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June 1, 2026
The simplest way to track your reading in Notion is to combine a database (for your book list) with an embedded habit tracker and progress bar. Blocs widgets let you do this directly inside Notion, no separate app required. You log reading sessions as habits, visualize streaks, and track pages with a progress bar — all on one page. Free tier covers the habit tracker; the progress bar requires a one-time $17 Pro upgrade.
A useful reading tracker has three layers: a place to store your books, a way to log daily reading sessions, and a way to see progress visually. Most Notion reading setups nail the first part (a database is easy) but fall flat on the other two. You end up with a table full of books and no idea whether you've been consistent or how close you are to finishing.
The fix is adding interactive widgets directly on your Notion page. Instead of manually updating a "Pages Read" number every day, you check off a habit and watch a progress bar fill up. That visual feedback is what keeps the habit going.
Start with a simple Notion database. Create a new full-page database and add these properties:
Switch the view to a Gallery view filtered by Status = "Reading" for your active shelf, and a Table view for your full archive. This gives you a clean reading dashboard without any extra tools.
The biggest gap in most Notion reading setups is tracking the act of reading, not just the books. A habit tracker turns "read today" into a daily check-in with streaks and weekly analytics. The Blocs Habit Tracker is free and embeds directly into any Notion page.
/embed and select Embed from the menuhttps://blocs.me/habit-trackerThe free tier includes the habit tracker with default settings. Blocs Pro ($17 one-time) adds unlimited habits, daily/weekly/monthly streaks, and theme customization. For most readers, the free version is plenty to get started. See more on how to set up a habit tracker in Notion.
Knowing you're on page 180 of 400 is more motivating when you can see it as a bar rather than a fraction. The Blocs Progress Bar lets you set a custom goal (e.g., 400 pages) and update your current count. You can embed one inside the Notion page for each book, or on a central reading dashboard.
/embed in Notion and select Embedhttps://blocs.me/progress-barThe Progress Bar is a Blocs Pro feature. With Pro you can also set custom colors and labels, so each book's bar looks distinct. Check out the full guide on how to track progress in Notion for more use cases.
| Feature | Free | Pro ($17 one-time) |
|---|---|---|
| Habit Tracker (reading habit) | Yes | Yes |
| Daily streaks and check-ins | Yes (basic) | Yes + weekly/monthly analytics |
| Unlimited habits | No | Yes |
| Progress Bar widget | No | Yes |
| Custom goals and durations | No | Yes |
| Theme customization | No | Yes |
| Cloud sync across devices | No | Yes |
| No Blocs branding | No | Yes |
The free tier is a genuine starting point, not a crippled demo. Most readers can track a daily reading habit for weeks before needing anything from Pro. If you want a visual progress bar per book, custom streak analytics, or a fully branded dashboard, the $17 one-time payment covers all of it permanently.
Here's a recommended layout for a Notion reading page:
This gives you everything in one place: your current streak, how far through the book you are, and quick access to your full library. If you want to go deeper, the Blocs reading tracker guide covers additional database templates and review workflows.
You can also layer in a Notion habit tracker widget for other adjacent habits — like journaling after you read, or taking notes on what you learned.
Yes. The Blocs Habit Tracker is free with no sign-up required. You can embed it in any Notion page and log daily reading sessions immediately. The Progress Bar widget requires Blocs Pro ($17 one-time).
No. Notion supports iframe embeds natively. You paste the widget URL using the /embed command and it loads directly in your page. No extensions, no installs, no third-party integrations.
The simplest method: add a "Pages Read" number property to your reading database and update it manually. For a visual version, embed the Blocs Progress Bar widget and set your target to the book's total page count. Update the current value as you read.
Yes. Add a "Status" property to your database and filter views by "Reading" to see only active books. You can embed a separate Progress Bar widget for each active book on its dedicated Notion sub-page.
The free tier shows basic daily tracking. Blocs Pro adds streak tracking, weekly analytics, and monthly summaries so you can see patterns in your reading over time.
Use the Progress Bar widget with a target of 50 and update the count as you finish each book. Pair it with a database filtered to "Done" status so you can see both the visual bar and the list of completed books.
A reading tracker in Notion doesn't need to be complicated. A database for your books, a habit tracker for daily sessions, and a progress bar for each book — that's the whole system. Everything lives inside your existing workspace.
Try the free habit tracker first: paste https://blocs.me/habit-tracker into a Notion embed block and add a "Read today" habit. It takes under a minute, and you'll have your first streak started by tonight.
Try the free Habit Tracker | See the Progress Bar widget | Explore Blocs Pro