Now Available: Interactive workbooks to accompany the 52 Organizing Missions program.
Each workbook contains 13 printable missions - with fully interactive planning worksheet, to-do list and success journal for every mission. Find out more.

When we get down to decluttering, our books, CDs, & DVDs often escape the treatment. Somehow they receive special dispensation.

Not anymore! 

In this mission we’re going to attack these dust collectors – and we’ll be ruthless!

Remember: you only need 30 minutes for the basic mission. Extended Options are below.

If you’re new, you might like to start here: 52 Organizing Missions.

Get Organized Mission #16: Streamline Your Books, CDs, & DVDs

Step 1: Keep -

• Beloved novels you re-read every few years
• Non-fiction titles you refer to – perhaps with your fave sections dog-eared and highlighted
• Unread books you plan to read (be honest!)
• Useful reference books – such as business, how-tos, etc
• CDs you listen to
• DVDs you watch
• Memorabilia (photo albums, etc) – if genuinely meaningful and pleasure-giving; if not, consider letting it go

Step 2: Remove -

• Novels you’ve read and won’t re-read
• Unread books you’re never likely to read
• Books that contain out-of-date information
• Textbooks – unless you graduated very recently
• Old magazines (do you ever refer to them?)
• CDs whose contents have been saved (and backed up) on your computer
• CDs you no longer listen to
• DVDs you’ve seen and won’t re-watch
• Unseen DVDs you’re never likely to watch
• Photo albums you never look at
• Photo albums that have negative memories
• Um, video or audio cassettes if you have nothing to play them on

Step 3: Discard -

• Give novels to friends with the same taste in literature
• Offer books, CDs and DVDs to the local library
• Sell anything you think is worth the effort
• Recycle magazines and out-of-date books

Step 4: Tidy Your Shelves

Now you can re-order your shelves to take advantage of the lovely extra space. Doesn’t that look and feel better?

Dos & Don’ts

• Don’t forget that a great deal of information is readily available online.
• Do keep a hard copy if you love something, or can’t easily find it online.

Extended Organizing Mission Options

Want to go beyond this 30-minute organizing mission?

• Include the kids. Encourage them to go through their own books and decide which ones they’d like to pass on to younger friends or relatives, or to offer to the local or school library.
• Take this opportunity to categorize your books into helpful sections. Perhaps shelve your fiction titles alphabetically by author, and your non-fiction titles by subject. If you like, shelve CDs and DVDs by category too.
• Complete this mission with your home office bookshelf.

Ready, Set, Go!

Remember – move quickly, act fast, don’t overthink.

Before You Go – Please Check In

Once you’ve completed this week’s Get Organized Mission please add a comment to let us know you’ve done your assignment and you’re keeping your commitment. To leave a comment: Scroll to the bottom of this post, where you’ll find a comment box waiting for you.

And see you back here next week!

DID YOU KNOW:

You can get your weekly organizing mission delivered free to your inbox.
Click here to sign up for 52 Organizing Missions.

Image: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tammymanet/ / CC BY-ND 2.0

Related posts:

1. Get Organized Mission #14: Organize Your Household Notebook
2. Get Organized Mission #1: Fill a Hu-u-uge Trash Bag
3. Get Organized Mission #15: Organize Your Kitchen