‘Monk Mode’ Book List to end 2025

The first week of September has just ended, and I’ve realised I’ll be starting 2026 with a few overly familiar books I began in 2025 but still haven’t finished.

I really don’t want to see these same titles following me into the new year. So I’ve written myself a list and will see how many I can smash through.

I keep a Notion database with all the books I’ve read and want to read. For this project, I created a new view just for unfinished books. Instead of ordering them by percentage complete, I’ve sorted them by pages left.

The plan is to use the snowball effect. Normally, this is a strategy for tackling debt: you pay off the smallest debt first, then roll the momentum into bigger debts. In my case, it’s like ‘book debt’. By finishing the ones with the fewest pages left, I’ll get a quick dopamine hit, which will hopefully fuel me to keep going and knock off the chunkier ones.

The challenge is definitely going to be holding back from the books I’m most motivated to read right now. It’s gonna be painful, but worth the sacrifice if it helps me clear the backlog!

I started this year with a ‘1 book a month’ rule. About halfway through, though, I was already smashing my 12-book target that I loosened the rules and let myself wander into whichever titles I fancied. (Which, btw, I think is super important when you have reading goals!)

I’ve also noticed a pattern in my habits. I set quarterly goals, and that final month always gives me a big burst of motivation to blitz through tasks. The same happens again in the final week. With four months left in the year, I suspect this same cycle might help me finish strong!

I’m already itching to pick up my first book from the list. Honestly, I’m kinda mad I didn’t think of this sooner. I think it’s going to be a real game-changer for me.

Would this kinda thing help you with your own reading list?

Speak soon,
Will