2026 Update!
Hello,
Long time no see. Life seems to have overwhelmed me as I navigate two children, changing jobs, school schedule, and the every growing list of extracurricular activities. My eldest child is progressing through MMA and so quite a bit of time is allotted to watching 7-14 year olds throw each other around for hours a day multiple times a week. My youngest is flip flopping between dancing, gymnastics, and general chaos. It keeps us all busy.
On a more personal front, I am shifting more into exploring stationary and getting back into the handwriting everything out. I have started a reading log which I will write an entire post about later. But I have really gotten into reading lately and have started to really become immersed in creating a reading journey for myself. I mostly read ebooks on my Boox Color Go 7, which I have truly enjoyed. I like the idea of having an entire library of books in one device. But with reading, I also like to track what and how much I have read recently. But I am not a big review person, simply because my reviews would be “great…finished the book” and that would be the entire review. So I didn’t particularly like the reading journals when I really just wanted to track what books I read when. I have tried the online trackers (along the lines of storygraphs, fable, etc.) but I always forget they are there and so I end up updating once or twice a year. So these trackers just don’t work as well for me. The only electronic tracker I have found that works for me was a random one I had found on Etsy that worked with Google Sheets that had broken it down for me that I just had to click on the drag down menu to fill out the tracker. I have used this electronic book tracker for about 2 years now and I love being able to track my progress year to year. I also like that it is for me personally so I can track my personal reading journey. I have included the link down below in case anyone is interested in seeing what electronic tracker I use.
But despite the ease of use of the electronic tracker, I wanted something a little bit more visual to remind me of the books I have read (and when) and so while looking online I found a tracker where there was a space for the picture of the cover and next to it had the simple lines of Title, Author, Start Date, Finish Date. I immediately fell in love with this idea of simplicity. So I grabbed a spare notebook (believe me I have so many) and created my own version of this book tracker and so far I have been IN LOVE with it.
I had tried and failed to move away from the Take A Note planner…I thought I needed a change but the Take a Note is so perfectly suited for how I plan that when I tried other systems it felt bulky and excessive and I ended up back with my Take A Note Planner. I also like that it works with my life when I also use my Google Calendar.
I have given up on digital planning simply because I did could not sit down and fill out multiple planners at once. While I love the ease of a digital planner with stickers and such, I found that it was simply unrealistic with my life and schedule to fill out the same plans in multiple locations.
I have attempted to start a Traveler’s Notebook to help manage the many lists/ideas/upcoming projects I want to take on in my life. I will post an update once it gets here and I have given myself some time to use it. I hope to love it as much as I love watching others use theirs.
Well I believe I have rambled enough so I will see you all next time!
L
