How To-11: "How to Organize a Bookshelf"

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Organizing a bookshelf can become an easy and fun task, if you look at it that way!

Steps

1. Take everything out of the bookshelf. It's so much easier to start with a blank slate!
   
2. If you have books you can give to charity, set those aside now. Books to choose for this can be books that you never read, books your children have outgrown, or books you are not interested in keeping. Doing this helps your bookshelves remain clutter-free.
   
3. Decide how you want to categorize the books. Popular choices are by author, title, and subject. But if you want to organize them by height and color, this is also acceptable, although it might take a little extra work. Another good way to organize books is fiction/non-fiction. Also, you can put all the books you haven't yet read together, and books that you have read together. That way, when you're looking for a good book to read, all of the un-read books are together.
   
4. Spread out all the books on a floor, bed, etc. Begin organizing them into categories.
   
5. After they are all organized, double-check to make sure you don't have a book by Zoe Zucker next to a book by Andrew Ardell, if you're going alphabetically.
   
6. Transfer each category into the bookshelf. When organizing a child's shelf, children's books tend to be taller than adult ones. Try stacking these on the tallest shelf. Remember to keep the spine of the book facing out.
   
7. Admire your work!
   

Tips

• Dust the empty bookshelf after removing all the books.
  
• You can display pretty bookends at either end of the shelf.
  
• Extremely heavy books should be placed on the lowest shelf.
  
• Use a vacuum cleaner with the small attachment intended for corners to get the dust off books.
  

Warnings

• Always start with a blank slate. Trying to organize a bookshelf with the books already on the shelf will create challenges. For one, you may end up with a category that is large and after you’ve arranged the books you would have to take them all out and start again. This might also affect other shelves as well and then it is twice the work!
  
• Spreading the books on the floor will allow you to see how many books are in each category and how tall they are. This will make your decision as to which books goes on what shelf 100% accurate with no mistakes.
  
• When lifting heavy books, lift from your knees instead of your back to avoid injuries. If you have weak or injured knees, ask for help!
  

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