Falcon Four: Four ways to declutter your spring reading
By: Hannah Johnson
Happy March Falcons! Spring is rapidly approaching, and with that comes the time for spring cleaning. Spring cleaning presents a great opportunity not just for cleaning your house, but to declutter your bookshelves and your reading. Here are four ways to “spring clean” your reading.
- Organize your shelf
An organized bookshelf can change a room and inspire a positive attitude to read. Find what works for you. If trying to find a specific book feels like navigating an intricate maze, or you don’t know all that’s in there, try some organizing to freshen things up. This can save you time, money, and confusion, like ensuring you don’t accidentally bring home a copy of a book you already have amongst the busy bookshelf.
- Keep circulating
Overflowing bookshelves are overwhelming. Your bookshelf can function much like a library, with books constantly moving in and out. When you finish a library book, you return it. Others can then check it out, and enjoy a new book, one that could potentially become a new favorite. Spring is a great time to take books off the shelves, and consider which books can find new readers, whilst also clearing up your own space for fresh spring reads.
- Check your dates
If you have an overwhelming TBR that’s impossible to keep up with, only growing and never shrinking, check your dates. What’s been sitting on the shelf the longest and why has it been sitting on the shelf for so long? If a book has been sitting on your shelf collecting dust for the past seven springs, consider your motivation for picking up the book and if that still resonates. If it feels like a slog to even pick up the book, don’t force yourself into a reading slump just to tick it off the TBR. Try to pick up that book for your next read if the motivation is still there. If not, it’s okay to consider finding that book a new home.
- Remember what matters to you
Reading has a presence on social media, and trends will come and go. Regardless, it’s important to remember what is important to you. You can zoom out from your reading, and consider the terms and ideas that matter to you, that encompass what matters to your reading. What genres, ideas, messages, etc., stick out to you? Remember what makes you passionate about reading and seek out books that ignite that passion. Having clear goals, ideas, and purpose in mind helps give you a clear and fresh approach to refresh and motivate your reading, decluttering your mindset as well as your physical shelves.
With the newness of spring in the air, your reading can also blossom and grow anew. Happy reading.
