How to organize/purge your book collection

Books can be really difficult to purge.  I find that most clients can’t part with old books as easily as they would old clothes or other household items.  I’m not entirely sure why this is, maybe it is because in the case of fiction you spend a lot of time getting through each one so you feel more attached. Or with non-fiction maybe it is because we tend to buy books whose topics are what we aspire to be like and we don’t want to let those dreams go (I know these sentences need a lot of rewording).  In any case I’m not a psychologist and it isn’t my job to know why you do it but just to help you stop doing it.  So here are my best tips: 

• Get rid of half-read books, if they were that great you would have already finished them.

• Get rid of any fiction you’ve read (you won’t read again). 

• Get rid of reference books. There is really no reason to keep an encyclopedia or any reference book at all in this day and age.  A lot of the information in these books will be outdated and you can find just about anything online when you need it. 

• Get rid of any books on- finance, travel, or nutrition, that are over two years old.  Same thing, the likelihood of outdated info is high.

• All magazines on a bookshelf must go.  Bookshelves are for books not $3 stacks of paper, just get rid of them.  The only exception is if you or a family member is featured in said magazine, and even if this is the case it should still come off the bookshelf and be placed with other important items where you keep memorabilia).