I asked my Facebook friends to comment on this question last week:
What area of your life would you like most to simplify?
My longtime friend Kate commented that she loves her many books but knows that more shelves isn’t the answer to her growing book collection.
Do you have a lot of books and wonder how to integrate your love for the printed volume with a simpler lifestyle?
I know how you feel! Until recently I, too, had a ton of books that I carted around with each move.
I Was Buried in Books.Having graduated from both college and medical school, not to mention being an avid reader for all of my adult life, my books were my most prized possessions.
I had books on every topic imaginable: medicine, anatomy, biochemistry, surgery, philosophy, religion, novels, novellas, business, marketing, love, self-help, the list goes on and on.
As a writer, books are my life and my medium. I wrote two books a few years back and I have another in progress (although I’m committed to publishing it solely in PDF and for Amazon’s Kindle this time around).
The Turning Point.
A few years ago I became a single parent (read the story here on my other blog at Solo-Dad.com) and I downsized significantly in terms of a home and realized very soon that…
When your home is smaller, your belongings seem to multiply.
It became apparent pretty quickly that I needed to shed some things. Book were on the list as well. (Read this post to see how I dealt with my own bookcase.)
The Problems Associated with Collecting Books
When considering special issues related to book lovers, there are several concerns that come to mind Each is deserving of mention:
- Space Concerns – Let’s face it, books take up space. The more books you have the less space you have available. The obvious solution is to create more shelves, buy more bookcases, stack more on the stairs, right? But this isn’t solving the problem. It’s enabling you to buy more books and compound your space problem.
- Clutter – At the heart of every cluttered home you’ll find fear. For the book collector, it’s the fear of letting go of a book for only one reason: You won’t have it case you need it again. In my experience that happens rarely if at all. And now that I own a Kindle, I have all my books at my fingertips. But the larger issue is the fear and not being comfortable with the concept of enough. Once you experience the adequacy of enough, chances are excellent you won’t feel the same about having so many books.
- Dust – Anyone who’s ever dusted a bookshelf knows this all too well. Books collect dust and other allergens and must be periodically cleaned. This is time consuming and laborious. Cleaning a flat surface where books ‘used to be’ is a whole lot easier and faster, trust me!
- Safety – This is perhaps the most important issue of all. Books are heavy and moving them from place to place can be hard on your back. Stacks of books represent a safety issue, too. Stacks get bumped and fall over creating even more clutter and the potential for additional injury. Finally, there is the fire hazard associated with books. Enough said on that one, but it’s something to consider.
Breaking Up with Your Books The Easy Way – One Shelf at a Time
The Clean Slate Approach
Jeffery Tang wrote a great post on ZenHabits about how to approach decluttering a living space using this method and it certainly applies here. Decluttering any space can only occur if you start small: One drawer, one closet, one shelf.
That’s the way to start any change in life. you take one step, then another, then another. Remember, simplifying your life is a process that doesn’t end. It’s a new way of living.
Both ‘simplifying’ and ‘living’ are present tense verbs!
You’ll need a few items to help you with the process. Some storage boxes and tape, some dusting/cleaning supplies, and a camera. before and after photos are a great way to record your progress and they serve as a record for how you did the first time!
Here’s how to begin:
- Choose a shelf, empty it, then clean it. Cleaning it is a very important step, so don’t skip it. The act of cleaning it helps prepare it (and you) for its new purpose. After you’ve cleaned it, take a moment to sense the calmness inherent in the empty shelf. This is the effect your entire bookcase can impart after you’re finished.
- Identify the essential. Taking each book on its own merit, identify only the ones that are the most meaningful to you and place them back on the shelf. When deciding, ask yourself: Did this book change my life? If the answer is anything but, “OMG! Yes!,” place it in the box. Only those books truly deserving of this place of honor should remain on the shelf.
- Eliminate the rest. Box the rest of the books, seal it, and place in storage for 3 months.
It really is that simple to get started. 
The Maybe Box Now that you have a box(es) of books to store, place the box – I call it the Maybe Box because ‘maybe’ I’ll need something from it – out of sight, preferable in a dry place where you will not see it each day. Out of sight, out of mind so to speak.
