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How to Read the Whole Bible in a Year (and Actually Finish)
Reading the whole Bible in a year is one of the most common goals people set, and one of the most commonly abandoned. It isn't usually a lack of commitment. It's the lack of a plan that survives real life. Here's how to give yourself the best chance of finishing.
Know what you're signing up for
The Bible has 1,189 chapters. Spread over a year, that's about three to four chapters a day, or roughly 15 to 20 minutes for most readers. Knowing the number helps: it's a steady, daily habit, not a heroic effort.
1. Choose a plan before you start
Without a plan, every day starts with a decision: what should I read today? That small decision is often where people stop. A plan removes it. Some plans go front to back, some mix Old and New Testament readings each day, and some follow events in the order they happened. Any of them works if you stick with it.
2. Don't let Leviticus end your year
Many readers who start in Genesis slow down in Leviticus and Numbers, with their laws, offerings, and census lists. Two things help: read a short summary of the book before you begin it, so you know why it matters, and remember that a slow week is not a failed year.
3. Attach it to something you already do
Read with your morning coffee, on your lunch break, or right before bed. Linking the reading to an existing habit makes it much easier to remember.
4. Plan for missed days
You will miss days. Decide now what you'll do: catch up over the weekend, or simply pick up where you left off and finish a little later. Either is fine. Quitting because you're behind is the only real way to fail.
5. Write a little every week
A few lines about what you read, a question, or a prayer turns reading into understanding. It also gives you something to look back on in December.
6. Read with someone
A friend, a spouse, or a small group reading the same plan makes it far easier to keep going, and gives you people to ask when a passage is confusing.
A journal that does the planning for you
A Year Through the Bible puts several of these ideas into one book: it gives you a 52-week reading plan, a recap and reflection questions each week, guided prayer and blessing prompts, room for sermon notes, and full-color summaries of all 66 books so you always know where you are. The plan is undated, so you can start this week.
If a full year feels like too much right now, start with 30 days. The free Beginner's SOAP Bible Study Journal walks you through Mark and the first half of John, one chapter a day.