2019 Reading Challenges Tracker [FREE Spreadsheet]

After you’ve scrolled through the massive selection in The Master List of 2019 Reading Challenges and decided what you’re going to attempt this year, go ahead and download our FREE Reading Challenges Tracker – freshly updated with 2019 reading challenges and a whole lot more.

How to Get the 2019 Reading Challenges Tracker

• Go to the 2019 Reading Challenges Tracker (Google spreadsheet).
• Got to “File > Make a Copy > Give it a name > Click OK.
• That’s it. Super simple!

How the Spreadsheet Works

• The 2019 Reading Challenges Tracker is designed primarily so you can track books read for the reading challenges you are participating in. There are 2 types of challenges – those with categories or themes, and those that will have a numerical goal.
• The Challenges tab is where you will put in the challenges categories for challenges or numerical reading goals.
• The Tracker tab is where you’ll put in the books you read (or will read).
• As you add books for your challenges or reach your numerical goal, that theme or goal will be highlighted on the Challenges tab.

How to Edit the Spreadsheet

• As menitoned above, on the 2019 Reading Challenges Tracker you will find 2 tabs – Tracker and the Challenges. You will need to edit both. But basically – the Tracker tab is where you’ll add your books and the Challenges tab is where you’ll add information about the reading challenges you’re participating in – and this information will be reflected on the Tracker tab.

Tracker Tab

• On the Tracker tab of the 2019 Reading Challenges Tracker the first few columns are book title, author, recommendation source, setting, genre, whether you’ve read it or not and the order read (book #1, 2, 3 …).
  • There are some “highlight cell rules” that may not work if you delete these columns … so if you’re not comfortable with spreadsheets, DON’T DELETE – although you could replace them with anything else you want to track.
  • Similarly, only ADD columns after the last tab (Comments) if there is more information you want to track.
• The next few columns on the Tracker tab are pulling in reading challenges that have been added to the Challenges tab – the ones that have themes / categories. They are Monthly Motif (hosted by us here at GXO), Read Harder, Popsugar, Modern Mrs. Darcy, Alphabet Yearly Challenge and A-Z Places Spell Out. DO NOT EDIT THESE ON THE TRACKER TAB. Go to the CHALLENGES Tab to edit.
  • Each cell in the columns has a drop-down box with each of the categories or themes listed. Again, edit this ONLY on the CHALLENGES tab.
• The next column is “Other Challenges” which are those challenges that have a numerical goal (i.e. read “x” number of books).
  • In each cell there is a drop-down box that’s pre-populated with some challenges. Again, these should be edited on the Challenges tab, which you can customise by replacing with your challenges, and deleting any you are not participating in so you won’t have a giant list with challenges you’re not doing.
  • There are 3 more columns like this so that if you read a book that qualifies for more than one challenge, you’ll be able to just select it in another column.
    • You can DELETE any of these by right clicking in any cell in the column you want to delete – and choose the “Delete Column” option.
    • Similarly, you can ADD a column by right clicking in any cell to the right of where you want the column added and choosing the option “Insert Column”.

• The last column is for Comments – use this to add details you might want to capture.

Challenges Tab

Most edits happen on the Challenges tab of the 2019 Reading Challenges Tracker. There are 2 main sections. On the left are challenges with themes / categories, and on the right are the challenges with numerical goals. Let’s break it down.

• The first 6 columns have 6 challenges and the themes / categories for each challenge. Changes you make here will show up on the Tracker tab, so feel free to replace these challenges and themes with ones you are participating in.
  • To EDIT – Start by replacing challenges that you are not participating in, with ones that you are – so that the columns are populated from left to right (i.e. any empty ones will be on the right). Use COPY (not CUT) and paste. For example, if the only challenges you are doing with categories are Popsugar and Read Harder – Copy these columns – so that they will be in columns A and B.
    • To Copy a column – Highlight the column you want to copy by clicking the column Letter > Right Click > Select COPY > Highlight the column you want to put it in (by clicking on the column Letter) > Right Click > Select Paste.
    • Then Delete the CONTENTS of the other columns – the ones with challenges you’re not participating in, so you’ll be left with empty columns.
    • DO NOT DELETE columns unless you are familiar with data validation and conditional formating because it MAY mess up the highlighting rules (it doesn’t appear to – so just being cautious). You can just make them really small / narrow to keep your spreadsheet still looking neat. Do the same thing for the now empty columns on the Tracker tab (make them small – and delete the error that will show up where the challenge title would be).

• If you decide to DELETE the columns that you will not be using on the Challenges tab, ALSO DELETE the coresponding columns on the Tracker tab.
• If you want to ADD a column (for a challenge with categories) – again, you should be familiar with data validation. You will need to add ithe new column here on the Challenges tab AND on the Tracker tab.

• The other columns refer to challenges with a numerical goal. These challenges are listed in the “Other Challenges” column.
  • Replace the list in the spreadsheet with the challenges you’re participating in.
  • In the next column – “Goal” – put in the numerical goal for each challenge.
  • The next column – “No. of Books Read” – this will be automatically populated from the Tracker tab with the number of books read for each of the challenges (with a numerical goal).
  • When the no. of books read reaches or exceeds the goal, this challenge will be highlighted.

Tips For Using The Reading Challenge Tracker

• Ideally, check in with your reading tracker when you finish a book – or at a minimum, monthly.
• Use the tracker to add books you want to read for challenges – put it in before you read them, and then update after.
• Use the comments section. For me, it’s useful for adding details, like whoch award books won, or what makes a book “diverse”.
• Add your own personal reading challenges. For example, I wanted to know haw many “new” books I read last year, so I added that as a challenge.

Additional Resources

Book Riot’s Bigger, Badder 2019 Book Tracking Spreadsheet is pretty bad-ass if you’re into using a spreadsheet to track books you’ve read. I personally just use Goodreads.

Remember – make a copy of the 2019 Reading Challenges Tracker and then make it your own. I’ll check in at Girlxoxo.com every quarter with my own spreadsheet. If there are any questions about how to use it, leave a comment here.

Did you use the tracker last year? Did you keep up with it? How do you track books for your reading challenges (if you don’t use this tracker)?