So hi everyone! This is an unexpected post, but I think it will be useful to you. Let’s say, this is a surprise continuation of the Efficient Blogger series! A little while ago, I posted this tweet, and as it turns out? Everyone adores lists! And now you all want my TBR spreadsheet:
I made a list today. I realized I have a problem 😂 immediately got two items off the list. CONCLUSION: LISTS WORK.#bookwormproblems pic.twitter.com/53xzpat7mT
— Evelina | Avalinah (@AvalinahsBooks) April 24, 2018
So, I’ve decided I’ll whip up a quick post and just let you all grab a copy of this file. It’s fairly simple – there are loads of other, much cooler spreadsheets out there that other book bloggers have created! But sometimes simplicity is key. So you can all access the TBR spreadsheet here. It will open as ‘view only’, so what you should do is go to the menu and select ‘Make a copy…’, and then you will have your own file on your own Google drive:
Now let me explain a little bit how the TBR spreadsheet can be used
You might have already gathered that I’ve already set up the colors for you. So if a book is read or reviewed, it will turn green, etc. You don’t have to change anything about that, it will just work. What you might need to do is simply make copies of the sheet for when you need to create a new TBR list for a new month, or a new readathon, or for whatever you might want to have it. This is how you do that – right click on the sheet name at the bottom and select ‘Duplicate’:
This will give you a whole fresh sheet that you can use separately for whatever you want (in the same file.) I suggest maybe leaving the template as a separate sheet so you don’t have to do a lot of deleting when you make a new one! And the only reason there are any filled lines in the sheet is so you could see all the options 🙂
Now for those of you who are more google sheets savvy, you can also make up your own definitions for the dropdowns – that’s what the ‘Definitions’ sheet is all for. If you have more statuses, say, ‘DNF’ or something else, just put that extra word in the Status column and it will appear as an option in the dropdown of the column you wrote it to. Useful! The only thing is that it will not change color if you add it. You’d have to open up Conditional formatting for that and add that extra color. If you want to do that you can message me and I can help you figure it out.
So that’s all! I use a lot of other spreadsheets for my reading, not just this one – but the others are complicated and messy, and I don’t really have a final version to share with you all! However, that’s how I track the books I read and the books I hauled, and even when my review copies are due. Otherwise I’d get lost! Another big plus of tracking it this way is that it’s accessible on the phone, so you can just mark things down as you finish the book, you don’t even have to wait till you come back on your computer.
As I said, I know that other master sheets exist, but I can’t remember and link for you right now, so my option is definitely not the only one! Feel free to explore my TBR spreadsheet though, and based on it, create your own solution and figure out what works best for you. Either way, I hope you like the final sheet you get and all the sudden productivity that results, heh!
So happy tracking! And here are all the other #NewBloggers posts if you want some more bookworm hacks:
Expand List
- 27.07. The Greatest Book Blogging Myths I’ve Encountered (#NewBloggers 101, Book blogging, Discussion)
- 03.07. [NewBloggers] How Nicole @ FYFA Keeps Her Tweets Organized With TweetDeck (#NewBloggers 101, Book blogging)
- 25.05. #NewBloggers 101 comes back! Litsy – A Bookish Social Network (#NewBloggers 101, Book blogging, Discussion)
- 04.05. [NewBloggers] What Tools Can Help Me Be An Organized Blogger? TBR Spreadsheets #NewBloggers 101 post number.. I've lost track! (#NewBloggers 101, Book blogging, Discussion)
- 30.03. [#NewBloggers 101] General Intro To Bookstagram (#NewBloggers 101, Book blogging, Discussion)
- 23.03. [NewBloggers] A (Mostly?) Complete Goodreads Tutorial (#NewBloggers 101, Book blogging, Discussion)
- 09.03. Bookstagram Myth: Props Are Expensive? Pamela @ Reverie Society Educates! (#NewBloggers 101, Book blogging, Discussion)
- 02.03. What Are Linkups All About? Nicole @ FYFA To The Rescue! (#NewBloggers 101, Book blogging, Discussion)
- 23.02. So you want to move from Blogger to (free) WordPress? (#NewBloggers 101, Book blogging, Discussion)
- 16.02. What Tools Can Help Me Be An Organized Blogger? Social Media And Networking (#NewBloggers 101, Book blogging, Discussion)
- 09.02. What Tools Can Help Me Be An Organized Blogger? Writing And Scheduling Posts (#NewBloggers 101, Book blogging, Discussion)
- 02.02. What Tools Can Help Me Be An Organized Blogger? Blogging Calendars (#NewBloggers 101, Book blogging, Discussion)
- 10.01. How Do I Make A Good Edelweiss Or NetGalley Profile? (#NewBloggers 101, Book blogging, Discussion, Edelweiss, NetGalley)
- 05.01. When Should I Start Requesting ARCs? (#NewBloggers 101, Book blogging, Discussion, Edelweiss, NetGalley)
And… bear with me.. I gotta do this… MAY THE FOURTH BE WITH YOU!!!!
