How To Declutter Books 

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Guidelines: 1. Decide to do it. (Stop putting it off, and make the decision to own fewer books.) 2. Realise books do not define you. 3. Remove "scarsity thinking" . (Thinking you will not find it again to read it.) 4. Determine to make room for new. 5. Go digital. Use the format that works best for you, but at least give the digital format a try. 6. Give yourself permission to keep your favourites. 7. Set up reasonable boundaries for your collection. (Limit the space) 8. Remove unused or outdated reference books. 9. Think of forwarding a good book as an act of love. 10. If all else fails, chose to lend them out. (Write your name in them). Almost all are going to return.

I am a former librarian and have loved books since I was a toddler. I come from a family of books lovers. My grandmother was a librarian and so is my cousin. They are one of the things I have loved most in the world. Many of the books I have are books I even bought when I was in high school. I have always been an excellent judge of books and good literature and what I got 40 years ago I still love today. For example, I bought the "I Ching" and all the books of John Steinbeck and Ray Bradbury while a teenager. Just looking at all the books I am surrounded by makes me happy. I do donate a lot that I know I'll never look at again once I'm done with them or that I realize aren't really any good. But I still have hundreds. I recently retired and look forward to finally reading them, although I realize I won't even be able to read half of them in what is left of my life. But when I am sad or things aren't going well in my life I pick up a book to read that I have already selected and it makes me happy. Just seeing all the worlds I can enter when I want to is exhilerating. I hope that someday, when I'm gone, my books will all be donated to the library for their excellent book sales frequented by people who love books as much as I do. I am such a reader that I take a book with me wherever I go so that I am never bored while waiting.

There’s something very special about holding a physical book in your hands, turning paper pages.

No. 6. Give yourself permission to keep your favourites. That speaks for itself. In fact that speaks volumes.

Get a library card? Don't see many minimalists on here talking about libraries and I'd have thought you would be big fans!

My advice is to look online and see how common the book is before you donate it. My only decluttering regret is donating a book that cannot be found online or bought anywhere, I took pictures of the book thinking it would be enough but technology fails :((

Since I started my journey into minimalism 3 years ago, I had been looking for a video or article with truly valuable information about the subject of books and how to let go because for me it has always been my main source of attachment. The most complicated thing in the world to minimize. Therefore, I have to give infinite thanks Joshua because this video is pure gold. The best I've ever seen on the subject of books on minimalism. Thank you very much. Greetings from Spain.

my father is a professor at a uni and teaches law. when he was still a bit younger and capable of moving around, he loved buying and collecting books and it was sooo many so we had 3-4 almost ceiling high bookshelves for it. even that wasn't enough. books were all over the place, the floor, table etc. when his age progresses, he continue practicing a lethargic and sedentary lifestyle, rendering him incapable of cleaning and sorting the books by himself, forcing me and my mother to sort all of them (it was me mostly, cause my mother is also aging, she can't work physically too hard). these are some of the most stressful and tiring moments in my life. most of the books were taken by my uncle, and some recycled due to its irrelevancy and out of date materials. there are still some stockpiled in my parents' house, but now in boxes. what i'm trying to say is, if you dream of collecting books and having a library at home, make sure you are fully committed and devoted to take care of the books.

I responded to a request from a local Bible College seeking accreditation. They needed a library of books for student research. I donated over 200 Christian books and got the deduction on my taxes.

Cool thing about decluttering your books is what is left is the best of the best. So you are super proud of that collection.

#9 has helped me with all kinds of things, not just books.

Right now, my books are overflowing my bookshelves. Instead of figuring out where to put another bookshelf, my first goal is to pare down my books so they fit comfortably on the shelves I have. I'm respecting the existing boundaries. It's a small step, but for a book lover, it feels significant!

We just moved and I got rid of quite a few books. I asked myself a few questions. 1. Can I get this as an e-book? I prefer reading on my Kindle and rarely read hard copies. 2. Is it available at the library? If it's an e-book, that's even better. 3. Is it sentimental? I have antique books that belonged to my parents, grandparents, and great grandparents. I also have a shelf and a half of signed copies. It brings me joy to look at those books and remember my encounters with the authors. 4. How long has this book been on my shelf without me reading it? I thought I had given away half of my books, but after unpacking what I had left, it's more like a third. But at least they all fit on my shelves with room left over. Now I need to downsize my notebooks and journals. I was surprised to see I have 3 boxes of them. 🤔 I used to collect Bibles, but with so many translations available online, I don't need as many. I'm keeping some sentimental ones and some study Bibles. I donated a whole box to a food pantry and clothing ministry that gives Bibles to anyone who needs one. When they weren't accepting any other food or clothing donations, they accepted the Bibles.

