldn’t grow, my mindset would suffer, and I’d be even further away from those goals.
But, here’s what actually happened:
My business started growing. I brought in more organic traffic to my business. I got invited to be on more podcasts. I was asked to be a guest expert in my area of expertise (productivity).
My mindset wasn’t constantly being bombarded with things that I thought I needed to be doing because some guru or expert who didn’t know me from Adam was telling me to do something. And that helped my mindset stay where it needed to be. I found that I didn’t suffer from “imposter syndrome” nearly as much as I had in the past. It was probably the year when my mindset was better than it’s ever been.
I fell in love with reading again. I didn’t fully give up personal development, but anytime I picked up a personal development or business book, I struggled to get through it. Instead, I got book recommendations and read books that were fun to read – and I WANTED to lay in bed at night and read, which allowed me to read more, instead of consuming + scrolling social media.
And because one of my favorite things to do is get book recommendations on #booktok, I thought I’d share with you the top 5 books I read in 2022:
MY TOP 5 BOOKS OF 2022
5. JAMES PATTERSON’S TRUE CRIME SERIES
One thing you might not know about me is I absolutely LOVE true crime. I don’t know when I realized it, but I think it might have to do with the fact that my parents would watch the Saturday Night Dateline Mystery almost every week. Or maybe because the infamous Pam Hupp lived only about 3 miles away from my house when she murdered Betsy Faria.
Anyway, I was in search of some true crime books and happened upon this Investigation Discovery Series written by James Patterson. These books are SO easy to read. I read one of them in 3 days (which might be a record for me). The chapters are short and there are 2 stories per book. I loved this series and honestly wish there were more than just 6 books!
If you want to know my favorite, it was Murder of Innocence.
4. VERITY BY COLLEEN HOOVER
If you haven’t heard of Verity or Colleen Hoover by now, I’m not sure you can consider yourself a reader. My mom kept telling me I needed to read this book, and when it finally was available through my library, I decided to jump on it.
It took me a little bit to get into it, but boy, was the twist at the end one I was not expecting! I’m still thinking about it almost 9 months after reading the book.
**NOTE: I also read the extended version with the additional chapter at the end, and I didn’t love it. Just stick with the original Verity.
3. LITTLE SECRETS BY JENNIFER HILLIER
This was one of the last books I read in 2022 and it easily hit the top of my list. I will say there are several trigger warnings in this (kidnapping, suicide, cheating spouses), but I absolutely loved this book. I am NOT a crier and this book left me in tears at the end. Not many books affect me like that, but this one definitely did.
2. THE PARIS APARTMENT BY LUCY FOLEY
I love a book with a twist at the end. I also apparently love a book with multiple different character viewpoints (see Little Secrets above). I am also someone who tends to figure out the twist at the end.
But, not this one. I did not expect how this one was going to end. I could not put this book down and read it in about a week (which is quick for me). If you love a good twist, this one is really good.
1. DEFENDING JACOB BY WILLIAM LANDY
This might be one of my favorite books of all time – and not just because Chris Evans is the star in the TV adaptation. This was another one my mom recommended because it’s high on her all-time list too and for good reason.
Again, like The Paris Apartment, the twist at the end of this was one I absolutely did not see coming, and it absolutely gutted me. It’s another book that I’m still thinking about months later. If you only read one book this year, it needs to be this one!
Now, I’m not saying that you should fully give up personal development or doing things that will help your business. Instead, I want to encourage you to take a look at what you really need in your business. Do you need to read a specific book or listen to a certain podcast episode?
Or, do you need to invest in a course, coach, or mentor who can actually shift the things in your business and give you exactly what you need to help you achieve your goals?
I still love a good personal development book from time to time, and my favorites are almost always ones on productivity and systems! I recommend a few of my favorites in these blog posts:
