My Reading System for Personal Growth + Lifelong Learning
Do you ever feel like you can't keep track of what you've read or what to read next? Do you love one book and hate the next? Have you ever gotten stuck on a book and not read for months? Over the past few years, I went from reading 6-7 books a year to reading 30-60. Plus, I learned to love reading again! In this post, I'm going to share my reading system for personal growth and lifelong learning!
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Creating a reading system will help you learn more from the books you read, find new books to read, and read more consistently because you won't get bogged down by books you don't enjoy!
I mainly read nonfiction books about business, investigative journalism, personal growth, memoirs, and biographies. On the side, I enjoy reading the occasional mystery, but I mainly read books to learn new things and figure out ways I can improve my life.
If you are looking for ideas on building your own nonfiction reading system, this is a good place to start.
I used to quit books after picking them up and reading a few pages, but I realized that not finishing books is part of the reading process. Because I like to build systems for my life, I created this system to help streamline my reading process.
I've been following this reading system for around two years, and it works because it's easy to follow and flexible.
This is my reading system for personal growth and lifelong learning!
My Reading System for Personal Growth + Lifelong Learning
How I Choose What to Read
My Goodreads "Books to Read" list currently has over 800 titles in it. This is my starting place for finding new books to read. I know I probably won't read a good majority of these books all the way through, so it's important to me to always have a large list.
Previously, I kept this list in my bullet journal but having it in Goodreads is way easier because my list expands rapidly.
Currently, I have my list ordered by books with the most ratings, so I see the most popular books first and I pick out the ones that have a 4+ star rating to read first.
Before going to the library, I scroll through this list and pick out whatever books look the most interesting to me and are available at the library.
Even though the books on my list range from memoirs to mysteries, I choose what to read based on what I'm currently in the mood for. Right now, I've been reading a lot of books about investigative journalism and business biographies!
If I find a genre I really enjoy, I'll look up lists on the internet for more books to read that are similar to the one I just read and add those to my TBR list.
I also put books on hold through the library and Libby. I read these books as soon as they come in because I know I'll only have them for a limited time.
The key is to have a long list of books in multiple genres, so there are always new books you are excited to read!
My Reading Routine
As of right now, I'm trying to read almost all of my books in the paperback format versus reading them online. I'm only reading books on Libby if that's the quickest way for me to access a book I'm really excited about.
Reading books in print helps me spend less time on my phone!
I always read multiple books at once.
If I'm currently reading five books, then I'll pick up the book that I'm enjoying the most. When I finish that one, I'll start reading a new one. The next time I read, I'll pick up the book that's the most interesting out of the five I'm currently reading.
When it's time to return books to the library, I'll mark the books I didn't finish as DNF on Goodreads, unless I really want to give a book a second chance.
How I Decide When to Stop Reading a Book
I always read multiple books at once because I don't finish reading a lot of books. Forcing yourself to read books that you aren't interested in is one of the easiest ways to waste your time and read less.
I try to read 50 pages before deciding to put it in my DNF pile, but I can usually tell after a chapter if I enjoy the writing style or not.
I use reading as a way to improve my writing style, so I try to take note of what I don't like about a book if I stop reading it.
Generally, I only finish reading books that I'm enjoying and would rate at least 2.5 stars. My only exception is when I'm almost done with a book. Life is too short to read books that you aren't enjoying!
When I Read
There are a couple of key points throughout the day when I read. As of right now, I'm reading daily because I have the time. During busy semesters at college, homework has to come first, so sometimes I don't read as much.
I love reading during breakfast, and sometimes during lunch and dinner if I'm not too busy with other things like homework or eating with friends/family.
A new habit I started building last semester is reading a few chapters right before bed if I get ready early enough. It's a great way to wind down and relax before I go to sleep!
Right now, I've been reading while riding a stationary recumbent bike. It's a great way to combine exercise and learning!
Taking Notes on What I Read
Taking notes on what you are reading is an ideal way to remember what you are learning and will help you figure out ways to actually apply what you are learning to your life.
The downside to taking notes is that it takes longer to read books. It's also not as convenient because you may have to carry around an extra notebook too.
Previously, I experimented with taking notes as I read personal growth books, and I want to get back into the habit of notetaking. It makes it so much easier to remember the key points from the book!
My reading notebook is very simple. On each page, I write the title of the book and the author. Then I create a bullet point summary of the book as I'm reading.
If I own a book, I'll use color-coding to highlight the main ideas of the book and quotes I like right in the book along with underlining and notes in the margin. I only own a few books, but this is my favorite way to easily remember what I'm reading!
One thing I try to do when reading books for personal growth is to choose one small idea from the book and immediately apply it to my life. If not, I'll quickly forget what I learned from the book.
How I Track My Reading
Lastly, I track my reading because it motivates me to read and helps me keep track of which books I've already read.
Whenever I finish a book, I go to Goodreads and leave a rating along with a review. My reviews are mainly for myself. I just write a few main points of what I liked or want to remember from the book.
My rating system:
- 1-2 stars: I rarely leave ratings this low because I mark these books as DNF instead
- 3 stars: This was an okay book
- 4 stars: This was a good book
- 5 stars: This book is one of my favorites and I'd consider reading it again
After leaving a review on Goodreads, I write down the title of the book and the rating I gave it in my bullet journal. Keeping a list of the books I've read in my bullet journal helps me see which books I've read each year and how many I've finished.
It's also easy for me to look back and see which books I've enjoyed the most! I also like the idea of having a bullet journal collection page for my all-time favorite books, so that's another idea you might try!
When Goodreads sends me an email with similar books to the one I just read, I add the recommendations to my reading list if I liked the book.
Final Notes on My Reading System for Personal Growth + Lifelong Learning
This is the reading system I'm currently using to read almost daily and constantly learn new things! The most important part of my reading system is making sure that I'm not letting books I'm not enjoying keep me from reading.
The goal with creating a reading system isn't to read as many books as possible. Instead, it's to make reading part of your lifestyle, so you are constantly learning and growing.
Here's a quick recap of my reading system:
- Choose a new book to read from these options:
- Goodreads' TBR list
- Recommendations
- Library holds that have just come in
- Read multiple books at once
- Read at least 50 pages of every book
- When I finish a book, I start a new one so I'm always reading multiple books
- Mark books as DNF when it's time to return them/I've read 50 pages and don't want to continue
- Consistently track my reading
- Take notes on key ideas (I need to start doing this again!)
- Rate finished books on Goodreads and write them in my bullet journal
- Add Goodreads' book recommendations to my TBR list if I enjoyed the finished book
If you liked this post about my reading system, you may enjoy reading these posts as well!
- How to Actually Read More Books This Year (30 Actionable Tips!)
- My Weekly Planning Routine for Staying Organized in College
- The Realistic Meal Planning System I Use as a Busy College Student
- 5 Life Rules to Follow This Year for Personal Growth
I hope this post gives you some ideas for creating your own reading system!
If you liked learning about my reading system, don't forget to save this post! :)
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