I’ve just discovered I’ve been on a minimalist journey the last few years without knowing being a minimalist is a thing to identify myself. I just discovered this channel too. It started as necessity to sell many of my belongings. Then I realized life was easier with less stuff. A few hard areas for me to pare down, books and music. I love to read and listen to music. I had about 2,000 books. I have sold, donated to libraries, charity, or given my books to someone I have thought would enjoy. I would drop off selects stacks in my work lunchroom with a free sign, they were gone within minutes. Now I only own two bibles. That’s it. I don’t like reading on a ebook. I only buy a new book if I can determine beforehand who I will gift it too after reading. Music. I worked in music for a long time, so I had a massive collection of maybe 4500-5000 CD’s alone. I picked out favorites to keep, sold some on eBay, to used record stores, gave some to charity. I have about 100 left that are tucked neatly in a decorative storage box. Music was harder for me to part with emotionally. I know for the most part, there is a digital copy out there somewhere if I have to hear it again. It lives on inside of me still.

use the PUBLIC library! let THEM store the books you like to read!! hehe!!

I have a Barns & Nobel account with 2 wishlists. One is books I want to read, and the second is books that I have read. That way even if I don’t have a book anymore I can still remember that I read it and if I need to end up repurchasing it for whatever reason, I always know where to find it. Most of my books have all been donated to the high school I attended because that’s where I spent most of my time cultivating my love for reading and I like to think about the students who might discover their love for reading if they are forced to pick a book off a shelf and it happens to be a really wonderful story.

Keep books that you really use and those that 'spark joy' 😊 Most of the books I borrow from the public library.

I recently did my books declutting and, oh boy!!! I ended by removing the bookcase. I now have only a few and I got the floating shelves only 👍🏼

Joshua I declutted 135 books and can not recall the name of one of them.😉

When it comes to "subject/topic" duplicates, choose your favorite and give away the other ones. This works great for gardening books, craft books, or any duplicates on a particular topic. I just went through my craft books last night. I have so much more space! If there were 1 or 2 projects I liked in a book, but I didn't need the rest, I'd take pictures of the part I needed and then donate the book.

Some books are out of print, not in any library one has access to, nowhere to be found online (or cost an egregious amount, e.g. 200x what you paid), AND not available in ebook format. If that's the case, and you like the book, keep it - that is one decision you very well may come to regret if you get rid of it. I majorly downsized my books, but I still have 3 bookcase shelves of them, and I have no intention of getting rid of any of them unless I discover that my attachment to them has dwindled.

Sharing books with a new reader is a special feeling, whether they are a child or an adult who has started delving into it. It's returned a hundred fold when they come back to you and thank you for introducing them to a topic or series and they say something like "I never would have known..." If you love a book, share it with other people. You won't be sorry.

We did this 3 years ago and it was awesome. I have to say that one probably has more books than you think scattered around the house, so we literally put all the books we owned on the dining table, and even when we thought those were all the book, we kept finding more. One we did that we started the purging process and actually implemented several of the tips you gave today.

My husband and I are in the process of decluttering and reorganizing our home. I've put off my book collection because of emotional attachment. This video has helped me so much. Thank you! "New and returning subscriber"

Recently retired, (and both avid readers!)my husband and I are downsizing into a new home… I’ve estimated the inches of new bookshelf space available… divided it by 1.25” … and came up with the maximum number of books we will have room for! 🤔 Of course… if we want to tuck in a meaningful decor item or two amongst the books, we’ll have to cut back a bit more!! But at least it’s a start on boxing it all up! Looking forward to sharing our wealth of books and interests via all the little enclosed “book share boxes” that have sprung up around our community!

Sooo I’m driving home wondering where I’m going to put the box of books I purchased over a week ago because they’ve been in my car. I’m out of room on my 4 bookshelves stacked 2 deep. My phone flashes and catches my attention. I glance at the title, and all I can do is laugh. Guess God is trying to tell me I have a book addiction lol. I’ve been willing to give away and downsize most of my belongings, but have been reluctant to give my books away. I love books and find them at such great prices at yard sales and thrift stores, so sometimes I get multiple at a time, annnd thats the beginning of my problem.

Very helpful!! I am very anxious to get started! I am saving this video I am certain I can definitely start to goo through and to condense my books with the tips from this video. There are just so many, but I need the space more than the sight I am seeing where they are crammed into this moment! And there is certainly no place else for them to go in this smaller home in which we have retired!! I know I do not want to place them on the new bookshelves that are being built upstairs even though I have no idea what will go on those new shelves now that I am taking an interest to these helpful ways of self improvement by learning to decluttering styles and minimalist ideas of living!!