After about 3 months, if you’ve not had to go back to the box to consult a book, then discard them by donating to a library, selling them to a used bookstore, or by giving them a s gifts (my favorite option)! But do eliminate them, otherwise they become closet clutter. 
If you’ve had to retrieve a book, consider placing back on the shelf for a limited time. If you refer to it again, maybe it belongs on the ‘Shelf of Honor’ after all.
What now?
Simply enjoy the new space and feel the new sense of calm you’ll perceive! Congratulate yourself on this one shelf. Now go on to the next.
After a few turns at decluttering your shelves, you’ll be motivated to do more. It’s a very positive experience to declutter and I know once you get started you’ll love the result.
Tell Me How It Goes?
Please consider leaving a comment below when you finish your first shelf. Send me before and after photos and I’ll feature them here on the blog! OK, go get ‘em!
Happy Book Break-Up! 
Excellent article! I did the same thing about a year ago, I had bookcases full of books that I had read and was unlikely to read again. One day inspired by who knows what I felt suffocated by them and couldn’t stand it anymore so I donated nearly the entire lot of them to the public library. It felt so wonderful! I chose to keep a few volumes, such as 2 cook books, the bible and my hardcover illustrated jane austen collection, but other than that the books went and as terrifying as it was I felt so much lighter. I plan to eventaully write such an article myself on my experiences becoming a minimalist, I think part of the book-clearing that was helpful was that I had to actually park and lug heavy bags of my books down to the library and one by one put them in the donation slot. It felt very real to me. When I got home I no longer had need for the bookcases so I also had the wonderful feeling of new open space when I donated those as well. I purchased a kindle after that and have been very happy with it, I bought a nice cover for it so instead of 100s of books cluttering up my life I have one beautiful book that will last a lifetime and take up literally no space as it often travels with me where I go.
Jennifer, Congrats on your ability to pare down your books! Gaining the extra space is a nice benefit, too! I haven’t mentioned that about a month ago my son dropped my Kindle and the top half is now blank.
I’ve gotten so used to it…I really miss it. Although I can still read my Kindle book on my iPod Touch with the Kindle app. But the call of the Kindle is strong…. 
On Unclutterer, they talk about having a “velvet rope” for one’s wardrobe…. I think having a Shelf of Honour and a “Velvet Rope” have been the two things that have helped me out the most with my ongoing PURGE.
Hi Ginger – I agree with the Velvet Rope policy, too! In this day of overcrowding, anything that helps us unclutter and find more freedom is good in my book!
I still have a LOT of books but I do regularly go through them and donate them to the library. I’ve been trying lately to get better about seeing if the library has a copy to borrow FIRST, thus avoiding the need to pare later. I love loaning out books to friends and sharing them though, hence my dislike of the Kindle. I don’t mind reading on the Kindle but there’s no context for finding something later and no way to share a book or pass it on and donate it somewhere. I wish they’d fix that! Lately, every trip I make to the library I do a quick scan and take a few books to donate as well. That’s less overwhelming than going through them all the same time for me (although when I do that, they get better organized and, as you noted, cleaned!). I do re-read books though so my “Do I keep this” question isn’t so much did it change my life but “Will I read this again?”
Ellen,
I agree that the only drawback to Kindle content is the lack of sharing. Maybe the ‘Kindle 4′ will allow it? Regarding the ‘Will I read it again?’ issue, for me, I chose to keep only those books that mean the most to me; that changed my life in some manner. Some are novels, others are non-fiction. Once I applied that standard, it became much easier to shed volumes. Great example regarding scanning your personal library before visiting your local one.
Barry,
I linked to your blog via Francine’s. Excellent! I too am an avid reader, depending on the time of the year. My parents were also book collectors and it definitely rubbed off on me.
At one time, I amassed hundreds of books in various sizes. Like you, they covered many subjects, but were mainly art, Astronomy and a lot of non-fiction titles. Additionally, I saved my textbooks from college, thinking I would “need them” one day.
During the course of my de-cluttering and shedding, it was hard to let go of some titles. However, over the last two years, I have whittled my collection down to 15, and I can put them all in a small box. I donated most and sold a few. The need to downsize came during my last and most recent move. Books are really a burden to move if you have a lot of them.
One thing I have learned through this process is that the number of books in no way is an indicator of one’s character, intellect or success. What’s the point of having a huge book collection if they are not being used. I can comfortably say that the few I did keep, I use even more than when I had what seemed to be an endless collection.
