2023 Lazy Reader Spreadsheet Template

Do you want to track your reading and reviewing with minimal effort? Now you can! And for free!

Around 3 years ago, I initially launched the 2020 Must-Have Reader Spreadsheet. This was designed to conveniently organize all aspects of bookish life — from buying to reading to reviewing books. And it can even be used to track requested ARCs! It was a valuable tool for low-maintenance bookish creators like myself.

However, after some time, my inner Chandler Bing began to ask, “Can I be any lazier?” And friends, the answer is yes. Always, always yes (🤪). So, with that in mind, I created a brand new iteration of the reader spreadsheet: sleek, minimalist, and primarily dedicated to reading. ✨

2023 Lazy Reader Spreadsheet

As the name unsubtly suggests, this spreadsheet is intended for casual, lazy readers. Specifically, those who want a functional, straightforward reading tracker with pretty aesthetics and informative breakdowns. Because sometimes, less is more. Or because sometimes, we don’t have the energy to update high-maintenance spreadsheets consistently. Whatever your reason for being a lazy reader, I got you, and I wholeheartedly support you. 😉

And of course, if you find this useful and want to support my work, you can leave a one-time tip as thanks. Since I just moved out to live independently, tips are very much appreciated! 💛

What are the spreadsheet features?

The 2023 Lazy Reader Spreadsheet can track both short-term and long-term reading. It’s ideal for folks who prefer to focus on key data points and want to see month-on-month and annual insights into their reading habits. As an added bonus, it can also be used to track reviews (if that’s your preference!). With that, this template consists of two main sheets: Reading and Yearly Stats.

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✨ Reading Sheet

Basically, the reading sheet serves as the main database of all your read books, as well as titles in your TBR. It’s optimized for status tracking and collecting key details of each book you log in.

Additionally, if you’re mindful of diversifying the literature you consume, there are helpful columns that can track that, too. Here’s a quick rundown of its features:

• Reading Status (to be read, currently reading, read, reread, will return to, will not finish)
• Overall Verdict (from ‘not recommended’ to ‘highest recommendation’)
• Reading Details (star/numerical ratings, format, source, pages read / hours listened, month and year read)
• Author Checklist (debut, new-to-me, from marginalized background)
• Author Identity Details
• Diversity Tags for on-page marginalized representation
• Other Book Details (series, readership, genre)
• Review Status & Details (if the book will be reviewed)

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✨ Yearly Stats Sheet

A full-year statistical breakdown is automatically generated as you update the Reading Sheet throughout the year. Isn’t that neat? This feature is dedicated to my fellow data lovers! 🥰

On this sheet, you’ll find a month-on-month overview of your reading habits. And by the end of December, you’ll have a nifty statistical breakdown for the whole year based on the following aspects:

• Reading (from read to reread to will-not-finish)
• Reviewing Status
• Verdict (from ‘not recommended’ to ‘highest recommendation’)
• Book Format
• Book Genre
• Book Readership
• Author Checklist (debut, new-to-me, marginalized)
• On-Page Representation
• Ratings

This feature can be valuable in identifying trends in your reading and areas of growth. It can also help in visualizing your progress if you’ve set specific goals, such as reading more non-fiction, writing more reviews, or reading more diversely. 😊

To caveat, however, these percentage breakdowns are calculated based on your overall books, which is the sum of all logged books for the year (from your TBR to read books to abandoned titles). If you prefer stats based on your read books alone, then you would have to either remove undesired books from tracking or manually revise the formulas as needed. (Don’t be intimidated! There’s an attached guide on how you can do this. 💛)

What’s the difference?

At this point, you might be wondering what makes this new iteration different from the 2020 Reader Spreadsheet. The key difference is functionality. While the 2020 version is built for multiple purposes (to cater to readers, reviewers, and bookish creators alike), the 2023 Lazy Reader Spreadsheet has only one purpose: to track your reading and reviewing. Additional aspects like buying/selling books or keeping a book wishlist are not covered in this latest version. Instead, it’s truly built for the lazy reader first and foremost.

Admittedly, the reading sheets have many similarities since the 2023 Lazy Reader Spreadsheet is technically derived from the initial 2020 template. Nonetheless, some improvements have been applied. For example, instead of tracking the number of days spent reading, you can now track your progress in terms of pages read (for books) and hours listened (for audiobooks). There’s also the addition of your Overall Verdict, which is essentially how highly you’d recommend a book to other readers.

An entirely new and exclusive feature in the 2023 Lazy Reader Spreadsheet is its Yearly Stats Sheet, which provides an automatically generated overview of your reading habits. Unfortunately, there are no statistical breakdowns included in the previous 2020 spreadsheet template.

Can it get any lazier?

Absolutely! Like I said, I got you. ✨ If you’re a lazy reader with no reviewing priorities, I’ve prepared an even more straightforward, simplified, and low-maintenance spreadsheet template that you can use! Stick to the barest of essentials with the 2023 Laziest Reader Spreadsheet, which is solely dedicated to reading.

But what if I’m not a lazy reader?

Firstly, I’m amazed that you stuck around to read this blog post! But I digress. There’s no shame in wanting to track more details about your reading. For a more comprehensive spreadsheet with bigger data, I suggest looking into Kal’s Ultimate Book Blogger / Reader Spreadsheet Template. She does amazing work and creates great, stats-heavy spreadsheets! 💛

Download These 2023 Reader Spreadsheets

The 2023 Lazy Reader Spreadsheet and 2023 Laziest Reader Spreadsheets are both available for download and free for personal use. You can get either version (or even both!) on my shop, but don’t worry because you can pay what you want or not at all. You are more than welcome to edit and modify these templates, but please do not re-publish them as your own work.

GET 2023 LAZY READER SPREADSHEET

GET 2023 LAZIEST READER SPREADSHEET

* Check out other free downloadables on my ko-fi shop and other free resources on this blog. And don’t forget to subscribe in case you haven’t yet!

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I’d love to hear from you!

🌻 Do you consider yourself as a lazy reader? How do you stay on top of your reading?

🌻 Have you tried tracking your reading before? If yes, did you find it helpful?

🌻 What do you think of these new spreadsheet templates? What other features would you like to see in a reading spreadsheet?