TBR Lists and the To-Do List: Why I Don't Have a TBR List This Year (Again) and Why

In the spirit of this month's blogging theme of Obstacles to Reading, this week I'd like to talk about the TBR list, or the "to-be read" list or stack of books, specifically as it relates to the never-ending to-do list. If you've read The Renaissance Biologist for any length of time, you've probably figured out that I love lists.

Let me start out with a disclaimer: while I am extremely goal-oriented, I am not a New Year's resolution person. Since right around this time, or sometime in the next few weeks, is when most people who make a resolution will fall off that train, I want to ask: is a TBR list worth it?

And a second disclaimer: I don't have a TBR list this year. I also didn't have one last year, or the year before. I do have an ever-fluctuating TBR shelf, but that does not include all the (dozens now) titles that my husband has suggested I might enjoy. It's certainly not a static entity, so according to some sources the shelf doesn't quite count as a TBR. Basmo defines a TBR list or stack as a set of titles that the reader intends to read through in a certain time frame. Contrariwise, I get through what I get through when I get through it.

Disclaimers aside, a TBR list, well-designed and followed, can be an excellent tool to increase your reading if that's a goal for you. Let's dive in to an analysis of the anatomy of a good TBR!

What Does a Great TBR List Look Like?

First, it's written down somewhere you'll see it frequently. For some people, that means a Post-It on the side of one's work desk. For others, it's a note in one's phone, or a spreadsheet. For me, if I were to make a TBR, it would be a bulleted list in the back of my paper planner. It's incredibly satisfying to physically cross off or check off titles as I complete them.

Second, it's curated for you. This means that you should be reasonably sure that you can and want to finish each book on it. Don't read something just because Five or More Friends recommended it to you. Full disclosure: All members of my household are bibliovores . . . so we don't follow this recommendation very faithfully.

Third, it's a just-right length. This means that you have a decent idea of how fast each book can/should be read, by you, at this time in your life; how much time you will realistically have each day or week to read with the attention each book deserves; and how sad you will be if for whatever reason you can't or don't finish a book. It's okay to have a DNF (did not finish) list too--especially if the book turns out not useful, too hard, or spiritually harmful.

For the math folks: Speed of Reading (pages/minute) x Time per Week (minutes/week) x 1/Length (1/how many pages in the book) = Books per Week. This may be a decimal. That's okay!

Fourth (in my unsubstantiated opinion), it's something you're flexibly committed to. This is based on my experience in goal-setting, including helping myself and various other people set and reach realistic short- and long-term goals.

What Does a Sub-par TBR List Look Like?

Based on my experience with goal-setting for self, students, and patients, a sub-par TBR list is one with at least one feature that will decrease your chances of successfully completing it.

For the items in the previous section, a sub-par list is one or more of: unwritten, unselective, too long, too short, or unrealistic.

A very common way of defining "good" goals is the acronym SMART. While physical therapist Christina Swann (2021) argues that this has been overused in the context of health care providers negotiating treatment goals with their patients, it's still helpful. The acronym, which originated in a 1981 business publication, stands for:

• Specific - for many people, writing down a specific task lets them know when it's done.
• Measurable - related to the above.
• Achievable/Assignable - you know who will be working on the goal (you)
• Realistic - essentially the same as achievable
• Timebound - depending on how well time pressure works for you, this might be an incentive to not let the work expand to fill the available time (Parkinson's Law).

In researching for this post, I dove down a small rabbit hole into goal-setting theory as something more evidence-based than SMART. If you're curious, the essentials of this theory that relate to list and goal completion include the following:

• Set a reasonably specific, somewhat challenging goal for yourself
• Be clear enough to know when you have achieved your goal (SMART is one way to do so)
• For team goals, make sure that everyone understands the "why" and is bought in
• Give yourself feedback (by reflection) and/or solicit it periodically from others
• Break down large, complex goals into smaller, simpler steps

What Reading Speeds are Best for a TBR? (i.e., what are the fastest and slowest reading strategies, and why should you choose them?)