My guidelines for getting rids of books are as follows. 1. Will I reread it ? Recently I realized I will reread some of my fantasy books but that I never reread my murder mysteries so I’m slowly getting rid of that category. I plan to buy digital copies or get my murder mysteries from the library in the future. 2. Would I pay to move this book across the country or overseas ? (Across town doesn’t count because moving costs wouldn’t change as much.). This really helps decide if I want to keep it when I think about packing/unpacking and paying to move it. 3. Can I get a copy easily or cheaply if I wanted to replace it. Some of my books are not currently available so they are keepers for now. I had over 600 paperbacks and over the past 2 years have cut it down to approximately 200. Still trying to purge more and get my collection to 1 bookcase or less. Hope these suggestions are helpful.

Keep ones you totally love

I decluttered my books by watching them all (many hundreds) go right out the door. Hurt for a few minutes, but on to electronic media.

Perfect timing , to watch this video. I'm busy with my books right now. It's a mighty challenge. I live alone. My books and I... Always here for me. But I certainly will be giving away some and lending some out as well. Five years ago I did a big declutter. Last year I gave all my study books away to my niece who's becoming a teacher. I felt so good because I know that she needs the books . She also saved a lot of money by not needing to buy them. So the process is on.

Our family & church members donated books to an elderly community library that lost most of thier books due to flooding in thier library. They were grateful. Be a blessing & be blessed.

Pleasant ideas here. Reading, learning and making use of the knowledge within the pages of books is a wonderful experience. Owning a few books, but accessing many through libraries is a practical idea. There is such a wide range of topics to cover in one's life time.

I find it helpful to make a list of the books I am getting rid of. That way if I ever need or want it again, I can pick it up from Amazon or Ebay. Or get out of library.

Hey Dad, if you’re reading this, donate all your books. Let go of the fantasy that you’ll ever read them. You won’t. Throwing them in a box and shoving them in the garage renders them useless and they will get damp. You won’t be able to find them and you’re still definitely never going to read them. It is selfish to deny others from reading the books and sad for the books to never been read and now in a box, never even be seen or thought about.

I've downsized from about 15 bookcases' worth of books to about 6. My goal is to get them down to 4. My local used book dealer and librarian must be sick of seeing me! PRO TIP: If you have balance or mobility issues, keep a sturdy donatable cardboard box (preferably one with handles) in the car. Whenever you make a trip to you car, carry a bag or two of books out and place them in the box. Once the box full, take it straight to the donation/resale site. Usually someone there can help you unload it. I used this method to haul at least 20 bags' worth of books down from my third-story attic to my car. Only about 12 more to go!

I love lending books! When the message of a book is very close to my heart, I will remmeber it anyways - so if it doesn't return I know that someone got value :)

Joshua thank you! At home this is easy, but my husband and I are teachers and this is something we can continue to work on in our classroom to make sure our class is tidy and just right for kids. Appreciate this one!

Thank you!!!!!! I needed this guidance. So grateful!!!

I agree! 👍Books are information. But the wisdom is not only in books.😉 When the time is right you'll find it also in a talk with a close friend, or at work, or in your family, or during meditation, in the internet....find peace and trust that every information will come to you, when the time is right😏

I'm a librarian. You'll have to pry my books from my cold, dead hands. LOL

I got rid of all my cookbooks and removed a few of the recipes that I do make.

Thanks, Josh I so love my books always have but I will on the morrow get rid of those I probably will never read. I enjoy your videos so much.

There are some other great tips we have on books. We both LOVE books. We are readers and I am a teacher, so the idea of getting rid of all books or minimizing too much makes us so sad. So some things to think about-you have made all great points here already -and we are quite proud of ourselves because though books are a favorite and were one of our last trouble areas-we did it before this post! Progress! The libraries in your area are a tremendous resource! Your library card allows you to use any library in the country, anywhere you are, neighboring towns, on vacation-it is quite astonishing and their are some incredible libraries doing incredible things out there. Libraries are free and you bring back what you borrow-so no stuff. We often do this if we think we want to add a book to our collection that way we give a test drive firs. So that is one, secondly many if not most libraries take your donations because they have used bookshops set up within their walls, or have annual sales where they raise funds for the library, so it is a win win. Paperbacks usually go in our house after we have read and shared with each other, and we are very careful in curating what we bring in now. We also acknowldedge that reading a real book, not online, well sorry there is just nothing like a real book in your hands, so we acknowledge that and we are careful when we shop indpendent bookstores-which is the way to go-if we are minimizing because those small stores and libraries create community and make us slow down and take stock of life that we live not books that we own. They also offer incredible services at indie bookstores for community events. Another win without loading up your house with more. Be selective, share, use your library, donate your books you want to pass along ro your library's used bookshop, shop there also to minimize expense and burdening the earth with a large footprint, and shop careful and shop independent bookstores when you do. Minimizing should include be careful with how and where you buy so we are reducing our carbon footprint. And don't forget schools, they can always use book donations. There is also the free little library program and that is a great way to share books and receive books in your community. littlefreelibrary.org/ Joshua, we love your books, your videos, we share with other people. You have helped our household immensly. Next would you please do minimizing bedding, blankets, the things that make our house cozy, but we all probably have too much of? Thanks, Susan

