How to run a reading challenge with a friend
‘Read more this year’ is one of the most common goals and one of the quickest to fade. A reading challenge with a friend works better because it is small, weekly, and seen. You don’t need to read the same book, or even the same kind of book. You just need to agree on a pace and show each other you kept it.
Set a pace, not a book count
‘Twenty-four books this year’ gives no feedback until it is too late. A pace does: ‘twenty pages, four times a week’ is easy to check and easy to recover from. Over a six-week challenge that is almost 500 pages, which is two or three ordinary books.
Choose pages or minutes, whichever suits the books you read. Pages work well for novels; minutes work better for dense non-fiction or reading in a second language.
Same book or different books?
A shared book gives you something to talk about, but it ties you to one another’s speed and taste. Different books keep each person reading what they actually want. You can still swap a sentence about what you read when you send your proof.
If you do pick the same book, agree on chapters per week rather than finishing on the same day.
Proof that takes five seconds
The simplest proof is a photo of the page you stopped on, with the page number visible. For e-readers, a screenshot of the progress percentage works. If you want the challenge to stick, add one line about what happened in that session.
Agree on this before the first session. The point is not to catch anyone out; it is to make each session feel finished.
- Paper book: the page you stopped on, with the page number.
- E-reader: the progress screen or percentage.
- Audiobook: the player showing the chapter and time listened.
- Optional: one sentence about what you read.
A six-week plan
Each week runs seven days from your start date, so you can begin on any day.
- Before you start: each pick a book and agree on the pace and the proof.
- Weeks one and two: hit your number, send proof after each session, and keep it light.
- Week three: the usual dip. If the book is dragging, it is fine to switch; the pace is the goal, not the title.
- Weeks four and five: keep going. This is where it turns into a habit.
- Week six: finish, compare what you each read, and decide on the next round.
Run the challenge on Stampable
Open a goal such as ‘read 20 pages 4 times a week for 6 weeks’ and pick your friend as the witness. They sign the terms or suggest changes. Post a photo after each session and your friend stamps it.
When the six weeks are up, you seal the goal into a board of stamped photos: a record of every page you actually read. If you both want the challenge, each of you opens a goal and witnesses the other’s. It is free and works in any phone browser.