Just as you take on a 5K or 10K running challenge to set goals for your body health, we need challenges to exercise our mind health too. That’s why I created my own book challenges:
– 5K Book Challenge: 20 books a year
– 10K Book Challenge: 40 books a year
– Half Marathon Book Challenge: 60 books a year
– Marathon Book Challenge: 80 books a year

In 2024 I finished my 5K Book Challenge. For 2025, I’m setting a new goal — the 10K Book Challenge.

Tracking process is essential. Without it, staying on course becomes difficult. To keep myself accountable, I’ve decided to write a monthly blog post documenting my journey. I’ll list the books I read each month as a way to exercise my mind.

January 2025: 5 Books Read
1. How to write a book — David Kadavy 
 A quick read guide on writing books.

2. Digital Zettelkasten — David Kadavy 
 Practical tips on building a digital note-taking system using the Zettelkasten method (the German word for “slip box”)

3. The Professor Is In — Karen Kelsky
 Offers insights and advice on transitioning from a PhD to an academic or industry career. Know the game you want to play and play it well.

4. Mastering AI Prompt — Adriano Damiao
 Covers techniques for crafting effective prompts using ChatGPT, or possibly DeepSeek now. It was just an okay book.

5. Not by chance alone — Elliot Aronson 
 A memoir of a social psychologist. I previously read Mistakes Were Made (But Not By Me) by Tavris and Aronson and admired Aronson’s clear, engaging style in explaining complex ideas. That inspired me to learn about him. I read his memoir.

This month’s reading focused on writing, academic careers, and AI — A good mental workout to kick off 2025.