I held on to my college textbooks for years, avoiding dealing with the whole issue. Honestly I didn't know what to do with them. Then I was moving to a new house and donated 3 huge boxes to a local library in Montreal. It felt SOO good. I am gathering another batch to donate. Great video!

Share with Little Free Libraries

Very helpful. Can you please do a video on how to get rid of CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes. Love your channel. Thank you

I donated books a couple times. I was a book buyer with a book reader wanna be personally I guess. After I kept saying I was gonna read and didn't I figured if I wasn't going to use them it was a shame that no one could so I donated them to bless others. I keep reference books that I will refer to again and a few I'm still hoping to read but trying to convert to library thinking rather than buying.

Thanks a lot for these suggestions! I think they also work very well for CD-collections of music lovers like me...

Useful tips. In addition to those in the video, I find checking the availability of the book at a local library. If it is in stock, I find it easier to remove it from my collection. Also, quite a few books (particularly those of age or out of copyright) are available as downloadable .pdf.

#2 It's not that I believe the books on my shelf (or in crates, or in stacks on the floor, or on the coffee table, etc.) define me, but I acquired the bulk of my collection when my kids were younger (does anyone remember when Amazon only sold books?). I love 20th Century American fiction, especially the short story genre. Lack of reading time is my main excuse for my unwieldy book hoarde. As a freshly minted 60 year-old, I have a little more free time now, but still not enough! As Rachmaninov said, "there is enough music for a lifetime but a lifetime is not enough for music". I feel that way about books! 😂

With my memory I just need 5 books. By the time I get to the fifth one the first one seems brand new, etc., etc….

Good information -thanks!

Notification squad already watched once through.

Thank you for for this. My dream has always been to have a huge library. My dream house is a library with a nice bath and kitchen attached. Lol. I have made the decision to get rid of books that were just bad. I have several collections of series or authors I love. Those I will keep. But if I don't love them and won't reread them they are gonna go. Thank you for the respect you are showing readers. I also have been using the library alot.

Excellent topic! This was a difficult area for us. We are avid readers and have tended to keep books that we love. As well, we are given many books as gifts. All in all, we have a lot of books. I am still in the process of de-cluttering our books, but can offer a possible starting point. For all the books that I wanted to keep, I checked the library. If the book was available in the library, I added it to a list. That way, I still had the option of reading the book. Many thanks for another great video!

Thank You. I recently did step one. I must say that decluttering books is hard, but I am ready to do it.

Great advice. I have become visually impaired in my forties, and it has become exponentially more difficult and time-intensive to read paper text any longer. Even though I am a minimalist, and even though I can no longer easily read books, I still have my small collection of ethnobotany and chi gung books. These topics are meaningful enough to me to make the effort of reading them worth while. Also, they are niche enough I am not confident the content is available online via streaming services like Audible, or even the visually impaired library services available to me now.

Great tips for books, I am glad I kept my favorite books since the library has been closed during covid-19. I can still get ebooks from the library too.

I've been decluttering books, i kept my favorites and the ones i haven't read yet

Finally! Books... oh my. 🥰🥰🥰

also utilising public libraries & street libraries

Just about done selling off my record collection and excited to move onto my books next

You can also have a little library shelter in front of the house to put books in and people can take them if they want them. 📚

I'm trying!

2 is the best. and I think that applies to many fields

I am donating much of what is left in my collection to the library in my retirement village. I might still want to read them in the future and they will be available to me but other people can enjoy them too.. I will only have the best of the best (my absolute favourites) with me in my tiny house.

My husband and I put an initial on the back of the book so we know that we have read it. (Husband reads much faster and more than I do and he sets aside only the books for me that he really enjoyed that he thinks I will enjoy too). The rest and the books we have both read then go to our local American Legion where we also pick up a few new ones to read and enjoy. Sadly our local library has been closed since the onset of the covid and we don’t know when, if ever, they will reopen. Otherwise, I’d donate most of the books we haven’t read and get them from the public library. Luckily, we both prefer paper books, but I do see the benefit of e-readers🤓📖

I have a rather large book collection, but I only keep my favorites and as I bring in new books, I get old books out. I have 2 book cases and once they're full (not cluttered) they're full. If I bring in 2 new books, I remove 2 and donate.

