Are you a bullet journal fan who also loves reading a good book?
(in crazy case you’re not, I believe this post will convince you to become both! š )
It’s summertime, the time when we all read books at least a bit more than usual, and therefore – it’s the perfect timing to combine your love for reading and bullet journaling.
If you ask me – I love reading books, I always did, but over time, as the rush of “adult life” got more and more intense, I read way less than I used to.
And then one day (I believe it was about the New Year resolution time a few years ago) I finally decided to get serious and make time for things I love, no matter how busy the days might be.
Yes, you could say that was the moment of revelation when I made up my mind to get better at self-care, not just for my own well-being, but for the people that surround me as well.Ā
If nothing else, being a happier and more satisfied mom will mean more to my kids than trying to accomplish everything on my never-ending to-do list.
(this might be even more important in my case since I’m the only parent!)
So, on top of some other things I decided to work on and make them a habit, reading books was also on the list.
(yes, a bit ironic – another list! š but this is the one I look forward to!)
So Iāve chosen to set a goal of reading one book per month.
Thatās the frequency that seemed reasonably realistic to accomplish, and so far it works well for me.
Needless to say, I havenāt changed that dynamic even after a few years have passed?
The truth is, I did set a goal this year to read two books per month, but honestly – itās not working out as well, so I guess my schedule and energy level, for the time being, donāt allow for such pleasure yet.
Of course, how many books I read in a month does depend on the length of the book, but either way, it averages down to one per month.
Since you know yourself the best, pick a āreading goalā that seems the best for your current lifestyle and – enjoy your readings!
But, letās get back to the point of this post – bullet journal must-have book pages.
(and if by any chance you still havenāt given bullet journaling a try, you totally should! have a look at how to start a bullet journal and see how easy it is)
If you are a bookworm, a casual reader, or even if youāve just decided to resurrect your reading days (just like I did a few years ago š ), these book-inspired pages should absolutely be a part of your bullet journal or planner.
And here they are!
Bullet journal Books To Read page
Every book lover needs to have a place to write down his/her book wishlist – and the Books To Read page is perfect for that purpose.
I like this page to be designed as a bookshelf, with three shelves on a page.
Right from the start, this was the design I made in my bullet journal, and itās the same design I have used ever since.
Iāll even let you out a secret about why I have kept the same style of this page for so long! š
This way I can place books according to genres – one shelf for each, which, as you will later see, makes choosing which book to read much easier.
My choice of topics are fantasy/thriller, personal development, and biography.
(every now and then I do sneak in a book or a few that don’t belong to these genres, but mostly these three-or four- are the ones that interest me the most)
On top of writing the title of the book, here I also like to note the book’s length, the bookstore where I can get it, and the price.
These extras help me when planning the purchase. š
Although I do like to start the year with this page already filled out, I donāt have all the books from the list within my reach at the beginning of the year.
Periodically, a few times throughout the year, I shop for books from this list until I have all the titles I want.
Apart from being my book wishlist, a Books To Read page is also the one I like to start from when deciding what Iāll read next.
Why?
Well, I like to mix the genres and the length of the books I read, just to make it more interesting and easier to “digest”, if you get what I’m trying to explain.
When the book is picked, I’m moving on to my next bullet journal book page.
Reading Log page
When I start to read a new book, I like to add it to my Reading Log page.
Itās basically a list of books with their titles, length, and dates when Iāve started and ended reading them, with a current read as the latest on the list.
Although this page is not a necessity, I like keeping it.
It gives me an overview of the time when I started a certain read, how long it took me to get to the end, and a rough approximation of how good the book was according to my preferences.
(because, like you very well know yourself, a long but interesting book can be read quicker than a shorter one that doesnāt draw your attention)
Bullet journal Reading Tracker page
A Reading Tracker page is my most visited page of the entire bullet journal book set.Ā
I donāt know about you, but this page is an absolute must for me.
