Uncluttering Your Bookshelves
If you’re anything like us, you love books. Actual books — the old-fashioned kind — with a cover and pages that you can fold down to save your place. Not that iPads, Kindles and Nooks aren’t great, but they don’t offer quite the same satisfaction as thumbing through an old classic or a hot new bestseller.
The challenge, as always, is managing the clutter — especially if you live in a New York City apartment. Books may still be the standard reading medium, but they also take up a lot of space.
Luckily, we came across this helpful article in the Huffington Post’s Home section, an excerpt from which we’ve posted below.
Also, for all you bibliophiles, we found these incredible photos of bookshelf designs you have to see to believe. May they inspire you, and happy reading!
Via: techeblog.com
How to Let Go of Book Clutter
By Brooks Palmer, De-Cluttering Expert
Go to one area where you keep your books. Take a stack off the bookshelf, or wherever they have been staying. Pick up the first book. There are three possible categories this book could fit in, and I’ve listed them below:
1. What you’re currently reading. Ask yourself if you’re still enjoying reading the book. Maybe you’re still loving it. Great, it stays. Put it in the “books you’re currently reading” stack. But, sometimes we enjoy a book up to a certain point and then we’re done, though we don’t know it until we’ve checked in with ourselves. If you’re done with the book, put it in the donate box or bag.
I’ve worked with some clients that initially didn’t want to let go of books they’d read because they felt their collections were a display of their intelligence. I pointed out that it was their house and they didn’t need to get anyone’s approval. Their only job was to give themselves a home that was nurturing. They saw the pressure that came with presenting an image, and let the collections go.
3. What you’re not reading. If you haven’t read the book, start to read the first page. How does it feel to you? Would you buy this book today at the bookstore? If you have any hesitation, the book isn’t for you. Maybe you saw it was on the bestseller list or you read a review and you felt compelled to buy it. Or it was a gift from a friend who said you would love it. But maybe you’re just not interested.