Welcome to the 30-Day Organize-athon!
In today’s 5 minutes we’re going to express-organize your library of books, DVDs and/or CDs.
Before you start, inhale a sense of clarity, freedom and order; now let’s get going.
Day 7: Organize Your Books, DVDs, and/or CDs
Decide if you want to tackle books, DVDs, CDs, or a combination. What you can achieve in 5 minutes will depend on the size of your various collections.
Step 1: Take a large box (or bag) to your bookshelves, or wherever you store your library. Moving quickly from top left to bottom right, put into the box:
- Books you’ve read and won’t re-read
- Unread books you’re never likely to read
- Books that contain out-of-date information (that means most reference books, encyclopedias, etc)
- Old textbooks – unless you graduated, like, this decade
- Binders of seminar/course info (unless you really believe you’ll refer to them)
- Archived magazines (do you ever look back at them?)
- Manuals for software or computers you no longer use
- Software CDs for programs you no longer use
- Computer games the kids (or you) have outgrown
- CDs you no longer listen to
- CDs ripped to your iPod and backed up on your computer (if you only want the CD booklet, just keep that)
- DVDs you’ve seen and won’t re-watch
- DVDs the kids have outgrown
- Unseen DVDs you’re never likely to watch
- Photo albums you never look at
- Photo albums that have negative memories
- Video or audio cassettes if you no longer have players for them.
Step 2: Take your box(es) to the door or straight to the car. You can usually donate novels, non-fiction books, CDs and DVDs to libraries; the rest can probably be recycled. Take care with data and photos.
Step 3: Do a quick re-order to make better use of the newly liberated space on your shelves. Dewey Decimal, anyone?
And you’re done!
Got an Extra 5 Minutes?
- If you only did books, do DVDs and/or CDs – or vice-versa.
- Get a damp cloth and wipe down your shelves and your collection.
- If you haven’t already, investigate your local library. It’s a fabulous way to enjoy books, DVDs and CDs without cluttering up your home.
Now don’t you just want to make a cup of coffee and settle down with a good book?
The 30-Day Organize-athon Mantra
Move fast. Don’t overthink. Let it go!
Leave Your Comment Below…
Please leave a comment below to say you’ve completed today’s task.
See you tomorrow!
[Image by aussiegall]
All 7 done!
But my books are all sacred and for the cds it takes at least 5 days, not 5 minutes! But luckily I just started this task some days ago and I’m at a good point!
I set aside almost all my books to donate. I think… I deserve a Kindle to reward myself!
All tasks completed – things are looking so much better!
All 7 done! My Goodwill bag is getting more and more full. My house is getting more and more organized! What a wonderful feeling!!
I have done all 7 tasks (and this is HUGE for me to stick with something every single day for a week….sad, huh?).
This was a hard one again. I just did my CDs and wasn’t quite done when the timer went off but I finished it up rather quickly!
Done! got rid of so many books, that I have more space on the book shelves….next!
Books/software done! Seven tasks completed! Feeling a little more under control!
7 out of 7! Big box headed to the used book store…..and if they don’t take them they go to the library for re-sale. Thanks!
This was a hard one for me. My aim is to copy all my CDs to hard disk and then to donate them to the charity shop – and I have made a start on it. Maybe I need to be more picky about which ones I copy. The books in the book are already the books I want to keep – for various reasons. Some because I need them for my work. Others are valuable or rare books. But I admit some of them are trophy books and are there for the memories. That’s OK if they don’t take over.
The main problem is in my loft where there are boxes of CDs and shelves of books waiting to be sorted out. 5 minutes won’t do that – and it is not an easy place to get into. It is on the list however – but is behind re-decorating my front room and staircase – which is ongoing right now.
All 7 tasks completed! Today’s task produced some unexpected results in finding some stuff I forgot I had. Obviously I did not need them.
All seven have been completed! Thanks!
All seven Done! Whew… My house is starting to look better already thank you!! 🙂
7 tasks done
7 comments left
7 steps closer to an organised life
All seven complete! Thanks!
CDs and DVDs are easy (don’t have many), books I’m going to have to get to. I’m a book junkie :-).
7 days done!!! 7 days posted!!
This was a hard one. I am a ‘collector’. (some might call it ‘hoarder’) It’s very difficult for me to let go of books and cds! However, in baby steps I can do it. I started with diet and cook books I know I’ll never use again. And for the cds, when I married my sweetie 12 years ago, we had several duplicate cds that neither of us wanted to part with. Well, I’m parting with them now. After 12 years, I know I’m committed to the relationship, so I don’t need that second copy “just in case”. 😉
Thanks for a great week!
I actually did most of this a couple of weeks ago when I couldn’t find room on my bookshelf for some new books I bought heh. Out with the old, in with the new. My cd’s and dvd’s are all nicely stacked in a drawer in my entertainment center because I don’t have that many.
Woo. Week one complete!
so i started this and completed the 1st sort BUT…. i need dh to remove the bookcase(always hated where it is- hanging 2 feet off the floor on a wall UPSIDE DOWN) so i can put it where i REALLY want to be. i really have no idea what the previous owners where thinking :/
Anyways, once i get the bookcase where i want it, i gonna sort again as i put the books on the shelves. plus it will help me in designing the corner bookcase i really want in the location.
thanks!!
altho.. i might try my hand at removing it myself again with a different tool 😉
**I have left a comment for all 7 tasks**
Chose my computer CD collection to organize today, and I’m sure glad I did. Amazing how many software and hardware CD’s were no longer usable, and are now on their way to be donated to a school in Mexico.
Hi I too had a bit of a head start on this one with the living room challenge
We made the decision not to get rid of the DVDs as we do re watch them on a regular basis and so do visitors
But they are also in specially designed cabinets for them
We are looking at buying a small DVD case where you can just put the disc in and then putting all the cases into roller boxes and placing that in the shed (so that should we decide later on to sell the collection as a whole then we still have the original cases ) and getting rid of our DVD cabinets
What we are doing though is organising them into the small DVD case in Genre like Childrens movies for one 18+ for another Teenage movies Horror movies etc which will then store neatly in our TV unit cupboard
When we have visitors we can then bring out the appropriate DVD case
Books have also been recently done as we had a big declutter of our daughters room and ours and now have about 3 shelves of books that we want to keep
So that is all 7 challenges done for the week
Thank you so much for all your help and teaching us how to clean by using the small challenges to encourage us
Wish my mum had of taught me how to do housework instead of just doing it for me
http://debsdailydevotions.blogspot.com/
Luv Deb