Thank you for this video. I am just "testing the waters" of minimalism and I have far too many books.

I let go of books that I know I will never read again. I rediscovered the library so I wouldn't keep buying so many books. I actually read them a lot faster now because there's a deadline.

I like that these tips came from all over the world - you didn’t mention joining a library - a tip from Australia 😝 - I watched this video even though I have very few books since I have the reading attention span of a gnat thanks to the internet 😆

I decluttered my books last year by almost 200. Now I have about 10 novels which I just can’t part with, and probably hundreds of electronic books. I also kept all my Travel Guidebooks (about 10) which are better than photos for remembering my travels.

I just think of all the trees that have been cut down to make paper

1. decide to do it. 2. realise the books, do not define you 3. remove scarcity thinking. 4. determine to make room for the new. 5. go digital 6. give yourself permission to keep your favorites 7. set up reasonable boundaries for your collection 8. remove unused or outdated reference books. 9. think of forwarding good books as an act of love. 10. choose to lend them out

for nb3, take them to local library, so in case of needs, you can find them there.

« Les livres sont beaucoup plus beaux dans la tête de quelqu’un d’autre que dans ta bibliothèque. » (Books are much more beautiful in somebody else’s mind than on your bookshelf. »

Yeah, about the scarcity thinking...... we had a water damage a few years ago and I wanted to replace at least my favorite books......good luck finding them and at a reasonable price. 😏

Kim is back. Great !!!:-)

Thank you for those helpful tips!

I just got rid of 4 bookshelves

I am a book lover and this was much needed video, thanks a lot

Bookmooch is an Online place where you can list books and ship to others who have that book on their "Wanted" list. The Us Postal offers a cheaper book rate. You may also find a book or two you've been looking for.

I love all your videos. Very inspiring!

I understand the scarcity mindset. The thing is some books really do go out of print and it's almost impossible to find them. So, when it comes to a rare book, I would really think carefully before decluttering it. I am about to order a book that hasn't been published in about 60 years. Also, we don't know if physical books will be widely available for purchase in 20, 30 years, so maybe utilize the library more and only purchase the books that you want keep.

I threw all my books. Yes, all of them. In Sweden were I live you can borrow books for free at the library

Decluttering books has a whole other level when you're a scholar and you actually go back to books quite often 🤣

I don't really like ebooks. I want to hold a book. I have been reading for 54 years. I have decluttered my books on occasion. I am happy where I am with my book collection. It doesn't even take up a 72-inch tall bookcase.

Very helpful tips!

Some books feel like therapist or good friends or journeys I took.

Very helpful tips! I also have 3 bookcases !!!

A few years ago I downsized my book collection to 23. My collection now includes my favorites like Greek Mythology by Edith Hamilton and The Little Prince. I also kept the ones I purchased online because these titles are really hard to find in the Philippines. And one is a biography of my idol Mariah Carey(I just have to say✌️😊).

Thanks a lot it was really helpful Best human ever

I think a reason that I had trouble decluttering books was that I was actually processing them as Sentimental Items, which is another problem entirely. I then had to ask myself if this sentimental item crossover was happening with my clothes and komono, and it was, to a lesser degree. I then realized that the way to let go of all of it was to cherish my emotions and keep them separate from my decisions and my possessions. Like, to stop giving my possessions the responsibility of holding my feelings, or stop using my possessions as vessels for my emotions. This is all very murky territory, but attempts to vocalize the basis of hoarding. I hope some hoarders read this and validate what I’m saying. Once you let the feelings out of the object and let the emotional energy come back into you, you can let go of the thing. You don’t feel so drained and helpless looking at a bunch of clutter because you are reclaiming your energy. Sorry for rambling, but it was easiest for me to identify this dynamic with books. Gotta start somewhere.

I have a collection of out of print books that would be too hard to part with.

wow your points of view are very special, i really love them, thank you so much!

The only book s I would not be prepared to get rid of from a sentimental point would be my 150 year old copy of the Iliad given to me by my father and a copy of a signed book I contributed a story to.The editor wrote my new name in the cover, I was about to legally change it by deed poll.

I love collecting books especially hard cover ones.I have two books since i was 12.One is poetry and the other Religious Knowledge.My uncle bought them for me ,i wont part with them.Thats part of my histiry.Im still upset about a primary school text i lent and i never got it back.

Love your voice