Why Readers Should Rethink Their Book Lists

The list of books you plan to read in the future can offer excitement and motivation to keep reading and provide value and a way to express your love of books. Whether your to-be-read, TBR, list consists of pen-and-paper scribbles in a notebook, a public list on Goodreads, or an uber-organized spreadsheet, keeping track of the books you hope to read in the future sounds like a great idea.

But is your TBR stressing you out?

One market research study showed that consumers often feel pressed for time because of conflicting goals (Etkin, J., Evangelidis, I., and Aaker, J., 2015). You want to start working through your TBR but are also committed to cooking a healthy dinner at home, spending special time with your kids, and getting started on that work project. You are knee-deep in goal conflict, and likely feeling the pressure and stress it brings. Growing TBR lists might only indulge your feelings of FOMO, overwhelm you, and ultimately lead to the realization that one life is not long enough to read all the books.

Having too many things on your to-do list (or to-read list) can give you the feeling that there’s just not enough time, often causing anxiety. Hundreds of books on your list, and counting, is realistically unattainable and can add to your mental load, leading to guilt when you are not making much progress. With the potential to cause stress, guilt, and overwhelm, it begs the question: Should readers ditch their book lists?

Not necessarily. People with a short, prioritized list, may feel empowered with enough time to reach their goals, without the added stress (Murphy, M., n.d.). Research shows that list-making can be a healthy tool for increasing productivity (Schrager S, Sadowski E., 2016).

Writing down the books you plan to read might help you achieve your reading goals while freeing up your cognitive resources to pursue other tasks (Masicampo EJ, Baumeister RF., 2011). Best of all, when you cross a book off your list, your brain enjoys a rewarding dopamine hit, increasing motivation to keep reading (‌Bromberg-Martin ES, and colleagues 2010).

To keep the list stress-free, here are a few tips.

1. Be a minimalist. If you must keep a list, minimize it. Limit yourself to a handful of books on your list at any one time, and only add another when you cross one off. Be realistic about how much time you have to read, and where your interests lie.
2. Get organized. If you read across genres, break your list into sections, dividing fiction, non-fiction, memoir, thriller, and others into smaller, separate lists, and alternate categories as you choose what to read next.
3. Take a break. At the end of the day, setting aside your list and enjoying tasks that are not goal-oriented is important for your brain health. Research suggests that taking breaks can improve your mood, boost your performance, and increase your ability to concentrate and pay attention (Clinic, C., 2020).
4. Transform your book list into a reading journal. Keeping a reading journal can be a rewarding way to not only cross a book off your TBR list, but also write reflections, and favorite quotes, or keep a running record of books read to look back on. Imagine passing down a reading journal to future generations so they too can fall in love with reading, maybe even through the same books you have enjoyed.
5. Invite friends to read along. Invite others on your reading journey. Reading and discussing books together increases social engagement, fostering connections and decreasing feelings of isolation (Knollman-Porter, K., & Julian, S. K., 2019).

Perhaps what matters most isn’t the length of your list, but the time you spend reading each day. If you want to increase your reading time, crafting a specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely SMART goal to add daily reading to your to-do list can be an effective way to build a reading habit.

In the world of “book-stagram” and “book-tok,” being a book lover isn’t about collecting books, or titles on a list, but the joy of reading.