One thing I’ve learned from working with clients for 12+ years is that we all have things that are “tough” for us to declutter. For some it is clothing, for others it is photographs, for others it is tools… we each have our stumbling blocks. Usually this is because we have a special connection to a specific category. These are the items that we love touching, using, seeing, smelling, and experiencing. One common item that I’ve noticed people can struggle with is books, so today on “Select-an-Effort: Organizing Tasks for 2023” we will be tackling your collection of books.
I’ve talked about decluttering books before. Even with the popularity of e-readers, most people have books of one kind or another in their space. Books make terrific gifts, so even if we aren’t consciously buying any, they may still be accumulating.
If shedding books is rough for you, you might want to stick with the “low effort” option today. If you feel “ready” to shed books, aim for the other choices. Here we go:
Low Effort
A lot of organizing is just walking around putting things away.
If all you feel like today is getting your books in order, start there. Walk around and find any books that aren’t shelved or in a designated book storage location. Pick them up and put them back where they belong.
As you do this, you may find that some of your books are not stored in an efficient manner. For example, perhaps your cookbooks are overflowing their shelf or are difficult to reach. Maybe children’s books have gotten mixed in with adult books in the principal bedroom. Focus today solely on getting your books back in order.
Medium Effort
If you are ready to shed a few books, pick an area (or two) where you keep books and take a look. This might be a shelf, a basket on the floor, or a toy box. For each given area you tackle, select at least three books to give away. Put them in a bag to donate, and either schedule a charitable pickup or put them in your car to be dropped off at your favorite charity. Bonus points if you get the books dropped off today!
[Note: most charities who accept books have guidelines for what they will take, so check these in advance. For instance, textbooks that are more than five years old are seldom welcomed.]
High Effort
Are you drowning in books and ready to make a big difference today? If so, conduct a thorough review. Bringing all of your books to one central location can be a job in itself, so I’m giving you permission to bring a couple of sturdy bags along as you sort through your books shelf by shelf.
Remember to move quickly, and whatever you do, don’t start reading. 🙂 The goal is to keep the books that you:
- Love
- Will read again
- Are saving for sentimental reasons
- Will reference
- Like to display
- Are keeping as investment pieces
Knowing why you keeping a book helps you figure out where you should store it. If you have a fragile, valuable book, it most likely should not be on a shelf that sits in the rays of the afternoon sun.
If you get stuck on a decision, simply keep the book, and move on to the next one. Also, if you come across some that might belong to, or hold meaning for another person, stack these up with a note saying “Ask _____.” Try and get a decision from that person today if you can, either by asking them when they come home or by texting the other person.
Relocate any books that aren’t where they ideally should be. Take the bags of donations and, as with the medium effort option, schedule a charitable pickup or put them in your car to be given away at a future time.
If you have freed up some space in this process, wipe your shelves clean and reset the books in a way that works for you. Some people like things alphabetized by author, while others enjoy grouping books by type (e.g., fiction, work, cookbooks, picture books, etc.).
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How would you describe your relationship with books?
It can be confusing, right? I have my own books that I organize a lot like what you suggested in high effort. We also have a secret library in our house, so a lot of books go there. Plus with the older kids shedding books that we keep some of for the little ones.. it’s a lot.
It is a lot. Constant rotations, especially with children of different ages and reading levels. Love the “secret library” idea!
I have way too many books, especially cookbooks. I am not sure who accepts them but I am going to look into it. It’s an easy thing to procrastinate on but you are right that it needs to be done regularly. I have so many that I think I will read but since I haven’t and don’t seem to be attracted to them I need to get serious about taking action.
You can always try a charity who picks up at your home, such as the Vietnam Veterans. You can schedule a pickup with them at scheduleapickup.com. Good luck!