Reading a Book a Day for a Month: Rediscover Your Love for Reading

Can’t remember the last time you turned the page on a good book? Or read a book cover to cover?

In a world filled with constant distractions (look, I don’t want them to ban TikTok, but I wouldn’t complain about getting 10 hours a week of my life back!) and limited free time, finding moments to indulge in reading can be challenging. Because that’s what reading can feel like: an indulgence!

Read More Books and Reward Yourself

Reading well -- and being well-read -- is a challenge. You're ready for it. But it takes a lot of hard work -- a lot of time -- before you see the results you want. Stay motivated and reward yourself with IRLA Reading challenge medals. Get a series of five medals that mark your milestones for reading more books and different book. As you set more goals and make progress in your reading challenges, your IRLAs give you the motivation to do more and more.

Despite us knowing deep down in the crevices of our craniums that the power of reading remains as potent as ever, it can be hard to get back into books.

Often, we find ourselves stuck reading a single book for weeks or even months (please don’t look at my bookshelf). 

Like ripping off a Band-Aid in a single swoop, sometimes the solution is to attack the problem head on: finish reading a single book in a day.

Of course, you know we love a challenge here at Antsy Labs, so we’re taking it to the next level: to rediscover your love for reading, we believe it’s worth trying to read a book a day for a month. We’ll get into 5 ways to take on this reading challenge, and why, in today’s post!

One of our favorite reading challenges is to read a book in a single day. We even included it as part of our IRLA Reading Pack, which is designed to help you show off your other reading achievements, like reading a nonfiction book, reading a chapter a day for a week, reading a Pulitzer Prize winning book, and more.

Of course, there’s a difference between reading a book cover-to-cover in a single day and doing that every day for a month, so let’s talk first about the benefits of the former.

• Better Engagement - Reading a book in one sitting allows you to fully immerse yourself in the story and maintain a deeper connection with the characters and plot.
• Better Comprehension - No more flipping back and forth between chapters or having to reread sections. Reading a book in a day allows you to grasp the story as a whole, improving comprehension and retention.
• Better Motivation - Accomplishing the feat of reading a book in a day can be immensely satisfying. It ignites a sense of achievement and can serve as motivation to continue exploring more books.

And like eating Pringles, once you pop (or read a book in a day!), there’s no stopping you.

Just like one does not simply walk into Mordor, one does not simply end up reading a book a day for a month on accident. 

It’s going to take a bit of planning, a bit of persistence, and maybe even a bit of luck. We’re sharing our five tips below for taking on this reading challenge.

While taking on a 1Q84-sized challenge (between 900 and 1,300 pages, depending on your edition) can feel like an epic way to begin, it can backfire pretty spectacularly.

First, it would be pretty close to impossible to read in one day. If you spread it over a few days, you’ll start playing the game of trying to average a book a day for the month. This can lead to burnout or discouragement early on.

Instead, kick off this reading challenge with shorter books to build momentum and confidence. Opt for novellas, short story collections, or nonfiction books with concise chapters. As you build a bit of stamina with your daily reading routine, you can think about introducing longer books (but still, maybe save 1Q84 for next month).

Size isn’t everything, and that’s especially important for this book-a-day reading challenge. When you’re up against the clock, it can be tempting to pick books purely based on page counts.

What’s more important is to keep interested in the challenge. After all, reading shouldn’t be a chore you’re just trying to finish up. To make sure you create a good mix of books, create a diverse reading list encompassing various genres, authors, and writing styles.

You can include books you've been meaning to read (but not 1Q84), recommendations from trusted sources, or explore book clubs and online communities for suggestions. 

In a normal, non-reading challenge schedule, weekends and holidays are days off. They can involve family gatherings, trips, and other delightful activities.

That said, they can also be your chance to either catch up on your reading or take on some more interesting, longer books.

However you choose to approach this time, make sure to plan ahead. Block off some time during the weekends for reading, let your friends and family know what you’re taking on, and then consider some backup plans to keep yourself on track, like audiobooks for long drives or flights. 

When it comes to running long distances, a common tactic is to have a pacer come in and help keep you going when the going gets tough.

Similarly, a month-long reading marathon is going to have its own mental and physical challenges. 

Our advice: implement a book pacer strategy akin to a marathon. While you may find it hard to get someone else to sign up to do this whole challenge with you, see if you can get a friend or two to read some of the books with you throughout the month. This’ll give you some motivation to keep reading, a chance to actually discuss the book, and the bonus of a social element (which may be nice, given how much time you’ll be spending in the library!).

If you’ve already read a book in a day, you’ve gotten the benefits and shown yourself that reading still matters.

We say that because life is unpredictable, and unforeseen circumstances may arise, making it challenging to continue the book-a-day challenge for the entire month.

If you have to stop this reading challenge, or postpone it, that’s okay. Instead of viewing it as a failure, celebrate the books you did read and the time you dedicated to reading. Remember, the goal is to rediscover your love for reading, and any progress made is a step in the right direction.