We are now half way through 2026, and you’re either on track to your goals, or you’re like me who is a few books behind. As an avid reader, I felt like I had no time to keep reading for this goal. I had things to do. I had chores, a baby, and animals to care for. So how do people hit their insane goals of 100+ books a year? Since not everybody has the same 24 hours, let’s talk about what is likely holding you back instead.
Doom Scrolling / Social Media
I am someone with an avid social media addiction, and I am easily influenced from time to time. As of June, I set a goal to limit my access to my personal social media accounts for the sake of my time and mental health, which means I have found upwards of 2-3 hours a day more to read and other things that need to get done.
Doom scrolling has been my biggest competitor in reading. You can hop onto social media for 5 minutes and next thing you know, it’s now been an hour.
I average anywhere between 50-90 pages an hour depending on the genre, size, and interest in the book, so in an hour I could have completed a decent chunk of a book in that time. Instead, I got too emotionally attached to a monkey in Japan and went down a rabbit hole.
I have recently found that tiktok will allow you to limit your time on social media without locking you out of other accounts. I have set up a time limit on my personal tiktok to prevent my doom scrolling, I have not looked into the instagram or facebook portion, but I am rarely scrolling on those two anyways.
If you don’t have a content account for social media, you can easily limit your screen time in your settings on both android and iphone. If you’re desperate enough, you can buy a Brick, not my first choice but you can absolutely lock yourself out of your social media accounts.
Reading Slumps
I feel like social media can tie into this, but not all the time. Reading slumps are killer for me and my goals. I am on book 5 of the Red Rising series that I started two months ago. Aside from the doom scrolling, I now need to anticipate the slump after this series, because I can feel it coming.
You either read a book so good, or so bad that you need a second to process it all. Since Red Rising is incomplete, I am scared to keep going.
Check out my other posts: Books to get out of a slump and Being a Mood Reader
Both of these talk about how to get out of reading slumps with some ideas, as well as mood reading common issues and how to prevent a slump.
Slumps are my worst enemy and lead me back into the loop of doom scrolling or seeking out other hobbies because “I just don’t know what to read”.
Sometimes, one of the best ways is to pick up a short book or novella and bulldoze a small book to keep you in the habit of reading. This is actually a great opportunity to try some indie author books, since indie authors are likely to publish smaller but more books to make their work more enticing to others. And you support a small creator, so win win.
Comparison
Comparing yourself to others, even if you are not online, is a challenge that is very human. We want to read over 100 books a year like others, read more books like others do to feel more “literate” or “knowledgeable”. Honestly, read what you want, when you want, how often you want. If you hit a small goal of reading five books a year, congratulations you read more than the average person.
It’s very natural to compare yourself to others and want to fit in with crowds but, once again, we all don’t have the same 24 hours, and don’t listen to the people that say we do.
Thank you readers for your continued support! Don’t forget to follow me on my tiktok and instagram. Send me an email for book recommendations, topics you want to see, or other ideas you have in mind! Happy reading!
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