Whether your TBR consists of 5 books or 5,000 books, getting through your pile is an admirable pursuit. But if your stack is starting to resemble the Eiffel Tower, it can get overwhelming.
So how do you work through your books before they topple on top of you?
Break It Down
Instead of looking at your TBR and panicking, break down it down into manageable pieces. For example, instead of worrying about how you’re going to finish everything on your TBR, commit to reading one book off your TBR each month or more.
If you’re a mood reader, try to pull from your TBR based on what you’re in the mood for.
Read The Most Interesting Books First
Look through all the books on your TBR and decide which ones sound the most appealing, then read those first.
If there’s a whole bunch of books pulling for your attention, pick out two or three to try. Then read the first couple chapters of each. Read which ever one sticks out to you the most.
Get Comfortable With DNFing A Book (or 12)
Inevitably, there will be books on your TBR that you thought you’d like but didn’t.
While the completionist in us begs us to carry on, sometimes you have to let a book go. There’s no point in continuing to read a book you don’t enjoy. In fact, the less time you spend on books you don’t enjoy, the more time you have to devote to books you do enjoy.
It’s tough at first, but as you learn to let go of the books you don’t like, you’ll start to feel more confident about it.
Remove Old Books From Your TBR
Reading tastes change over time. If you’ve still got books on your TBR from when you were into memoirs but now you mostly read romance, then it’s time to let those books go.
Clean out your shelves and get rid of any books that you will probably never read. Depending on how many shelves you have, this may take a few days. For more about organizing your shelves, check out this post.
Go On A Book Buying Ban
One major contributor to a massive TBR is constantly buying books. This creates an overflowing TBR that’s hard to manage. To curb this, many members of the book community go on book buying bans where they don’t allow themselves to shop for books.
Everyone has different rules for their bans, some will not get any books even from the library. Others will still allow e-books and library books, but no buying physical books.
Create A TBR Game
TBR games are all over Booktube and BookTok as a fun and creative way to work through your books. Dozens of bookish creators have made up different ways to get through their piles.
Some have jars full of prompts, other use a spinner wheel to pick books for the month or season. Check out Booktube (Bookish YouTube) for more ideas.
Reward Yourself
Set up a reward system for yourself. For every book that you finish, reward yourself with a small gift or experience. Some ideas include:
- A New Bookmark
- Give Yourself a Manicure
- Watch an Episode of Your Favorite Show
Remember, It’s Not Race
Your TBR pile is about you. It’s about your enjoyment of reading. Don’t punish yourself or feel bad for not knocking out your TBR.
Read is meant to bring joy. So read your books as fast or as slow as you want. And don’t worry about catching up with everyone else. Read at you own pace.
Final Thoughts
Do you have any ideas for tackling your TBR? Let me know in the comments.
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