Some of you might remember my KonMari post on clothes. It’s a long time ago now, and while I have been using her principles when doing smaller decluttering projects this is the first BIG project I’ve done since then: it was time to tackle my collection of books with the KonMari method for books.
Read more about Marie Kondo and the KonMari method here.
I’m an avid reading and after years of working in bookshops and libraries I’ve ended up with a lot of books at home. You would think I wouldn’t need them with a whole library at my fingertips, but I do, I really do.
I am a firm believer in taking stock, and and not keeping things, behaviours and tasks just because you’ve always had them. So even though I love my collection of books as a whole, I know there are single titles I will never read again, and that don’t have a special connection with. My books were outgrowing my bookshelves and it felt like time to take that big step.
The KonMari method for books
The KonMari method uses three simple steps:
1 – gather everything within one category of things in one place.
In this case that means I collected all my books and put them in the middle of my living room floor. That means everything from my bookshelves, but also cookbooks from the kitchen and the piles I have around the house.
2 – Pick up every single item and ask yourself “does this spark joy?”
I love this concept! Making sure that everything you own is something you want makes everything in your home sparkle. I did this with all my books and kept a lot. I had different reasons they spark joy, some I love to re-read, some where a gift, some meant a lot to me when I first read them and some have spesific memories tied to them. And then there where the ones I didn’t keep. The ones I know I won’t read again, the ones I don’t want to read at all, and the paperbacks that were read to pieces already.
It’s amazing how much I never even knew I owned!
3 – Get everything you are getting rid off out of the house at once!
This one is super important. Marie Kondo says that if you leave the things you were planning on getting rid of in boxes while waiting to have the time to throw them out they will find their way back into your home. I ended packing my books up and driving to the local charity shop and giving them away with a clean consience.
Giving away – two boxes and a bit. Plus a pile I put aside to donate at the library I work.
And that’s it – the KonMari method for books. Now to styling my bookshelf and make it everything I want it to be! You can see in the above pic that I’ve started, it’s getting color-coordinated. Which is new for this librarian who loves systems and order.
As we say in Norway; you are so flink! Looks great! Love the KonMari method, I am so happy you told me about it.
Thank you <3
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Hi Tale ✨ I’m Layla from Bahrain. Just I want to say -after I see this new post- that your bookshelfs now looks awesome and inspirational. You did great organizing work.
Thank you! 😀