How to Declutter Books: 2 Methods to Minimize Your Collection
One of my greatest, and most rewarding, challenges of minimalist living has been learning how to declutter books.
My love for books began in 6th grade (maybe it was because we were incentivized to read by an end-of-the-year pizza/slumber party at our middle school, which highly competitive me had to—and did—win). But, regardless of my initial reading motives, I fell in love with books early on and never looked back.
I was as quick to purchase a book as I was to read it. Problem was, my book collection accumulated; books came in, but never went out. Soon I owned box-after-heavy-box of already read books.
Now, I still think buying books is a wonderful investment (and I recently wrote one called Rich in What Matters that will be released early next year!).
Books shape who we are and have the power to change a life. Even Mark Twain said good books were a requisite for “the good life.”
Books are also good for our overall health. A 2009 study by the University of Sussex revealed that a mere six minutes of reading can reduce a person’s stress level by 68 percent. (Plan to read this blog for at least six minutes? Your stress levels will be lower for it.)
But it wasn’t until adopting a minimalist lifestyle that I realized it wasn’t in my best interest to keep them all. As I began to detach from and declutter my unused and unloved possessions, I began to see books differently and finally learned how to let them go…
Books are like coffee
Minimalism has shown me that a book is like your favorite coffee. Imagine yours. Mine’s a decaf latte in an oversized mug topped with some whimsical Rosetta latte art. You sip it, you enjoy it, you consume it… and then you move on. The mug doesn’t come home with you. You’ve already ingested its contents; its purpose has been served. The same goes for a book: you read it, you consume its contents, and then you pass it on.
This doesn’t mean you need to declutter every book you own, but it does mean that, if your goal is to declutter your books, you can only keep your favorites.
In the words of Francine Jay, “Remember: you are not what you own. Storing all those books doesn’t make you any smarter; it just makes your life more cluttered.”
Here are two different methods to help you declutter books:
Method #1 to declutter books: The Boundary Method
The first method to declutter books is systematic, even languid. If you’re not in a hurry to cull your collection, and want to hold every book you own before rehoming it, then the Boundary Method is for you. Your goal: to define the physical boundaries where your books will live, and then only keep a number of books that fit within these boundaries.
Here’s how to declutter your books using the Boundary Method:
Choose where you will display your books
How much space do you want your book collection to occupy? This could range from one bookcase to one shelf. I’ve chosen the latter and love keeping only my absolute favorite books on one shelf in my closet.
Keep as many books as you like, but they simply can’t surpass this designated space. I’ve found, on average, 12 books fit into one foot of shelf space. So, If you’re choosing a 3-foot-long shelf to house your book collection (like me), then plan to keep around 36 books. (You can see my book collection here.) Set your guidelines before you declutter to ensure desired results.
Decide where your plan to donate your books
Before you declutter your books, decide where you’re going to donate them. Knowing their future destination can help you let them go. Are they headed to a thrift store whose proceeds help a good cause? To the local library or to A Little Free Library? To a school or a woman’s shelter? Will you give several away to friends? Choose a donation site you’ll feel good about supporting.
Place all your books in one pile
The next step to declutter books is placing every book you own in one central place. Retrieve books from the car, under the bed, closets—locate them all. Stack them or lay them out across the room one by one; there’s no wrong presentation, just be sure you can see each one.
I needed an entire room to declutter my books the first time—my collection was massive.
Immediately declutter any books that make you feel bad
Begin observing your to-be-decluttered book collection. Do any of the books invoke negative emotions? Declutter those books immediately by placing them in your donation box.
A book, like clothing, can trigger feelings of guilt if it’s a book you bought but neglect reading—you’re liable to “should” on yourself every time you see the book. Books can be bought for our “aspirational selves”—the person you “could” be but aren’t (and likely aren’t actually called to be).
Do you own a book on how to speak Spanish, but you’ve only known “hola” for the past five years? Let it go. Do you have a book on how to use a digital SLR camera, but you don’t venture from your iPhone? Let it go. If it makes you feel stressed, or makes you feel like you should be someone you’re not, let that weight go.
Question the rest of your books
After you’ve let go of any stress-inducing books, begin holding each book individually and making a decision.
