I love to read so I’m always looking for good book recommendations from people. The problem is, I never know what to do with them! Usually I’ll write the title on a post-it, put it in my purse or bag and of course end up losing said post-it – along with the book recommendation. Recently, it dawned on me that I should be tracking these recommendations in my bullet journal! Enter the bullet journal book spread!
A bullet journal book spread is simply an easy way to keep track of all those books you want to read. It’s an easy way to get more organized and efficient around your reading habits.
I’m planning to have a few “libraries”… One for work/business recommendations and another for personal/pleasure recommendations, Another for personal development and I’ll probably start one for productivity too! Breaking recommendations into categories like these makes it a lot easier to find what you’re looking for and to see where ideas are a bit light.
But what does a bullet journal spread actually look like?
To inspire your creativity and to give you a few ideas, here are some of the approaches of the book spreads I discovered as I scoured the bujo community.
[And if you keep reading right to the end. I’ve also included some good book recommendations so you can start creating your own bullet journal book spread ‘libraries’.]
Bullet Journal Book Spreads – 14 examples
1. The book shelf spread
Source: Mycanadianseoul
2. A decorated book shelf
Source: Carley Cain
Thought: you could add a drawing on each shelf for a different genre or different symbols
3. A minimalist book shelf
Source: that_journal
4. Or the book shelves spread
Source: Amelie Edomstone
The book shelf approach is great because you can make the books as small or large as you’d like to fit your library. You can also add more info if you’d like too! Such as author, genre, etc.
5. The box-checker spread (for all those box-checking-addicts like me!)
Source: Currently Stu(dying)
This book spread is also perfect for keeping track of series which is a huge plus for my pleasure reading
6. A list view with the author included
Source: Sarcasm and Sweet Tea
7. Stack of books spread
Source: Rebecca Hales
8. The flip side approach: Books I’ve read
Source: Collectingthemoments_onebyone
This is perfect for those serial and speed readers!
9. Another take on books I’ve read
Source: Maryj13
10. If you have a ton of books… A book spread stencil!
Source: Moxiedori
11. Track your progress
Source: Pinterest
12. Categories – in this example it’s childhood favorites
Source: My Inner Creative
13. A plan for the year
Source: The Fab 20s
14. A plan for the month
Source: My Inner Creative
Books to add to your bullet journal book spread
You’ve chosen your perfect spread and you’ve got your pages all marked up.
The next step is to decide what you’re going to read. I know! It’s a minefield, right?
I’m sure you’re already got a long list of books you’re wading through, but if you’re looking for a few more recommendations then here’s a list of 7 productivity and performance books we think you’ll LOVE. They’re available on Audible too – perfect if you want to listen to a good book while you’re traveling, relaxing, or taking care of chores that don’t require much mental bandwidth.
1. Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time – Brian Tracy.
2. Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World – Cal Newport
3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change – Stephen Covey
4. No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs: The Ultimate No Holds Barred Kick Butt Take No Prisoners Guide to Time Productivity and Sanity – Dan Kennedy
5. The ONE Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results – Gary Keller
6. Life in Half a Second: How to Achieve Success Before It’s Too Late – Matthew Michalewicz
7. Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers – Tim Ferriss
How do you track books you’ve read or want to read in your journal? What books would make your list of top recommendations? Let us know in the comments below.
This blog post was originally published in February 2016 and has since been updated and republished.
Love this! I really need to track books I read in a more efficient way!
I finally have one that I like. I have been book journaling since 1996. I read so much, I have trouble keeping up with what I read and this helps. I found one I LOVED on Our Modern Miss Darcy. Check it out! I used that one for a while and then made my own to fit me in Pages. I like to know how many days it took me to read each book, a short summary and was it ebook/audio/paper book form.
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