What kind of master sheets do you use for your reading? Or do you track everything in a paper journal? Maybe you have other resources? Don’t hesitate to share!
I’m Evelina and I blog about books that made an impression on me. I love middle grade, women’s, scifi and some literary too.
Eeeek I’m off to snoop on your sheet in a moment cause I need help with my TBR. I use a mixture of my blogging journal and a sheet to track my blogging and reading. I have a sheet which needs updating now but it’s basically a link log of all posts on my blog, and then I have my editorial yearly calendar sheet which I’m loving it really helps me plan ahead and my journal helps me see what’s happening in the current month.
I don’t have a link sheet because I don’t know if I need that, but I have a read books and hauled books sheet 🙂 and of course a calendar, plus now a TBR sheet 😀 hope you like this one!
I’ve never thought about making a spreadsheet for my TBR but I might try this out. Idk I think I’ll give it a shot for the summer and hopefully it works as well for me as it does for you lol I’m just such a mood reader that I’ll usually try to plan out reads but it doesn’t always work bc I end up reading something I never even previously thought about
Yeah, it’s quite productive 🙂 I actually used to be a mood reader! But then I turned into a blogger :DDD but it’s a good thing if you’re a mood reader. I would still totally be one if I didn’t have ARC commitments 😀
I prefer paper journal. I have a bullet journal just for my reading and I love using it (even if I am not so consistent with it in this period… shame on me), but your post is really interesting and I love your list! I may try it for some challenge, and I adore lists! So thank you very much for sharing!
I would love keeping a paper journal as well 🙂 but I can’t because that would mean I’d have to drag it around (I stay in two places a lot of times) so I’ve had to come up with an alternative 😀
I hope you can use it for a challenge like you say! Thanks for reading, glad you liked it 🙂
I love spreadsheets and all things with lists!! Thank you for sharing!!
I know right, me too 😀 lists are life! Thanks for reading, glad you liked it 🙂
Oh yaay Thank you!
I don’t have any google doc experience..but I did followed a course of the whole microsoft suite – including excel, which *looks* like it’s similar?
I’m so glad you found this useful 🙂 yes! It’s very similar to excel, and actually, personally, I think it’s more convenient and user friendly than excel 🙂
I think I sound repetitive appreciating all the efforts you take to be the most supportive and helpful person out there. BUT again, THANK YOU! This spreadsheet is definitely super savvy for me because I suck so bad at Excel and you know all about the spreadsheet I was working on LOL 😀 Even though I added a lot of things to my spreadsheet, I really like this one of yours for the drop down things <3 <3 They're so technical, haha.
Thank you! <3 so you'll be using it? That's so cool 🙂 yeah, you can just copy paste parts of it into your own spreadsheet. Just as long as you can put it to good use 🙂 or just see how the setup is done and do something similar in yours.
I used to organize my TBR and blog posts with the help of a spreadsheet, but then I moved to Trello. Never turned back! Whatever works best for y’all though. c:
I use Trello for my work tasks! It IS great, but for some reason, it doesn’t work for my blog xD possibly because I just don’t want to see it anymore when I’m done with work 😀
I love spreadsheets, but I don’t like using them to say that I must read specific books. I do like using them for my reading challenges, though. I your workbook is very useful.
I like to use them for EVERYTHING 😀 hahah. Thank you! I would forget everything if not for the lists 😀
What a great idea! Thanks!
Happy to help 🙂 thanks for reading!
This is great! I use Google Sheets to organize my TBR too and it made my life a heck of a whole lot easier!
Google sheets and lists in general are just really awesome indeed 🙂
I don’t use a master spreadsheet. No need. 🙂 I know what I have. I do use a spreadsheet for beat the backlist so I know what I still have to submit and what still to submit on review sites for points. But that is physical. I don’t do well with computer spreadsheet/lists haha.
