How to Build a Reading Habit With Friends

How to Build a Reading Habit With Friends

To build a reading habit with friends, pick one or two reading partners, choose a proven mechanic, and agree on how often you'll check in with each other. A partner helps because you report your progress to someone: a 2016 meta-analysis of 138 studies found that tracking progress helps people reach their goals, and it helps even more when they report that progress to others.

Four mechanics that work:

• Buddy read: The two of you read the same book at the same time and agree on a set finish date before starting.
• Parallel streaks: Each person keeps their own daily reading streak and sends the other an accountability check-in once a day.
• Weekly check-in: On a fixed day each week, each person shares what they read, for roughly how long, and the page they're committing to reach by the next check-in.
• Shared TBR: One to-read list you both add to, and each of you picks your next book from it without discussion.

This isn't a book club. A club is a group with a host, a schedule, and a meeting date. This is two (or three) people keeping each other reading. If a book club is what you're looking for, check out how to start a book club instead.

How to Set Up Each One

These setups keep each mechanic going once the novelty wears off.

Buddy read. Pick a book neither of you will resent: one person's ambitious pick might be the other person's homework, compromising both the book and the buddy read. Then put the finish date in both calendars (add a midpoint date for long books). Set a spoiler rule: nobody talks about anything past the chapter you've both finished. One book and a fixed date keep this going.

If you live in different time zones, you can run the whole buddy read in an asynchronous message thread with no calls and move the spoiler line each time you both pass a chapter. Feel free to skip the finish date if you're already chatting with your buddy every day: my partner and I often read the same nonfiction and trade ideas whenever they come up, with no finish date at all.

Parallel streaks. Each of you keeps your own reading streak and sends a quick check-in once a day, nothing else. This works because the message takes only a couple of seconds, and you don't need the same book or the same reading speed. A missed day only resets your own streak. Read more about why reading streaks work here. This can also be the fallback when the two of you want to read different books.

Weekly check-in. Pick one day and a format (for example, a ten-minute call or a few messages). Each of you shares what you read, for roughly how long, what's next, and the page you'll reach by next week. It lasts because it's a small format and the day is fixed. The page number keeps each of you accountable. "I'll read more" can't be checked, but "page 180 by next Sunday" can.

Shared TBR. Keep one list in a shared note, add books whenever you like, and take your next book from it without discussing it first. This works because it removes the "what do I read next?" step for good. To keep the list usable, see how to organize your TBR list. For a twist, pick each other's next book without giving a reason, kind of like a blind date with a book.

Whichever you pick, agree on one rule before page one: either of you can quit a book anytime without dropping the arrangement.

Which Tools Help

Pick your app based on the mechanic you chose:

• ReadingHabit, the app I built, has no social features: nothing is shared between two accounts. It tracks your own sessions, pages, minutes, and streak, so you bring a real number to the check-in instead of "I read some". The free tools help you find a shared finish date and sort your TBR list. It can also turn a session, a finished book, or a streak milestone into an image for the group chat.
• Goodreads has the biggest network of readers, a yearly Reading Challenge your friends can see, and groups that run buddy reads. It fits best if your friends already use it. The catch: it counts books instead of reading days and time.
• The StoryGraph has buddy reads built in. A comment stays locked until each reader's logged progress reaches that point, so spoilers are handled. It's the best fit for a buddy read across time zones.
• Fable is built around book clubs: it splits a book into milestones with a discussion for each. It fits when your buddy group grows and you're heading toward a club anyway.
• A group chat has no features and no accounts, and it's already open on both phones. For parallel streaks and the weekly check-in, it's often all you need.

For a full comparison, see the best reading tracker apps.

When Your Friend Stops

At some point, your friend might stop. Don't take it as a verdict on you or the book. Often, it's just a busy month with things getting in the way. Three moves keep your own reading habit going:

1. Finish the book if you're enjoying it.
2. Keep your streak, drop the daily message. (Or send it to your mother instead, she'll be proud!)
3. Leave the door open with a small message. "Still on chapter nine, no rush" is easier to answer than restarting your agreement.

A friend makes the habit easier to keep, but the habit stays yours (How to Build a Reading Habit goes over the solo part). To start, you need one person, one of the four mechanics, and a date you're committing to. Send your person a message today and get started.