One of my resolutions for 2020 was to read a book a month. Yes, I make New Year’s Resolutions and like the masses, I almost always forget about them by the end of the first quarter of the year.
Reading has been a glorified habit of highly effective people. Billionaires read a lot. CEOs read a lot. VIPs Read a lot. Me? I never used to read. I took up the challenge at the beginning of the year.
A book a month means that by now I should be on the 12th Book. So, how did I do?
Books I read to completion:
Before we get to the core of my performance, these are the books I read to completion in order of the extent of impact they had on me.
- Real Help by Ayodeji Awosika. Real Help is Self Help meets reality and truth. Bitter truth. This book made me wake up and take risk, put myself out more. I still refer to it from time to time.
- The Richest Man in Babylon by George S. Clason. This book is a simplified financial management class. I have applied the principles in it and so far, so good. I even did a review here.
- The Emperor of All Maladies by Mukherjee Siddhartha. Reading this book opened my eyes to a lot of new information on Cancer. I did not do just one, but two reviews. Cancer is a horrid diseases and this book dissects its core.
- Atomic Habits by James Clear. A clear and succinct guide to shedding bad habits and picking good ones. Again, just had to do a review.
- The Nurse’s Guide to Blogging by Brittney Wilson and Kati Kleber. The title says it all (inserts smiley face).
- Rookie Smarts by Liz Wiseman. This book made me comfortable being a newbie at work. If you see me use #RookieNurse, this is the source.
- A Great Move by Katia Vlachos. This is a survival guide for expatriates. I wish I had read it last year before the move but all the same it has some really good tips on settling in in a new country.
Books I never completed:
- The Everything Store by Brad Stone. This is a biography of Jeff Bezos. I have had the book for months now but for some reason, I never read past chapter two.
- The Mis-education of the Negro by Carter Godwin Woodson. I bought the book after watching an Engage Talk. It was also the period of BLM and I wanted to feel connected to something. Again, never read past chapter two.
The Analysis
Based on the above, I scored a 58%, a poor performance if I may say. However, I am not where I started at and that is a win. From the seven books I completed I have learnt a lot, some of the wisdom which I have shared and will continue to share.
Upon reflection on my performance, here are some tips on reading that I will apply in 2021:
- Read books that fulfill an immediate need and are enjoyable to read.
- Ask for recommendations from my circles and peers.
- Create time for reading everyday.
- Do more book reviews here.
I don’t see myself completing the two books before the year ends but I have to before January 2021. And in 2021 I will continue with A book a Month until it becomes a habit and then maybe we can start doing two a month.
What are some of the resolutions you had for this year and how did you perform?
