Last month, I set a Thanksgiving reading goal. I’d been putting off reading an 800-page book for months. I didn’t want it to sit around any longer, making me feel guilty, so I challenged myself to read it during the Thanksgiving holiday. The goal ended up being a stretch goal. It was more aggressive than I realized. I didn’t factor in enough time for holiday activities, so I didn’t finish the entire book by my November 26 deadline. But I got close and did so shortly after Thanksgiving.

Overall, the challenge was a success, and I learned a lot from it. It ended up being a great motivator. I was excited to absorb the wisdom in the book but, even more so, motivated to accomplish my goal. This ended up being a great combination to prompt me to read a book I otherwise might not have gotten around to reading and to do it relatively quickly. The challenge also let me scratch the itch of accomplishing something difficult—something I enjoy but don’t normally experience during a holiday. Last, it forced me to be more intentional about using some of the reading techniques I learned about this year.

The holiday reading challenge was a success and something I want to do more consistently. I’ll start thinking about what I want to read during the Christmas holiday. If my experience then is as positive as it was at Thanksgiving, I’ll consider making this a habit.