How To Get Through Your TBR
Let’s be real, we all have a looooooooong TBR list that will take us forever to get through! But what are some ways we could use to speed up the process? Here are some of my tips:
1. Set specific goals
Having and setting specific goals can help motivate you to conquer your TBR list. The goals are subjective and what you aim to achieve, for example, reading a set number of books in a year or reading several books from a specific genre, author or theme. If you have an ambitious goal, try breaking it down into daily or monthly chunks so it doesn’t get overwhelming. And most importantly, make sure to reward yourself every time you hit a milestone or complete a goal — you deserve a new book or something special!
2. Go on a book ban
In order to get through your TBR, you’ll need to put yourself on a book ban. This means no book buying is allowed for a certain period of time. However long you choose to put yourself on a book ban is up to you, but do your best to stick with it so you don’t end up buying more books that end up growing your TBR list even more.
3. Look at your TBR list and read what you feel like
This is for all the mood readers out there (myself included!). If you’re not someone who can read the next thing on their TBR, take a look at your list and pick what you’re in the mood for. This usually works for me, especially if I combine it with the next point.
4. Mix up the genres you read
My sweet spot is alternating between a Fantasy and a Thriller when I read, but sometimes I might go for a Contemporary Romance too. Taking a break from reading the same genre and mixing it up could help you get through your TBR faster; it can prevent you from burning out or getting into a reading slump as well.
5. Give yourself permission to DNF or read something else
This is a big one. It’s completely okay if you had a book on your TBR, started reading it, and couldn’t get into it. You’re allowed to drop it and read something else from your list instead. You can always go back to the previous book again in the future or choose to drop it from your TBR list altogether.
6. Read shorter books
Sometimes our TBR list doesn’t budge because we spend a lot of time reading books that are long and dense. This is especially true if you’re reading Fantasy — we all know how much worldbuilding and narrative build-up is needed for lots of amazing action and events to happen. I’m going to admit, I got halfway into House of Sky and Breath last year and dropped it because of this; it got a little way too long for me that I ended up wanting to read something shorter as a result.
7. Create a reading schedule
This could help if you work and your days are busy. By dedicating specific times during the day or the week, you can build a habit that lets you read and get through your TBR.
8. Join a reading challenge
I don’t partake in challenges a lot, but always enjoy them when I do! There are loads out there with various prompts that can help you choose the right books in your TBR to read. I recommend reading bingos if you don’t know where to start.
9. Use audiobooks
Contrary to what many people might say about audiobooks, I think they count as reading and are a great way to work through your TBR! They’re convenient and can accompany you if physically reading isn’t feasible at a given moment. You might end up finishing books a lot quicker too — you never know!
10. Track your progress
I use Goodreads to track what I’ve been reading, and it’s always nice to mark a book as ‘Read’ once I’ve finished it! I don’t participate in Goodreads’ annual reading challenges anymore, but I used to set a reading goal for myself, read as much as I can, and then admire the number of books I’ve managed to read in that specific year. Aside from Goodreads, there are many reading trackers out there to use, such as StoryGraph, Fable, Notion, and physical reading journals. Find what suits you and start tracking!
11. Regularly check and reflect on your TBR list
It’s easy to add more books to your TBR over time, but it’s also important to regularly go through it and remove some you might not have an interest in anymore. There are several books I’ve recently removed because I added them years ago when I was still in high school, and they no longer align with what I’m interested in now. Reflecting on and tidying up your TBR can shorten it, and hence help you get through it faster.
I hope one (or several) of these methods helps you to get through your ‘to be read’ list. I completely feel your pain, and hate how it’s so easy to add a book to my TBR but much harder to pick up the book!
