The list of books you plan to read in the future can offer excitement and motivation to keep reading and provide value and a way to express your love of books. Whether your to-be-read, TBR, list consists of pen-and-paper scribbles in a notebook, a public list on Goodreads, or an uber-organized spreadsheet, keeping track of the books you hope to read in the future sounds like a great idea.

But is your TBR stressing you out?

One market research study showed that consumers often feel pressed for time because of conflicting goals (Etkin, J., Evangelidis, I., and Aaker, J., 2015). You want to start working through your TBR but are also committed to cooking a healthy dinner at home, spending special time with your kids, and getting started on that work project. You are knee-deep in goal conflict, and likely feeling the pressure and stress it brings. Growing TBR lists might only indulge your feelings of FOMO, overwhelm you, and ultimately lead to the realization that one life is not long enough to read all the books.

Having too many things on your to-do list (or........

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