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On Reading: Can Books Become Clutter?

August 30, 2009 by Guest Contributor

Upon learning that I am a professional organizer, people just feel the need to confess to me about their clutter. I’m cool with that.

“You should see my closet,” says one.

“You can’t imagine my kitchen countertops,” says another.

Still a third leans in and whispers, “I don’t have clutter. I have books.”

This is where book-lovers may bristle.

My response is “Books can be clutter.”

As an organizer, I’ve helped clients declutter and in doing so have unearthed lots of books. I’ve see books they meant to read, started reading but didn’t finish and books they totally forgot that they bought. I’ve seen one, two and three copies of the same book.

Clutter, by my definition, is anything and everything that gets in the way of what you really want to be doing. Too many books and too unorganized books can indeed keep you from really enjoying reading and from finding a peaceful spot in your home to read.

When we sort clutter, I stick to a very simple list of questions. Ask yourself if you love it, use it or need it. If you don’t love it, use it or need it, why do you have it in your house?

This same simple list of questions can help you get your books organized. Begin sorting them by asking if you love the book, use the book or need that book. If you don’t love it, use it or need it, then why do you have it in your home?

Allow yourself to feel good about the books you are ready to let go of by making sure they end up doing good in their next life. Swap them at a trade-in store to stretch your book budget. Donate them to the local library for their annual fundraising book sale. Take them to a thrift shop so that the sale of them can benefit the homeless or the abused. Pass them on to someone who can’t afford to buy books.

Once you’ve sorted out the books that you don’t love, don’t use and don’t need, here are some basic tips for organizing your books you wish to keep.

  • Divide your books into ones you have read and ones you have not read.
  • Establish one spot in your home for books you wish to read. This might be a shelf, a box or basket. Anytime you bring in a new-to-you book, it goes to this one spot. This way you won’t forget to read that book.
  • Set a limit on unread books. Your storage area for the unread books might be a good way to set that limit. Once your shelf, box or basket is full, you say no to new books until you’ve worked your way through some of them.
  • Keep in mind that not everything is worth knowing or spending time on. Ask if this subject is really worthy of your precious time?
  • Once you have read a book, ask yourself if you love it, use it or need it. If you enjoyed the book but you didn’t love it and don’t use it or need it, set it aside to be recycled in one of the above suggested ways. A tote bag is a great place to store already read books. When it is full, it goes out to the car with you and is taken to the store or to donate.
  • If you did indeed love it, use it or need it, then the book should be stored away in your home properly.
  • Sort your books into fiction, non-fiction and reference. Be sure that you really need that reference book. Ask yourself, “Will I really turn to this book or will I hop on my computer?”
  • If there are children in the home, you’ll also want to sort by age so that children know where to access age appropriate materials.
  • Fiction can sorted by genre- romance, mystery, science fiction and so forth and then by author.
  • Reference or non-fiction can be sorted by subject, such as biographies, gardening books and cookbooks.
  • Stay organized by adding unobtrusive shelf labels. Adding the words “cookbook,” “gardening,” or “mysteries” to your shelves will not only help you continue to stay organized but will help guests or other family members return the books they borrowed.
  • Strive to make your life easier. Accumulating heaps of books, to be dealt with later, doesn’t make your life easier, it just makes it cluttered.

Do you think you’ll use any of these tips?

©Professional Organizer Lea Schneider is the author of Growing Up Organized: A Mom to Mom Guide (follow the link for Jennifer’s recommendation on this book). Her organizing advice has appeared in Woman’s Day, Natural Health and Better Homes and Gardens Kids’ Rooms magazines. She is the Grand Prize Winner of the Rolodex Office Makeover Challenge. She helps people get organized at www.organizerightnow.com.

Filed Under: Guest Contributor, Home, On Reading

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Comments

  1. Carrie, Reading to Know says

    August 30, 2009 at 1:07 am

    For the past two weeks I have been staring at my bookshelves, thinking about decluttering. But I hadn’t really figured out how I would go about that. I’ve been motivated but without specific thoughts in mind. This article was QUITE timely and I’m looking forward to doing a little decluttering around here! THANKS!

  2. edj says

    August 30, 2009 at 10:24 am

    I’ll let you in on my little secret–international moves on a low budget. I pare my books down PAINFULLY each time. I still have TONS of books, but I know and love each one of them 🙂 (Or, in the case of a few, I’m excited to read them soon)

  3. Lelah says

    August 30, 2009 at 12:05 pm

    This is a great post with fantastic guidelines for figuring out which books to keep and which are clutter. I would also suggest that to avoid accumulating lots more books once you have your shelves all nice and organized, try using the library more. You can get almost anything you want there and then return it!

  4. Theresa Finnigin, Ready Aim Organize says

    August 30, 2009 at 8:38 pm

    Great tips! Books can quickly take up space in one’s house. Don’t forget to use your local library to save money and to keep clutter from building up in your home. A library is also a great place to donate books – check your local library for their donation policy. Great post!

  5. Jennifer (5 Minutes for Books) says

    August 30, 2009 at 9:28 pm

    Love the idea of using a tote or something to store already-read books that you plan to give away.

    Since I get so many books to review, I give them away pretty freely — to the library for their book sale or to friends or school, but they still create clutter!

  6. Dawn says

    August 30, 2009 at 10:33 pm

    As it was for Carrie, this was an extremely timely post, as I was just trying to reorganize my TBR pile, and was frustrated by the cramped bookshelves in our living room. With a very small house, we have to be smart about our storage, so I think I need to take your advice, ASAP!

  7. Gina says

    August 31, 2009 at 9:01 pm

    When I saw the title under Recent Posts, I was able to say YES. I don’t want my books to be clutter but really, anything you don’t have the room for counts. The article reminded me of several points that I know but don’t follow.

    My daughter recently got married and I’m adding bookshelves as soon as her room is cleared out. I will be remembering this post. I won’t be sorting my fiction as strict as I could but it will mean something to me. After all, I’m the only one who uses these shelves – the family has their own.

  8. Laura says

    September 1, 2009 at 4:03 am

    I’ve written about my over-abundance of books here.

Trackbacks

  1. Can Books Become Clutter? « Not Just Laura says:
    September 1, 2009 at 4:02 am

    […] on Mt TBR.  At one book a week, it will take me six and a half years to read my way through.  5 Minutes for Books suggests that one should set aside a shelf for TBRs and stop acquiring books when it is full.  I […]

  2. Organizing: Your Books « Organize Right Now says:
    October 1, 2009 at 9:13 am

    […] did so and it is called Can Books Become Clutter. Check it out for tips and to find out if your books are […]

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