Discussion: How to Declutter your TBR list 📚

Hello, everyone! We are back once again with a new discussion topic. Up until now, I've focused more on topics that had to do with our favourite genres and the diversification of our reading. In the last discussion post, I shifted to a more practical matter, that of choosing our next reads. Today, I'll continue with another everyday problem that all the bookworms face: the never-ending TBR list. You know exactly what I'm talking about!

The issue of getting books, only to have them on the shelf without reading them, has been around for (probably) as long as there are bookworms. However, the digital format and all the recommendation websites have contributed to this in a whole new level. You see, adding a book to your Goodreads TBR list, doesn't mean that you spend any money on it and it doesn't occupy any physical space. The same happens with those e-books that you found on Amazon for free and are now sitting on your Kindle for years. So, it is finally the time to face the issue!

How to Declutter your TBR List

For the sake of this post, I will take my Goodreads TBR list as an example. Right now, this list contains 322 books, which is (let's face it) a reasonable number. However, the first books I've added to this list date back in 2011 when I registered to Goodreads. As you may realize, there are so many books on this list that I wanted to read for some reason but never got to it. In this picture, you see 7 books from my TBR list that I'm probably going to remove. Taking a look at all 322 books, I've determined some criteria to help me decrease the number of my TBR list. Let's see how it will work for me so that you can apply it as well. 

So, let's see the criteria that we'll be working with. I have to remove from my TBR list all:

• Classics that I've added to my list because I had to read them, they are among the celebrated books in the world. Yet, I never seem to be in a mood to actually read them. A Little Princess is an example of a book from my Goodreads list. Another example of mine is Little Dorrit that I actually own a physical copy of.
• #2, #3, #....... books in a series. Of course, this depends on book #1. If I can't even remember the plot of the first book, then there is no point in keeping all the sequels on my TBR list.
• Books that were adapted to movies, or books that came after the movie. Yes, I've enjoyed the movie but will I ever read the book? I highly doubt this, since it never is one of my priorities. I don't care about knowing the story from the movie, spoilers never destroy the enjoyment I get from a good story. However, when picking my next read it will never pop up in my head. 🤷‍♀️
• Non-fiction books that would be cool to read but never actually will. To these books defence, I have to mention the case of non-fiction science books that I've recently built a passion for. A brief history of time was sitting on my TBR list for years and eventually, I did read it (and loved it). Nevertheless, this is the exception. Just like the classics, I never seem to be in the mood for any of the non-fiction books in the picture. And all of you that follow this blog, you know my love for Jane Austen!
• Books that I've added back in 2013, 2014, 2015,...., because they were extremely popular at the time. A general rule is that if you haven't read it by the time that it's hype has faded, there is a high chance that you never will. I'm sorry to say this, but they have to go.
• Books I've outgrown. No, I don't mean to remove any children's book if you're an adult. You can always read and appreciate a children's book, no matter your age! I'm talking about books in specific genres that you liked for a period but have since moved on. For example, there was a time when I was reading a lot of historical romance, like Amanda Grange (I still love her books though) and Lisa Kleypas. But, some years ago I worked for a pen name business that released books in the genre and I have to do plot writing, beta reading, editing, blurb writing, and all that stuff. I guess I was so fed up that now I'm very reluctant to pick a book of this particular genre. If you want to learn more about my experience in this job, let me know in the comments and I can write a post on it.

These rules seem more than enough to me. Let's take a moment to declutter the TBR and I'll be back with the final number.

Ok, I'm done! After this process, my TBR counts just 96 books. In all honesty, it feels like I'm starting afresh! I only hope that I won't end up filling it up again...

How to Declutter your Physical Books

Well, Goodreads decluttering was relatively easy - all I had to do was click an X button. But what about all the books on my shelves that remain unread for years? Well, the process is exactly the same. You can use the same criteria as for the online decluttering. The big difference is that now you will end up with a bunch of books that you don't want, and take up much space. In this case, you need to figure out where you want to donate or exchange them. They will certainly bring joy to someone else!

Extra tips

In my case, I tried to be relentless. For some books on my TBR list, I still had second thoughts. But I know that some of them are in my Kindle for years! Why wouldn't I read them? For these books (because I'm sure you'll have some too) try to be firm in your decision. And if you ever read it, you can add it straight to your currently reading list.

The next thing, I would recommend is to make a habit of decluttering your TBR list once a year. At this moment, I might have a list of 96 books but this number can easily increase, especially since most of my currently reading books don't come from my TBR list. And if it's only a year, the process will be much, much quicker.

This was it for the day! Have you decluttered your TBR list? What criteria will you use to help you remove books from your list?

Read more discussion posts here.