Ask yourself two questions: “Do I absolutely love this book?” and “Do I reference this book often?” If the answer is yes to either, then keep it. If no, then donate it.
Books can sometimes feel like sentimental items. Tapping into emotion can help let them go. If you’re having a hard time letting them go, consider the minimalist’s spontaneous combustion question. If you’re holding on “just-in-case,” read this.
Also, remember you can rent almost any book from the library, rent it (no cost) on the LibriVox AudioBook app, or buy it for a few dollars at a used book store should you need to read it again. Don’t let a book you only half-heartedly like clutter up your living space.
Fit your favorite books in the designated space
Gather your keep pile and see if it fits in your designated container. If it fits, congrats, you’re done! If you’ve kept more books than you have space for, do this. Go through your keep pile and pull out only your very favorites. If your goal is to declutter your books, you simply can’t keep them all. Put your very favorite books in the designated space. Box up those that don’t make the second cut and put them in storage for three months.
When you revisit them, it will be much easier to let them go. If it’s still difficult, consider rotating them in every couple weeks and see if you actually still enjoy/reference them. If not, let them go.
Use the one-in-one out rule for new books
When you get a new book, an old one will have to go (think “one in, one out”) to honor your boundary and keep your space clutter-free.
Method #2: The Recall Task
The second method to declutter books is swift and ruthless. If you’re ready to have a curated collection in little time, then the Recall Task is for you. Your goal: to remember only the books you love and keep only those.
Here’s how to declutter your books using the Recall Task:
Recall your favorite books
Go somewhere away from your book pile (I suggest going on a walk or to a coffee shop if possible so, you’re not tempted to peek at your books) with a paper and pen or the Notes app on your phone. Then make a list of every book you can remember that you absolutely love. Think of the life-changing books you will re-read, those you can’t wait to read, and those reference-like books that are basically part of you now.
Align your collection with your list
Return to your book pile and sort out every book you recalled and wrote on your list. Now, you can be ruthless and donate the rest of the pile. Or, you can browse what remains and add a few more books to your “keep pile.” Be careful with this though: if you couldn’t think of the book, will you really miss it? Only you can know.
In conclusion
Learning how to declutter books—and then taking action—is an important piece of your minimalism journey. Why not choose the “how to declutter books method” above that resonated, and get started?
Unused and unloved books that you’re holding onto “just in case” or simply retaining because you spent money on them are clutter. And clutter weighs us down.
Here’s to surrounding yourself with just the books that lift you up and challenge you to grow into the person you’re called to become—and happily letting go of the rest.
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Julia Ubbenga is a freelance journalist whose teachings on minimalism, simplicity, and intentional living have reached thousands of people worldwide through her blog. Julia also practices what she preaches in her Kansas City home. She resides with her husband, two extremely lively young daughters, three-year-old son, and baby girl. You can also find her on Facebook.
Do you want to get serious about decluttering your life? My signature course will show you how to declutter your inner and outer environment for good. Now is the time to choose change. Now is the time to live lighter. Learn more here.
A few thoughts after reading this post. First, I’ve modified the “one in, one out rule” to “one in, two out” for books and clothes. Second: our local library has put restrictions on book donations due to the volume of donations. The book has to be less than five years old and be in “good” shape. I understand why they had to implement these rules after seeing what previous donations looked like. Third, the local “little libraries” are usually overflowing. Thus, it is a little harder to donate old books; it just takes more time in finding places that will take these. Thanks for the great post!
This has probably been the most difficult thing for me, as I really did love reading when I was younger. So many memories, so many books to keep! And then, add the new ones I planned to read but forgot. But I have gotten better at releasing the ones that didn’t bring me any joy, and here in Norway we have this nice little app where people can buy your used books – all you have to do is put a paper around them and post them in your mailbox, and money manifests in your bank account a few days later. That was a massive incentive! 😄
I love books and have read all the ones I own. When I purged my large collection several years ago I used the question “will I read or use this again?”. That really helped me let go of novels I rarely reread or books that were used for another time of life while raising my family. I kept my children’s books collection and love to read to my grandchildren (I’m using them again!) but the books on how to raise children, hobbies or interests I no longer have, various fad diets, old decorating books, etc. were donated. I now use the local library exclusively for fiction and rarely buy new books except those needed for reference.