Wonder why?
Well, apart from noting if I’ve read a book on a certain day or not, it serves me as my accountability buddy – just like any other habit tracker – and I try not to get embarrassed in front of it! š
(in another post you can check out some other benefits of using a habit tracker)
The point of keeping a Reading Tracker page is to nudge me to read each day – if possible.
(yes, I do skip a day or a few from time to time)
And since Iām a fan of numbers (itās in my nature, I guess), I also like to track the number of pages I read on a certain day.
Therefore, my reading tracker is not just a āreadā/ādidnāt readā tracker.
In it, I have created color-coding classes for a certain range of pages read and marked each day down using those classes as a legend.
On top of tracking how many pages I read in a day, this also makes my bullet journal page look colorful – and I love colorful stuff!
(in case you canāt tell! š )
Bullet journal Book Review page
The truth be told, in the beginning, I havenāt used a Book Review page in my journal.
I was like: āOk, I’m done. It was an interesting read (or amazing, or not as I hoped it would be, or whatever impression it made on me). Now, what will I read next?ā
And then I would go to my bookshelf (both in my journal and in real life š ) and pick the next read.
Then, after some time, I realized that the majority I remember about a certain book ends up with merely an impression I have of it.
Of course, this might not be your case and maybe Iām the only one thatās forgetful, but the bottom line is next.
I wanted to have a better overview of the book I read, along with having easy access to some stuff I found interesting enough to be worth revisiting more often – and good to keep in memory.
Therefore, I decided to add a Book Review page on top of the other book pages I kept in my bullet journal.
Now this page serves me as a book summary where I add a few additional lines about the book as well, such as notes, favorite quotes, and key takeaways.
(because you can always learn something new from any book you read)
This way, whenever I feel so, I can revisit a certain Book Review page and, if nothing else, quickly be reminded about the value it brought to my life.
Books Read page
And finally, the last page every book lover should keep in his/her journal is a Books Read page.
Iāll be honest with you, this page was also not on my list in the beginning.
At first, as I completed a certain book, I would go to my Books To Read page, find the book Iāve read, and then color it.
That was my way of signaling that Iād completed a book.
But then, after some time, I had a problem.
It happened that I read a book that wasnāt on my wishlist, so I couldnāt track its completion this way.
Therefore, if Iād go back to this Books To Read page after a longer period of time to check out what and how many books Iāve read (say, out of curiosity š ), it would seem like reading this book has never happened – at least according to my bullet journal.
And, as you can see, I can be forgetful from time to time. šĀ
I mean, honestly, who thinks about a certain book years after youāve read it, especially if it wasnāt some amazingly extraordinary read?
Anyway, the solution was obvious – I added a Books Read page thatās basically a simple list where I would write down the book’s author and title.
This is (so far š ) the last page in my bullet journal book collection pages.
As you can see, my bullet journal book pages evolved over time and grew into a full mini set of pages.
By figuring out what works and tweaking the layouts of the pages I came to the format that I use repeatedly.
And since I see no reason why would I spend my time recreating the same pages over and over again, I’ve made their printable templates.
(yay for simplifying and minimizing tasks! š )
If you’d like to use them as well, you can get the exact bullet journal book set in my shop.
Books are an amazing source of inspiration and personal development that can also bring a lot of fun and pleasure.
You should absolutely have this activity in mind when creating a schedule or your self-care routine.
Enjoy your readings from a fellow bookworm! š
Pssst... Here are more related posts just for you, dear! š
Bullet journal is so much more than just an average planner. Have a look at these 10 must-have bullet journal collections pages ideas and get the inspiration for your BuJo!
Add some (additional) fun to your bullet journal with these creative washi tape collection pages ideas!
If youāre still not using a habit tracker in your bullet journal or planner, it’s about the time you get (or add) one. Just take a look at the amazing benefits it gives you, and you’ll wonder why you haven’t started with it sooner.
