TL;DR
Decide how many books and papers fit comfortably in your home, keep them all in one area, and let go of whatever does not fit that space. Leave room on the shelves so you can follow a one in, one out rule. For loose articles and files, ask whether a quick online search would find the same information faster.
Hello,
Thank you for all the wonderful information that you share. My story, is all about books and papers, I have always been a book person and also have kept many things hoping to share them with others. I have books mainly on health, natural healing, gardening, self help, astrology, Metaphysical, cooking, As I have always been interested in healing and cooking.
I am now 73 years old and really want to do something about all the books and papers I have around me I know that I have a lot of wonderful things to share that could help others but I have not find a way to do it, yet.
I would love to open a cooking school to teach food body connection and herbs and gardening but do not have the money to do it. I am trying to find a way to decide if I have to let all these books and papers go or what, I would appreciate you letting me know what you think about this.
Thanks, Janette
Hi Janette,
I am so glad that you took the time to post this question in the comments section under the article about paper clutter. Books and papers are a challenge for many of us, including my family. You are not alone!Papers and books can cause quite a havoc on your environment. I can relate to your dilemma as I am an avid reader and love the printed page in whatever form it is given to me!It sounds like you have been collecting articles and books for quite some time.
My advice would be to look around your home and determine how many you can comfortably fit without feeling overwhelmed. It helps to keep all of your books etc into one area of your home to avoid the cluttered feeling and atmosphere.So, take for instance, I decided to keep all of our books in the guest room. Once I decided this, it became easy to see how many bookshelves I could fit/use in that room. My family also has issues around cookbooks. My husband has never met a cookbook that he does not like!
So, that being said, once I determined where our books would live, I bought 3 Billy book shelves from Ikea to line one of the walls. I use the Billy shelf frequently because they are 72″ tall and use the vertical space in each room efficiently.The space on those 3 shelves determined how many books we could keep. This containment system made us decide which books were the most important and which were not. We got rid of every book that did not fit into that pre-determined space. Since it was difficult task, we filled up every inch. This was not the best method because then every time we got a new book, we had to let one go.
The better idea is to purge enough books so that there is room to grow without having to urge more after each new purchase. One in, one out, so to speak continues the process. We eventually were able to create enough space on the shelves to add a few photos, vases and artwork so the shelves were not so crowded and more visually appealing.
So, the moral to the story is that you need to make an agreement with yourself how many books and papers make sense in your environment. Once that is decided, storing them all into one area of the house will eliminate the cluttered feeling. If you truly want to start leading classes and share your years of knowledge, why don’t you explore who else does this in your area and give them some of your books? You never know, this gift might lead to forging an alliance and allow you to offer a few classes at their venue! Even if this does not happen, you will feel lighter and your home less cluttered when you let go of your excess.
Regarding your loose papers and files, you need to ask yourself if you could find them easier, quicker and more up to date when, and if, you need them later with an online google search. Typically, you can find information on any topic x 10,000 you need much more quickly on Google than trying to find files on the same topic within your home or office later.
If you would like more tips on how to organize the papers that you decide to keep, click on this link. Thanks so much for your question. I hope this response helps!
Kathi is a professional organizer, image consultant and event planner based in San Diego California.
Please submit your questions to: [email protected]. San Diego Professional Organizer
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Frequently asked questions
How do I decide how many books to keep?
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Look around your home and decide how many books you can fit comfortably without feeling overwhelmed. Kathi chose one room for her family’s books, worked out how many bookshelves fit there, and let that space set the limit. Any book that did not fit the space went.
Why keep all my books in one area of the house?
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Storing books in one place avoids the cluttered feeling of books spread through every room. Once you know where your books live, it is easy to see how much shelf space you have and which books matter most.
What kind of bookshelf makes the most of a small room?
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Kathi uses tall shelves, such as the 72 inch Billy bookcase from Ikea, because they use the vertical space in a room well. She lined one wall of her guest room with three of them.
Should I fill every inch of my shelves?
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No. When Kathi’s family filled every inch, they had to give up a book each time they bought a new one. It is better to purge enough that there is room to grow, then keep to one in, one out. The spare space can hold a few photos, vases or artwork so the shelves look less crowded.
What should I do with old articles and papers I have saved?
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Ask whether you could find the same information quicker and more up to date with an online search when you need it. Usually you can find far more on any topic online than by digging through files at home. If you have books that could help others, consider giving them to someone in your area who teaches the subject.
Id Llke To learn some organizational skills relative To PAPER clutter.