Recovery plan
You're not behind — here's the adjusted plan.
Forget the original schedule. The only number that matters is the one for tonight, calculated from where you actually are.
Quick answer
The short answer
Take pages left, divide by days left, round up. That's tonight's target. Yesterday's plan doesn't exist anymore — only this one does.
The formula
New daily pages = Pages left ÷ Days left
Recalculate every morning. Never carry a deficit forward.
| Pages left | 3 days | 7 days | 14 days | 21 days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 pages | 34 | 15 | 8 | 5 |
| 200 pages | 67 | 29 | 15 | 10 |
| 300 pages | 100 | 43 | 22 | 15 |
| 400 pages | 134 | 58 | 29 | 20 |
| 500 pages | 167 | 72 | 36 | 24 |
What not to do
- Don't double up. "100 pages tomorrow to make up for tonight" almost never happens. Recalculate instead.
- Don't count old deficit. The reading you didn't do last week isn't owed. It's gone. Today's target is based on today.
- Don't quit the book at 60%. The middle is always the slog. Push 3 more nights at the new pace — the ending almost always pulls you in.
- Don't read past tired. Sleep beats reading. A skipped night costs less than a week of dreading the book.
Pick the right kind of "behind"
Behind on one book
A deadline, a book club, a library hold expiring. Recalculate pages left ÷ days left.
Deadline guideBehind on a book club
The meeting is Sunday and you're 40% in. Three calm options that don't involve all-nighters.
Book club rescueBehind on a yearly goal
52 in a year, 100 in a year, a Goodreads challenge — adjust the goal or the pace.
Yearly goal recoveryWant a revised plan
Get a fresh schedule built from where you are right now, not where you said you'd be.
Revised scheduleLet the app do the math.
Page Pace recalculates your daily number every morning. If you skip a night, the new target shows up tomorrow — no guilt, no running deficit, no all-nighters.
Frequently asked
- How do I catch up on reading when I'm behind?
- Take what you have left, divide by the days you have left, round up. That number — not your old plan — is today's target. Page Pace does this recalculation every morning so you never carry yesterday's deficit.
- Should I read longer sessions to catch up faster?
- No. Two 20-minute sessions beat one 90-minute session you'll skip. The calm pace is the one you'll actually keep three nights in a row.
- Is it cheating to count audiobooks?
- No. Audiobooks count. The goal is finishing the story, not performing the act of reading paper. Use audio for commutes and chores; reserve eyes-on-page for the parts you want to savor.
- I'm way too far behind. Should I give up on this book or goal?
- Adjust before you abandon. Drop one book, push a deadline by 5 days, or trade the 500-page novel for a 250-page one this month. The reading habit matters more than any single number.
- How do I avoid falling behind again?
- Set a daily number small enough to do tired. 15 pages is better than 40. The bigger problem isn't pace — it's a goal sized for an ideal week instead of a real one.