Every year on the Happier with Gretchen Rubin podcast, my sister Elizabeth and I invite our listeners to join us in an annual challenge.
For a bit of whimsy, we use the calendar year to frame the habit. So for instance, in 2020, the challenge was to “Walk 20 in ’20.” In 2023, it was “Go Outside 23 in ’23.”
This year, we’re bringing back a listener favorite with “Read 25 in ’25”: Read for 25 minutes every day in 2025.
With this challenge, we aim to give people a practical way to achieve an important aim. And we’ve discovered that framing a habit as a yearly challenge makes it feel more fun (and more manageable).
Imagine how much reading we can all do over the course of a year, in our 9,125 minutes—that’s more than 152 hours of reading time!
I absolutely love to read. It’s one of my very favorite things to do–in fact, it’s probably my very favorite thing to do.
And I’ve learned that many people share this love of reading, and have a desire to read more, but for various reasons, find it tough to keep up the habit.
Especially if you benefit from accountability, signing up for the “Read 25 in ’25” challenge can help you get started and keep your momentum.
We’re thrilled to be partnering with Bookshop.org to bring you curated content, recommendations, and practical tips all year long.
Design Your Approach
There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to building a reading habit. We suggest a variety of strategies and tools so you can find one that works well for you.
Read what you like, how you like
Sometimes, we feel like like we “should” be reading certain books. Maybe everyone is talking about a certain book, or we’ve received the book as a gift, or it feels like a subject we “should” be interested in.
I’ve found that when I read books that I enjoy, I read far more. I used to feel obligated to finish every book I started; no more. Too many great books to read!
What counts as reading?
-
- Audio-books and e-books count
- Re-reading counts
- Reading to your children (including picture books) counts
Make it easier and more pleasant
Research shows that we’re more likely to stick to a habit when it’s convenient and pleasant to keep that habit. (That’s the Strategy of Convenience.)
As you embark on the “Read 25 in ’25” challenge, try to find ways to make reading more convenient and enjoyable:
-
- Create a cozy, well-lit space in your home for reading
-
- Upgrade your e-reader or earbuds
-
- Join or start a book group
-
- Delete a time-sucking app from your phone and replace it with a reading app
-
- Get a library card and app
-
- Keep a running list of books you’d like to read
Track your habit
Tracking is a powerful tool for building habits; it brings clarity and accountability to our efforts.
It can also help us build momentum and reinforce a habit by creating a record of success.
A few ideas:
-
- Track titles, number of pages, or notes using the One-Sentence Journal in the Happier app
-
- Log the books you read in a notebook or app
-
- List each book you read on the back of a paper bookmark and use it throughout the year
The challenge to “Read 25 in ’25” is concrete. It’s measurable. And even for a busy person, 25 minutes of reading is realistic.
Remember, whenever it is, and wherever you are, there’s always a book waiting for you.
