3 ADHD-Friendly Reading Challenges That Help You Read More Novels

Do you love the idea of reading more novels but find it hard to finish them? You’re not alone. Many adults with ADHD struggle with this.

The good news?

With some fun strategies, you can rediscover the joy of reading and finish more novels.

One way to do this is through a reading challenge. In this article, I’ll share three ADHD-friendly reading challenges that can help, and the first one includes the exact strategies I used to start reading novels (and finishing!) novels again.

In December 2023, I set a reading goal for 2024 to read more novels.

I love reading, and as a young adult, I read a lot of novels. However, over time, I replaced fiction books with more serious nonfiction psychology books and memoirs.

If I wanted to achieve my novel reading goal, I needed a new approach.

I found this list of seasonal reads on The Modern Mrs. Darcy blog.

For each month of the year, there were approximately 3 or 4 book recommendations related to that month.

So, using the list of seasonal reads, I created a reading challenge for myself.

My challenge.

Read one book from Mrs. Darcy month’s options every month for the year.

For example, the January books were:

Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore
The Half Moon by Mary Beth Keane

I picked (and read!) Rules of Civility by Amor Towles.

At the start of the month, I visit the blog post and look at my choices for that month and pick 1

My reading challenge was such a success!

Having a limited number of choices (3 or 4 options instead of all the books in the world) led to me reading more novels in 2024 year than I had in years,

A ‘reading challenge’ is very helpful when you have ADHD because it gives you a structured plan or framework to guide your reading.

It also helps to give you focus and motivation as you read and reduces decision fatigue when it comes to picking your book.

7 ADHD-Friendly Steps to Creating Your Reading Challenge

Want to create your own ‘reading challenge’?

Here’s how.

1. Define your goal.

Decide how many books you want to read within a specific timeframe.

For example, mine is 12 novels in a year.

2. Pick your reading list.

Choose a list of books in advance.

There are all types of options. You could use the same reading list as me, or you could find a ‘best of list’. For instance, The New York Times publishes a ‘Best Books of the Year‘ list, highlighting the top 10 books (fiction and non fiction) from the calendar year.

A quick Google search will help you find a list of books that resonate with you.

3. Double check

Before starting your challenge, make sure your list includes the types of books you enjoy. I didn’t do this with my list, but by a happy accident, it worked out well because the novels on my list are ones I genuinely enjoy.

If you enjoy science fiction or fantasy, find a list that reflects that preference.

4. Reading Schedule

Making time to read is important for success so think when are you going to read in your daily and weekly schedule.

When a novel is exciting, you naturally want to keep reading, but if the story slows down, setting smaller reading goals alongside your annual or larger timeframe can be helpful. For example, you might set mini-goals such as reading a certain number of pages per day or chapters (if they’re short).

When I hit a lull in my May book, I set myself the goal to read 15 minutes every day. Then, within a week, the storyline picked up, and I was excited to read it again

5. Track your progress

ADHDers are very visual, so it’s really helpful to keep track of your progress so that you have a visual of your reading accomplishments. You could track your progress on a handmade chart, in an app, etc.

6. Rewards

Reward yourself as you go. Chose rewards that are meaningful to you.

My reward for finishing a book is picking my next month’s book, which felt fun for me, but something else might feel rewarding to you.

7. Accountability

Having a season book to read each month provides me with built-in deadlines, which is a form of accountancy. For example, if I wanted to read a book set in April during the month of April (which I do), I needed to stay on track and keep reading.

How could you stay accountable to your reading challenge?

Telling friends and family about your project and sharing your book recommendations with other readers in your life are great options, too.

Although it may seem counterintuitive, limiting your book options can actually increase the number you read!

By creating a reading challenge you are giving yourself a structured framework, setting manageable goals, and reducing overwhelm all of which are especially helpful when living with ADHD.

Reading challenge option number 2.

Alphabet Reading Challenge

One of our Untapped Brilliance Club members is doing The Alphabet Reading Challenge, which is a fun, year-long reading project where you read one book for each letter of the alphabet.

You choose books with titles that start with each letter of the alphabet, so one that starts with A, one with B, and so on, until you have read your way through all 26 letters.

For example, your reading list might look like

A: Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
B: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
C: Conclave by Robert Harris

Letters like Q, X, and Z can be tricky, so you can be a little flexible. For those, you can pick a book that has the letter somewhere in the title, not necessarily at the beginning.

You can either build your list ahead of time or add books to your list as you read.

This challenge is perfect if you love having structure but still want the freedom to choose books that interest you. It’s also a great way to step out of your reading comfort zone and explore new authors and genres, as you read more novels.

Reading challenge option number 3.

Bingo Reading Challenge

Book Bingo is another fun reading challenge that combines the classic game of bingo with your novel-reading goals.

Your bingo card is filled with different reading quests, such as:

Read a novel by a debut author
Read a banned book
Read a book set in a country you’d love to visit

As you complete each quest—meaning you read a book that matches a category—you mark off the corresponding square. The goal is to finish a row, column, or diagonal to get “Bingo”… or go all in for a full blackout!

Having the visual of the bingo card is especially helpful for ADHDers, because it lets you see your progress at a glance and gives you little bursts of motivation each time you check off a square.

Book Bingo strikes the perfect balance of freedom and structure, making it easier (and more fun) to read more novels all year long.