Whatever works! My memory is a sieve cause I juggle so many things at a time, that I would rather not bother with remembering, especially because most of the stuff I have is electronic, so I can’t make a stack of physical copies to know what I have to read 😀 that’s mostly why I use a list, eheheh. Oh yeah, totally – beat the backlist definitely requires a list though, because it’s way too easy to get lost. I still have to submit everything for this month, I think xD
You are a gem to us all! Even if it’s simple, I love seeing how other readers, reviewers, and bloggers organize themselves. I have changed my organization so many times, mostly because I haven’t found the PERFECT FIT yet. I’ve used other spreadsheets in the past that just haven’t worked for me and I’m way too lazy to do my own atm. At the moment I am using a mix of my bujo (I track reviews that need to be done and the books I read each week and carry over whatever isn’t finished to the following week) and the… Read more »
Awwww Becca thank you! ;_; <3
It's part of the fun though, changing the way you organize your blogging, isn't it 🙂 getting ideas from others and changing them to suit your own needs.
Listography website? Ooh! I haven't heard of that one 🙂 I feel like I need to check it out!
YESSSSS my ARC list also always gets messed up or lost whenever I write one xD that's why I made that spreadsheet 😀 I am sort of glad to hear I'm not the only one 😀
This is AMAZING AND SO COOL. I admit my spreadsheet is just for books I’ve read and it’s horribly and tackily set out.But functional. Although I’d like to learn how to use a proper one haha. I think it’s amazing that you’ve shared this eeep!!
Thanks! Actually, my hauls and reads spreadsheet is also a loooot messier than this one, cause things are constantly going on in it, so it’s not as cool xD it makes my counting easier though. So it’s at least a little bit SMRT. LOL Well, you can just grab this one and sort of see under the hood 😀 conditional formatting (the colors) can be really cool, especially for to do lists and such 🙂 my dream is to figure out one which tells me which ARCs I have to read ASAP, but it’s just… too much work. And I… Read more »
This was really helpful! I took your outline and adapted it a bit to include stuff I need it to, and now it’s perfect – what a great, little method of organisation! You’ve got to love a list!
Thank you! That’s so cool, what adaptations did you implement? It’s really good that you customized it, I love it when people take an idea and make it even better 🙂 and yes, lists are LOVE 😀
Thank you for this! I don’t read and review all that many books a month, but maybe I’ll review more if I track them like this? Even if I don’t, it’s a useful tool and it’s really kind of you to share it with the rest of us! 🙂
I’m glad you found it useful 🙂 well, even if it doesn’t help you review more, at least you’ll feel like you know which ones those were and won’t lose track 😀
lovely post as always, about to go and browse your spreadsheet to see what you hve!
ohhhh it was just a blank template for us all
Waaa i wanted to see ur books :’)
LOL yes 😀 I can send you a screenshot of my books though 😀 doubt you will know a lot of them though cause quite a few are old obscure ARCs that I need to get off my chest lol xD
Thank you! Hope it’s useful 🙂
I’m going to try this. Thanks! I do love lists and mine are just written in a log book right now.
I hope you have tried it and found it convenient! If you have any questions, just write me and I can try to help 🙂
This is such a cool idea! I don’t think it’s for me but it will definitely be great for some people, thank you for sharing!
Lucy // lucyturnspages.co.uk
I’m glad you thought it was useful 🙂
[…] [NewBloggers] What Tools Can Help Me Be An Organized Blogger? TBR Spreadsheets […]
[…] @ Avalinahs Books shares her handy dandy spreadsheet for tracking your TBR! If your TBR is attempting to plot your demise, check this post out…or just check the post out […]
It is so neat that you are this organized. Personally I tend to get very organized witch some things in life but so far not with my reading. I do not accept ARCs however, I would need to have things more together if I did.
Thanks, Brian 🙂 actually, I think I’m the other way round 😀 I am a very messy person (in terms of items, rooms, cleaning), but very organized and even OCD when it comes to work and blogging 😀 it’s odd. But yeah, if you don’t accept ARCs then it’s different! Nobody dictates your reading choices but you 🙂
I use a spreadsheets too – I wouldn’t be able to work without one! Fantastic post, Evelina!
Glad to know a fellow spreadsheet lover 🙂
Well this is really organized Evelina! I simply use my Google calendar. I plan the date for ARC’s reviews (when they are due) in one color and I enter the date where I should begin reading my ARC in another color. I look at it with a “monthly” view to check that I did not request too many ARCs and see where I have room for my “moody” reviews.
