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Last time I gave you 4 Monetary Tips to Reduce your TBR pile. This post is going to give you some ideas on how organizing your TBR pile can motivate you to get through it.
1. Start a Spreadsheet.
Enter all the books from your current to be read pile and then all the books you've read that you have on your bookshelf. Before selecting any new books for your collection double check your spreadsheet to make sure there are no repeats.
2. Group by Common Denominator.
Put your organizational skills to work and group your TBR pile into smaller piles. Sort your books by a common denominator such as subgenre, author, size, year, or similar titling. Do it however it pleases you best and make it a goal to read one book each month from your new smaller piles. By getting your TBR pile manageable, you are not faced with the daunting task of choosing a book to read or the prospect of a book avalanche.
3. Challenge Yourself.
Did you know that supposedly the average romance novel reader can read 10-40 books in a month? This statistic is pulled from the Romantic Times advertising page. With that in mind and knowing that some people work best with goals, I challenge readers to reading the mean - 20 books - with sub goal of reaching as close to 40 books as possible this month. Here's a game to get you started (and remember only choose books from your TBR pile!):
- Books 1-5 by authors you've never read before.
- Books 6-10 by your favorite authors.
- Books 11-15 in a genre or sub-genre you've never tried.
- Books 16-20 in your favorite genre or sub-genre.
Repeat for books 20-40 if you get that far. Do this challenge with a buddy and now you're accountable to someone other than yourself. Get together once a week and go for coffee. Talk about the books you read and if you're on target to the goal you could even swap a few and read for next month.
4. Purge: Be Ruthless.
Yes, I know, it's a sad thing to even contemplate, but it's for your own good. Go through the pile and anything you bought more than six months ago seriously consider removing, permanently. If you weren't inspired to pick it up and read it six months after purchasing the book, chances are you'll never get to it. Donate the books to your local library and get a receipt for tax purposes or use the books as swapping material on Paperback Swap.
5. The 3 Strike System.
Start a 3 Strike System. If you pick a book up and decide not to read it mark the side of the book (not the spine, the pages) with a pencil. When a book gets its third strike, remove it from your TBR pile. This system can be modified to 4 or 5 or 6 strikes, but be consistent and don't waver once you get to the last strike. The book might have sounded good to you when you first got it, but it's not calling to you anymore. Pass it on.
*This idea originally came from Willa in the Paperback Swap TBR Reduction Thread.
6. Keep it Simple. Start Slow.
Make the goal easy. Did you put last week's purchases on the floor because there was no space? Read enough from your pile to move those babies off the floor and onto the shelf.
Are your books in six locations? Pick a location and read them. All of them. That's one less location to trip over your books and a simple goal that allows you to focus on your reading instead of your buying.
7. Share Your Reduction Tip!
Now it's your turn to talk about your TBR pile and what you do to keep it under control. Leave a comment in the form below!
Photo Credits: bitmask
Originally posted 2009-05-19 05:47:36. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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