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I'm the daughter of a retired reading specialist. So, in the back of my mind, the emphasis in reading is in the balance of quality and quantity. As such, there are a range of reading techniques for various reading speeds that you can choose, based on what you're reading and what your goals are for that reading. If you're familiar with what you're reading, you will understand it no matter how quickly you read.

Fastest Reading Speed

The brain can develop thoughts at up to 3,000 words per minute (wpm). However, around 500 wpm is considered the upper limit for retaining some understanding of what you're reading. By training, I am a physical therapist specializing in geriatrics. So, for almost anything related to that (my area of expertise), I can use a very fast speed to scan, say, a journal article in 1-5 minutes, while remembering the main points and following the argument. I do this by eliminating subvocalization (saying words aloud in my head) and deliberately scanning down a narrow column rather than letting my eyes move from left to right for every single row of text. This speed is also useful if I'm looking through a text for a particular point.

Moderate Reading Speed

This speed is around 250-500 wpm, for material that is a little less familiar or a little more complex. Most reading adults hover around 200-250 wpm, while college students in the thick of assignments can consistently read around 300 wpm. The more difficult a text, the higher the likelihood that I'll need to reread at least part of it. Notably, I can't keep up this speed in a nonfiction book I care about remembering if Baby is needing a portion of my attention. One tip that several friends have recommended to maintain the faster end of this speed while sustaining attention is to play an audiobook at 2x speed while following along in a print or Kindle version of the book.

Slowest Reading Speed

This speed is less than 250 wpm (most people speak around 160 wpm). Reading aloud accomplishes the slowing down of one's speed. I use this speed for very difficult or unfamiliar material such as philosophy. To help myself pay attention because I don't normally like to slow down, I may choose to read aloud, copy text, or take notes to maintain this speed.

Finally . . .

How to Hack Your TBR

I started out this post referencing the To-Do List. How do you get through both the To-Do and the TBR? And stay sane while doing so? I have a few strategies from personal experience for both neurotypical and neurodivergent (specifically folks I know with ADD/ADHD). One tip for the To-Do list that I recently adopted is from this video from the Minimal Mom: prioritize the top 3 items per day, and do those. Since doing that, I have felt more mental space for both the to-do tasks and the reading.

Neurotypical Tips

These are from Bona Fide Bookworm, with my commentary.

• Make sure your home library is organized.
• Eliminate books that have been on your TBR an uncomfortably long time (recording when you added each book to the TBR if possible).
• Reevaluate each book that you're undecided on. Consider a rubric that assigns point values for each given attribute that's important to you.
• Be very selective about adding new books to the list. I've said it before, but it bears repeating.
• Have several books, from varied genres, in progress at any given time. My reading productivity and enjoyment skyrocketed as soon as I allowed myself to do this. That way, there's always something readable, no matter what my mood.
• Consider audiobooks too. I haven't counted audio-only books in my book completion lists over the last few years, mostly because I don't end up listening to a book in its entirety. A big part of that is my inability to focus on work with an audiobook on (or even really interesting music), so I don't foresee that changing with my current career. But if it works for you, use it!

Neurodivergent Tips

Most of these from this article are geared at children. Adult ADHD looks different, regardless of how old you were when you were diagnosed. Notice the amount of overlap with the tips in the previous subsection:

• Get in a small group of people who are reading at the same time (assuming they all prioritize reading over socializing at that time).
• Minimize environmental distractions in terms of noise, visible objects, availability of screens, etc.
• Consider judicious marking of the book while reading (e.g., sticky notes, underlining). Do not use if you are like one member of my family who gets distracted by non-text marks when reading! If you're not a book marker, take notes on a separate sheet of paper or notebook.
• Ask questions (e.g. the SQ3R method)
• Channel the excess energy and inattention by reading aloud, walking around, reading along with a faster-paced audiobook, and read during times when you have decent energy levels.

I hope this post has given you some actionable tips for your TBR and possibly your to-do list. Enjoy the reading year this year!