How to Organize a Bookcase

Organizing your bookcase is a great first step to improving the decor in your home office. Your desk can be completely organized but if your bookcase is stuffed full of unread books, stacks of papers, magazines and knick-knacks your office will always appear to be a cluttered mess. When you eliminate the clutter and keep only what you need, your office instantly appears cleaner, more organized and more stylish.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Trash bags
• Paper grocery bags
• Feather duster
• File folders
• File labels
• Filing box, drawer or cabinet
• Bookends (optional)

1. Gather up everything stored in and around your bookcase and place them on a table for sorting. You may have more books lying around the house that should be stored in the bookcase, so be sure to do a quick sweep of your home and add those to your pile.

2. Sort every item into one of four piles: Keep, Donate, File or Trash. This is the toughest part of your project because it can be difficult to let go of things, even if you no longer use or need them. Only keep books that you plan to read again or reference. Throw away any outdated paperwork or junk mail and place the remaining items in the File pile. Throw away or donate any knick-knacks and decorative items that don’t complement your decor or have sentimental value.

3. Take everything in your Trash pile and place it in the trash bags then immediately take them out to your trash can.

4. Take everything in your Donate pile and place it in the paper grocery bags then immediately load them into your car.

5. Sort the paperwork in your File pile by type, then place in labeled file folders. File the folders alphabetically in a filing box, drawer or cabinet.

6. Dust the bookcase with the feather duster.

7. Organize the books you plan to keep by category, then size. Take your time adding the books to your bookcase and make sure the books are evenly distributed amongst all the shelves. The tallest books should be on the left and the shortest books on the right. Oversized books should be laid down flat and stacked according to size.

8. Distribute your decorative items and knick-knacks evenly amongst the bookcase shelves. Books can be held up with bookends or large decorative items such as vases and small sculptures.

9. Take the items you plan to donate to a local secondhand store or donation center.

Tips & Warnings

• Give your favorite books and decorative items a prominent place on your bookcase by placing them on a shelf located at eye-level.
• Organize your bookcase on trash night. This way when you throw away everything in your Trash pile it will be gone forever by the next morning and you won’t be tempted to bring any of it back in the house!