One of the best decisions a reader can make to improve their reading life is to keep a reading journal. On many levels, keeping track of the books you read is helpful. It may also be a lot of fun! First, keeping track of your reading can free up your mind from organizational concerns so that you can concentrate on reading more. More time for reading means less time spent stressing about organizing.
On top of that, it can spare you the awful feeling of losing a book you desperately want to remember and later being unable to find it. In this article, you’ll improve the habit of reading and find out how you can take advantage of reading trackers. Are you already excited? Keep reading!
What is a reading tracker?
To start with, you might wonder what a reading tracker is. The idea itself is pretty self-explanatory, but in essence, it’s a tool to keep track of the books you read (or the books you want to read in the future).
However, there are numerous variations on reading logs. You can utilize apps, printables, spreadsheets, and pretty much any other approach you can think of. However, some approaches work better than others, so today we’ll discuss some of the top choices for keeping track of your reading.
Why the habit of reading is important?
We are all aware that reading books fosters a strong imagination, a broad vocabulary, and overall success. But that’s not all.
You can sharpen your memory by reading. It is a mentally engaging activity that demands constant word and meaning recall. Taking notes or talking about what you read can help your short-term and long-term memory. According to research, reading helps older adults retain their cognitive abilities longer.
On top of that, reading a nice book is the ideal way to reduce stress and enjoy some peace and quiet in the comfort of your own home or your favorite place.
How to track your reading
Keep a record of the books you read to improve your reading experience. Here are a few tips that will help to do it properly.
Tip 1: Keep a reading log
Keeping a book journal or a spreadsheet is the simplest way to keep track of your reading. Record the following information for each book you read: the title, author, publication date, length, genre, the time you began reading it, and the time you finished it.
Tip 2: Include a scoring system
You can include a rating system in addition to the previously mentioned details to keep track of how much or how little you loved the book. You can either follow Amazon’s star system or rate the book from 1 to 5. You can go one step further and give the book different ratings based on different criteria.
Tip 3: Start a blog
Starting a blog is another great way to keep track of the books you read. Select a blogging platform, come up with a catchy blog name, and begin publishing book reviews online. Anytime someone asks you for a book recommendation, just point them to your blog. And who knows, you might soon develop a sizable fan base.
Tip 4: Keep a list of books to read
Keep a list of the books you want to read in the back pages of your book journal or notebook. Add new titles to your list whenever you learn about a book that sounds intriguing. You won’t have to ask yourself, “What should I read next?” again.
6 best reading trackers for book lovers
When keeping track of your reading, there are no hard-and-fast guidelines. You are welcome to mix it up a bit, make adjustments, and make it your own. Let’s look at various reading tracking methods in more detail.
Many of our New Year’s resolutions include reading more. But it always tends to fall to the bottom of our lists of things to do. To avoid such a scenario, use checklists and habit trackers. With the help of this book tracker template, you may stop mindlessly scrolling around social media and start enjoying a good book. Once you finish, mark how many pages you’ve read today by checking out the box. The method seems SO simple, but it really works!
Simply set the timer when you’re ready to read, and Bookly will handle the rest. You can monitor your reading speed while simultaneously keeping track of how long it takes you to finish a book.
The best thing is that you’ll receive a customized report with your reading statistics, allowing you to track your progress in real time.
You may already be familiar with Goodreads as the website for book ratings and reviews, but you can also use its system of tags and shelves to arrange your books pretty much as you like – and there’s even an app for it!
- Reading list
Go ahead and make a brief list of the books you want to read soon (or later). This method can be used alone or in conjunction with many of the other ideas presented in this article. You can use Cheqmark checklist maker for this purpose.
Google Sheets or Excel can easily serve as your go-to book-tracking program if you don’t want or need any frills or fancy interfaces. Simply add the names, authors, publication dates, and any other details you want, then sort as you wish.
- Physical/bound reading journal
There’s something incredibly exciting about a physical, paperbound notebook, even while you might find it easier to monitor reads on something easily searchable (like a Word document, Excel spreadsheet, or a website like Goodreads). A physical journal is still more personalized, and you have a lot of creative freedom with it.
You can create various lists. For example, books to read in 2022. On top of that, you can mark how much you spent on the book and anything else you feel important. You can even give star ratings!
Summing up
You might want a book tracker for a variety of reasons, including keeping track of your reading, keeping track of books you’ve finished and put down, remembering novels you wish to read, and probably a lot more than we can think of right now. You may have all of these reasons, or none of them. But having a WHY in mind before you begin is useful since it will help you decide what to track and what to ignore.
There are a lot of methods to track reading. For example:
- Reading tracking websites such as Goodreads
- Wishlists on Amazon and other book shops
- Spreadsheets such as Excel
- Physical journals (old-fashioned pen and paper)
- Dedicated apps such as Bookly
- Checklists and habit trackers such as Cheqmark.
Choose the one or a few that suit you the best and see how your motivation to read increases. Happy reading!