Haha, thanks 🙂 I hate using my Google calendar for my blog stuff because it’s got my real life stuff and work stuff already, so it’s just a huuuuge mess xD and I don’t feel like it’s very functional either. But I don’t really like using that calendar for my life stuff either, so maybe it’s just that I don’t really like their interface 🙂
You and my husband would really get along! He loves spreadsheets. I’m lazy and just use Goodreads to track everything, and just recently I started putting my ARCs in my google calendar. I just put them in on their publication date and set a notification to go off one week before to remind me. I really think this is cool, though!
Well my blog just ate my comment 🙁 dang… Anyway, I used to read Goodreads for that same purpose too, but now I can’t because I only review books on there as I review them on the blog, so they spend way too long in the ‘currently reading’ folder. For example, there are books that I finished in January that I still haven’t had time to review, so they’re not marked as ‘read’ yet. So I’ve had to devise my own system xD
I’m too lazy to use spreadsheets and I don’t accept that many ARCs anyway, I just went from 7 to 5 which is not bad at all for me. What I love using though is a bullet journal, I’ve been using it for three years now and it’s the most organized I’ve ever been!
Yeah, if I had 7, I would probably also not use spreadsheets 😀 but when it’s so many you actually start needing a special meme to deal with them… Then you start needing spreadsheets, lol 😀 congrats on keeping a low number of ARCs! I sort of envy you and I hope I can clean up nicely like that too 🙂
Bujos are also very cool. I’d love to keep one, but right now it’s not convenient. But one day! 🙂
I love that you are sharing this! I live for excel and spreadsheets haha <3 I have learned all of the ins and outs while running all of the reports at our pharmacy, and now I utilize those for home. I have sheets for everything! I have a TBR/Review one right now and one for upcoming posts. As well as one for monthly bills and budget. Love them haha. I think this will be a huge help for many – xx
Yes! Yess!! I am SUCH a spreadsheet nerd 🙂 I almost believe that anything could be solved with spreadsheets, ehehehe 😀 you should see the one I made for work, OMG. It takes in all the team’s time and puts out these nice charts on how we are doing on each client, working too much or too little, and balancing our expenses… It’s SO AWESOME xD it’s by far the spreadsheet I am most proud of 😀 my boss laughs that I’m proactive and do these things without being asked and that’s awesome, while in reality, I just really like… Read more »
I had to chuckle because we are two peas in pod! I just made two statistics spreadsheets will call stats, hours worked, etc for two of the departments at our pharmacy last week. What are the odds? I like your style
Nerdgasm. I am so happy I am among my people 😀 hey, we should devise some awesome spreadsheet for our buddy read xD xD
Feel free to come up with some ideas!
I’ll try 😀
Oooo Thank you so much for sharing this template! I’ve been wanting to start a spreadsheet to track my Netgalley ARC’s for a while now, but I never could just sit down and make one ((LAZY)). Now I have one to get me started, and I can even tweak it to my needs!
I’m so glad you found it useful! Hope this is what starts you on using spreadsheets for blogging 🙂 always glad to help 🙂
Spreadsheets are seriously the best! Thanks for sharing yours! 🙂
Spreadsheets are indeed the best 🙂 glad you found it useful, and thank you for reading!
That is very cool and I can see how it would be most helpful. I don’t do ARCs because I have a huge TBR list anyway and don’t want the pressure. I do keep my TBR list on Goodreads. And a paper book journal for completed reads. I admire people as organized as you! Also, I just found your blog somehow although we’ve been Twitter followers for a while now. 🙂
That’s very smart of you not to do ARCs 🙂 I can’t resist them 😀 or rather.. I couldn’t resist them in the past 😀
And I’m only as organized out of necessity 😀 otherwise I would not remember a thing! LOL
I’m so glad you found my blog then 🙂 that does happen with Twitter 😀
I’m really surprised this is the first time you’ve talked about this spreadsheet on your blog! I guess that I’m so used to talking with you I cannot separate what we discuss privately versus what I read on your blog. A good thing, I guess? 😀
This spreadsheet is awesome! I’m so glad everyone agrees on that point. I love the idea of tracking this content for each month or readathon. If I wasn’t such a mood reader, I’d use this for more than NetGalley, that’s for sure. How large is your version of this spreadsheet?!
Actually xD this is the first time I came up with this spreadsheet! 😀 well, a week or two before I posted this post, I mean. I did use a spreadsheet for my books, but not one nicely color coded and all. One a bit messier 😀 but yeah, we might have talked before – and I only posted now cause I had posts scheduled, and I don’t like moving them, it’s a hassle. So my version isn’t very large yet because it’s new, but I’m planning to just use it for every month to write down what I need… Read more »
[…] Engaged in the Community This simply has to be Evelina @Avalinah’s Books she is super kind and interactive and basically the reason why I know so many people from the […]
I think it is so generous of you to share your tools! sending you love xoxo
Thanks Daniela 🙂 I do hope these tools help some of those bloggers out. And why would I not share when I can, heh 🙂
Thank you so much, Evelina! I have an excel sheet I use (that I haven’t updated at all in 2018 🙁 ) But this one is much nicer.
