How to Declutter and Organize Books ft. KonMari™
From guidebooks and how-to manuals, cookbooks, and textbooks, the corners of your house are likely filled with these gems. Books are the second category of the KonMari Method™. Imagine yourself in your living room or kitchen. In how many places do you find these books scattered around? Maybe a couple underneath the coffee table, a few magazines on the table, and sometimes even a pile tucked away in the corner? Don't be ashamed, books are everywhere and are a big part of our daily lives. But to maintain an organized and decluttered home, our books need to be organized, categorized, and discarded when no longer in use.
So how does one organize books? As per the KonMari Method™, the first step is "gathering". Gather all of your books to one pile in the center of your room so you can visually see how much you own. Then one-by-one, go through and touch each book. Ask yourself, does it spark joy?
For convenience, it is recommended to categorize your books by genre. Here are some categories to think about:
Guidebooks & How-To Manuals
Cookbooks & Recipe Books
Books used as decor
Textbooks
Leisure/ General books (books you read for pleasure including magazines)
This exercise is meant to you help determine the books you want to keep and the books you want to discard. If you are having a hard time determining this, ask yourself these questions: Have you read it? If not, how long have you had it? If you’ve already read it, how likely are you to re-read it?
Within KonMari, remember once you have read a book, it is IN you. The knowledge has been absorbed and you no longer need to hold onto the physical copy. If you only read part of a book, that was the part you were intended to read. People often stop reading their books either because they got the information they needed, or the books were just not suited for them.
In Japan, a bookshelf is considered to be a reflection of yourself. When you declutter and organize your books, remember to keep the titles that represent "you" and the ideal lifestyle you want to live. Think about how you can utilize books as decorations for your coffee table or other unique places for your home. If you are concerned about discarding materials, remember that they can be donated to local organizations near you.
P.S. Once you have gone through and de-cluttered the books that you no longer need, work to prevent clutter from building up again by investing in some functional storage solutions for your space. If you have a knack for DIY, consider building your own bookshelf from scratch! There are a variety of free bookshelf ideas available online in just about every different decor style you can imagine.
