2020 Reading Challenges Tracker [Free Download]

After you’ve scrolled through the massive selection in The Master List of 2020 Reading Challenges and selected the ones you’re going to attempt this year, go ahead and download our FREE 2020 Reading Challenges Tracker. The tracker is a spreadsheet (google document) that allows you to see your progress towards completing the reading challenges you’re participating in.

The 2020 Reading Challenges Tracker

• You enter the challenges – name and/or numerical goal.
• You enter the name of the books, and any other details you’d like to capture.
• You select which challenges each book counts towards.
• The sheet will automatically highlight the challenges you’ve entered a book for and count the number of books completed towards your goal.

How to Get the 2020 Reading Challenges Tracker Spreadsheet

• Go to the 2020 Reading Challenges Tracker (Google spreadsheet).
• Got to “File > Make a Copy > Give it a name > Click OK.
• That’s it. Super simple!

Details of the Spreadsheet

• There are 2 tabs on the 2020 Reading Challenges Tracker Spreadsheet
  • a “Challenges” tab – where you add the challenges you’re participating in.
  • a “Tracker” tab – where you add the books you read (or plan on reading), and the challenge it applies to.
• There are 2 types of challenges that you can track.
  • Challenges with categories or themes, e.g. Monthly Motif, Read Harder and Pop Sugar.
  • Challenges that will have a numerical goal to complete a certain number of books, e.g. Audiobook Challenge, Cloak and Dagger.
• When you add a book and the challenge it applies to on the “Tracker” tab – the corresponding challenge will be highlighted on the “Challenges” tab, indicating that it’s completed – or it will increase the “No. of books read for challenges” number.

How to Edit the Spreadsheet – the Challenges Tab

• As mentioned above, on the 2020 Reading Challenges Tracker there are 2 tabs – “Challenges” and the “Tracker”. You will need to edit both, but start with the “Challenges” tab
• There are 2 main sections:-
  • On the left are challenges with themes or categories (columns A-F). They are already populated with 6 challenges as an example.
  • On the right are the challenges with numerical goals (column H, I and J). These are also completed with examples.
• In the first 6 columns (A-F) – where the challenges have themes or categories – any changes you make here will show up on the corresponding columns on the Tracker tab, so feel free to replace these challenges and themes with ones you are participating in.
  • To EDIT – Start by REPLACING any challenges that you are not participating in, with ones that you are, so that if you are participating in less than 6 of these types of challenges, the empty ones will be on the right.
  • You will notice that what you put in these columns will automatically show up in the Tracker tab – columns H-M.
  • If you decide to DELETE the columns that you will not be using on the “Challenges” tab, you must ALSO DELETE the corresponding columns on the Tracker tab.
  • If you want to ADD a column (for a challenge with categories) – you need to add it on both the “Challenges” and the “Tracker” tab, and be familiar with data validation.
• For the “Other Challenges” column – where you will add challenges with a numerical goal – there are several already listed there;
  • Replace with the challenges you’re are going to participate in
  • Add you goal number in the “Goals” column.
  • The next column – “No. of Books Read” – will be automatically populated from the “Tracker” tab with the number of books read for each of the corresponding challenges. So no need to do anything here.
  • When the no. of books read reaches or exceeds the goal, this challenge will be highlighted.

How to Edit the Spreadsheet – the Tracker Tab

• On the “Tracker” tab of the  2020 Reading Challenges Tracker the first few columns are Book Title, Author, Date Read, Setting, Genre, Read (whether you’ve read the book already), and 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.
• Those are the only columns that should be edited on the “Tracker” tab. Everything else is pulling information from the “Challenges” tab … 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 other columns are “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 coming from the “Challenges” tab.
  • There are 4 of these columns 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 such as recommendation source, or details of a book award (name, year of the award).

Tips For Using the 2020 Reading Challenges 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 such as what makes a book “diverse”.
• Add your own personal reading challenges in “Other Challenges”. For example, I wanted to know haw many “new” books I read last year, so I added that as a challenge.

Remember – make a copy of the 2020 Reading Challenges Tracker and then make it your own. I’d love to know if you have any recommendations for making the tracker better – so if you use it, please come back and share what you liked or what you think could be improved. And of course, if you have any questions, or need a little help customizing it – drop us a comment.