I downloaded it as an excel sheet and hope that will work – I’m sure the colors will help me 😀
Oh wow, you actually liked my setup more than your own spreadsheet! I am absolutely honored 🙂 so happy to hear that. I hope you find it nice and comfortable to use. Yes, the colors are indeed half the fun 😀
I’m a little late to the party, but this is amazing Evelina!! I’ve already bookmarked your post so I can come back and spend a proper few hours getting everything organized and ready to update in my own copy of the spreadsheet. Thank you so much for sharing such an amazing tool 🙂 ♥
I’m glad you found it useful 🙂 have you organized your own version of the spreadsheet yet? I hope it ends up being convenient for you to use in the end. It’s best to use on the go, when you’re on the phone 🙂
I’m still very grateful that you shared your spreadsheet with us! I have been using it ever since and really love it 🙂 What can I say? Lists are the best and I love tracking my Reviews, because it helps me write them in time!
I am so happy to hear this 😀 incredibly! And yes, lists are absolutely the best 😀
This is genius! Why did I not discover this before my ‘what have I reviewed?’ breakdown post? I’ve got myself a copy and will try and utilise this, especially for my review copies if nothing else. Everyone loves a good list and I love the conditional formatting on it. I may have found this after I needed it but I love it all the same. Thank you for providing the little things that are so useful.
I’m so glad you’re finding this useful 🙂 yes, it’s immensely good for the review copies. I’m glad you love lists too! Lists are the best.
Thanks for reading 🙂
This SPREADSHEET is awesome and is full adaptable and I love using lists because it helps you keep so organized.
Thank you! I’m glad you found it helpful 🙂 I love lists too, lists are just wonderful.
This is wonderful Evelina, thank you. I’ve never had a spreadsheet for tbr’s, I can understand how it will be very helpful with picking what to read next.
Thank you! I’m glad you liked it 🙂
[…] » Evelina @Avalinah’s Books shares a helpful TBR spreadsheet to help us book bloggers → [NewBloggers] What Tools Can Help Me Be An Organized Blogger? TBR Spreadsheets […]
Productivity robot from the future. 😉
Also, it’s probably a good thing that you can’t see me blog – I think my lack of organisation and any planning whatsoever would probably freak you the hell out! 😉
Haha, it seems you already have a nickname for me and it has stuck quite well 😀
Oh, well – to each his own way! As long as you manage to handle your blogging in the way you do it – we can call it “creative” 😀 you know, like how they call it a “creative mess” (which is often the kind of mess I have xD)
As always, I’m amazed at your organizational skills. I track my TBR via Goodreads and my calendar—but it’s mostly because those are the only ways I’m consistent about checking it. 🙂
I fail at tracking via Goodreads xD that’s purely the only reason why I’ve had to invent my own system 😀
This is lovely! I really only record books read, and when summer starts I do often draw up a possible list of books to get to, but again, I’m such a mood reader. However, I am also fond of lists and spreadsheets, so I’m still going to check this out!
I’m glad you like it 🙂 spreadsheets are love indeed! I haven’t made it through all the books I put on my list, but at least that way I can always check back on what I need to read soon.
[…] posts I’m most proud of in May are the TBR spreadsheets downloadable tutorial, also three things you might not know about Marilyn Monroe and, of course, the first issue of […]
This is such a helpful tool to tackle my tbr. Thank you Avalinah!
Glad to be able to help 🙂 <3
Thanks so much for this! One question: what is an overdue ARC?
An overdue ARC is a review copy that you were supposed to review but failed before its release and it’s just hanging there 🙂
[…] and a folder of to-do materials. Then the to-do folder includes an awesome TBR spreadsheet that Evelina @ Avalinah’s Books has provided (it’s so satisfying to change the red bars to green as I finish reading and scheduling […]
I finally got around to this email. I love spreadsheets and lists. I ended up creating a spreadsheet for COYER and loved it so much I added to it and use it all the time now. It’s in Excel but I might copy it over to Google because you’re right then I could look at it on my phone. Thanks for sharing. Anne – Books of My Heart
I’m so glad it was helpful! And yeah, lists are the best, especially when they help you be more productive with your projects 🙂