Gil – 15 books? You’re a true minimalist at heart! I keep whittling my collection down as well. Congrats on the terrific progress.
Note: I should say a word about numbers of books…what’s right for me or Gil may not be what’s right for you. YOU alone determine the number of books as well as other things that YOU need. I just don’t want anyone to think they aren’t making progress….whatever number you decide is the right number.
Barry..Thank you so much. I am learning that minimalism is by no means a “one size fits all” philosophy, but one that we each must wear according to our own needs.
Thank you so much for writing this post! This was the one area of my life that I could not let go of. Your words helped me clear my bookshelf immediately. I don’t have a camera, so I couldn’t take before and after pictures, but I just got rid of 47 books! I will enjoy the empty space now! Thanks again.
Kesha – Congratulations! Way to go! Isn’t it a liberating feeling to have that open space? Little minimalist adjustments can make a huge difference. I’m happy for you.
Thanks for the post. One of the things I have struggled with for years is getting rid of things. I’m just now really getting to really dealing with it and the only way it can be done is to actually get rid of stuff.
I am going to become a real live minimalist
All the little tips are helping. Keeping writing about them.
Wag!
K9 Coach recently posted..Coprophagia Does Your Dog Eat Poop
Jt – Thanks for stopping by and leaving a comment.
When you shed your first set of stuff, it’s liberating and you’ll want to do it again. Good Luck and keep us posted on your progress.
P.S. I just passed on your most recent blog post to a friend of mine who is dealing with this problem. Great blog!
Dear Barry, maybe you can help me look at this differently:
I’m having a hard time letting go of my childhood books. I will never read them again although sometimes I tell myself I will. I also tell myself they’ll be great for my future children. I want to get rid of these old books, but I don’t. I’m already 100% sure they won’t pass the 3-month-in-a-box test. What would you do?
Hi Mary, thanks for commenting!
You ask a great question because as minimalists we’re often faced with an emotional attachment to objects. Our rational mind shrieks at us: ‘How can you get rid of that?’ I’ve faced this some of my own books (I still have a shelf full from my days in medical school that I can’t seem to ‘lose’). I don’t think there are any hard and fast rules where this goes. If the emotional attachment is strong, then I’d create a ’1-year’ box and see how it feels to have them off-site somewhere secure, maybe with a family member, parent, etc. If after a year, you’re still in this place of attachment, then just resolve to keep them but also commit to reviewing your commitment/attachment in another year. We change, life changes, perhaps the bond will decrease in strength…perhaps not.
I’ve read posts by other minimalists who advice imaging the books/documents or photographing the object to which we are attached and dispose of the object/book in a meaningful way. Kind of like how ‘Andy’ does at the end of Toy Story 3.
I guess my bottom line on this is that you should leave room for the exceptions in life. Does that make sense?
I know I’m writing long after this was posted, but I thought I’d comment anyway. Decluttering my books was really hard for me, but I think it was the most freeing, and it laid the groundwork for decluttering other types of stuff.
As I went through my books, I realized that the library has most of them, and I’ve never had to wait more than two weeks for a book request (usually a lot less). That made deciding a lot easier: I didn’t have to ask myself how much I loved the book, or whether I expected to re-read it. I just had to ask: does the library have it? Can I wait two weeks next time I want to read it? If so, it went in the donation pile.
That approach was really helpful for me, since it helped me take my focus away from an emotional decision (“how much do I like this thing”) to a practical/logistical one (“so what happens if I DO get rid of it?”)
Answering “so what?” has been really powerful for two reasons:
1) It diffuses the panic
(“I can always buy more yarn. There is plenty of yarn in the world, and a fair bit within walking-distance of my house.”)
2) It helps me focus on the positive aspects of decluttering
(“Next time I want to knit, I will be free to choose any yarn I want, and not feel obligated to knit from my stash.”)
Your comment is very timely because a friend of mine contacted me this week about this post. She was worried about non having immediate access to her volumes. But as you mentioned, a two-week wait can usually be tolerated. If not, where there’s an Internet connection, there’s a way.
I agree that the emotional tie to our books is usually stronger than the need to have them physically nearby. Thanks for commenting!