I told myself that I would set a number and then try to forget about it.
Umm, yeah. Sure.
I should have known better, right?
I am so incredibly competitive. The worst part is that I am in competition with the most competitive person I know: myself. It's not enough for me to be on schedule. No, I feel like I have to be ahead. And I feel like I have to beat my own number. I set my goal for 200 books, but you just know that I will do everything I can to go above that. I don't even know why I bother setting goals.
The other day, there was a Goodreads error. One day, my challenge said I was six books ahead of schedule. The very next day, the challenge said I was one book behind.
To say that I was panicked is an understatement. I thought that I had a LOT of reading to do to get back ahead of schedule. Luckily, it was just a Goodreads error and my numbers were corrected within the day.
I would like to say that I realized my panicking was an overreaction and that I deleted my Goodreads challenge and that I decided not to worry about it.
Yeah, there's laughter in my head now.
I guess I will just embrace the competitive part of myself and read, read, read to get even more ahead of schedule. I don't know if that will happen, but there is something satisfying to seeing my challenge at the end of the year and seeing just how well I did with it.
So let's discuss: do you participate in the Goodreads challenge? Do you have a hard time forgetting about the number when you do?
I always check my GR challenge after I finish a book to see how far ahead - or behind - I am. I don't know how to stop lol!! So you are not alone my friend!
ReplyDeleteI'm definitely one of the people that check my Goodreads challenge after every book I finish. Also if I get in a slump I keep checking to make sure I haven't got behind on my goal. Last year, though, I just didn't have time to read and so completing my goal just wasn't a priority and I didn't care that I only got to 70%. I had hoped that would change my attitude towards it this year but there is still great satisfaction in being ahead of schedule!
ReplyDeleteSo no, you're certainly not the only one!
Sophie :)
I also follow my Goodreads challenge, but I keep it around the same number each year. If I hit it, great--if I don't, oh well.
ReplyDeleteOmg I absolutely relate to this. 😂 I check my challenge ALL THE TIME. Like did it update while I was sleeping?? Did it suddenly explode into enormous numbers despite the fact I've been lying on my face on my bed doing nothing?? ONE CAN NEVER KNOW IF THEY DON'T TRY IT. Hahhah. Ahem. Anyway, I always set myself a smaller goal than what I want to achieve so I can overachieve. XD
ReplyDeleteI've done the Goodreads challenge for about three years now. Last year I actually had a very hard time keeping up...once I was five books behind schedule and of course I told myself not to stress about it, it wasn't like I could stop going to work in order to read or anything like that.
ReplyDeleteI decided to try the challenge this year but I'm not going to stress over it. What I'm doing in January is finishing up all the books I'd left unfinished at the end of 2016, so that's given me an advantage to work with. Still, I'm keeping last year's goal of 70 books.
EIGHTEEN BOOKS!? Have there even been 18 DAYS in the year so far? (Literally have no idea what day it is. Probably the 20... somethingth. So I guess so.) But yes, yes I do this. ALL. THE. TIME. And why? I have no idea. I let stupid random.org pick my goal this year, and I hoped it would say like, 3 so I could relax, but instead it picked 13freaking9. So that isn't helpful. I am only one book ahead but now I am probably back to "on target" and only 25% through my current book so... panic time. Why, Goodreads? WHY?
ReplyDeleteI'm getting ready to finish 13 so far this year. I do check it but not every day. I found that with my new KFire that I am reading faster because it tells you how long you have to finish the book time wise. OCD kicks in and I'm finished.
ReplyDeleteI do this too! Every single time I finish a book, I check that Goodreads goal. It's an obsession.
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
I participate in the Goodreads Challenge every year but to be honest it doesn't really give me a lot of pressure since I usually know how to set myself realistic reading goals. I definitely like being competitive with myself but I also don't burst into tears when I'm realizing that I won't reach my goal.
ReplyDeleteI have to admit that in case of failure I always cheat and lower my goal so that I still get the badge for a successful challenge though XD
I do participate in the Goodreads Challenge, I have a lot of the same problems. I'm not typically competitive but damn doesn't it make me mad if I'm behind XD.
ReplyDeleteI try not to check it but if I'm on Goodreads I have to look at it. Of course the challenge also keeps me motivated to track all my books properly, which I have a habit of forgetting.
I'm sure if I don't make it to my goal at the end of the year, I'll lower it to make it complete. I mean, I'll def. read a lot of books and every book is a win so that counts, right? lol
I don't really worry much about my GR challenge anymore. I focus on enjoying the books I read now. Last year my goal was only 100 and I barely made my goal.
ReplyDeleteNereyda│ Nick & Nereyda’s Infinite Booklist