Before anything else, I live in the Philippines. 🇵🇭 Which only has two seasons: wet and dry. So, technically, spring isn’t really ✨ A Thing ✨ here. This also means that I don’t know anything about the four seasons unless we’re talking about the delightfully fruity drink. But I needed a cute and witty blog post title. So, here we are!
2020 has been a huge mess. In just about every sense of the word, it seems. For instance, the Philippine economy is in shambles. Politicians consistently shit the bed. Regular schedules, such as the academic calendar, have been significantly disrupted. With students scrambling to raise enough money to enroll and participate in remote learning. And this is just my country.
The scale of messiness is colossal, if not global. Unfortunately, a lot of it is beyond our control. And that can be very frustrating. Moreover, if you’re like me, it can induce some anxiety every now and then. But there are also smaller and personal messes that we do have control over. Thus, the main agenda of this blog post.
Spring Cleaning. But in September.
Despite all the lockdowns and questionable iterations of community quarantines, 2020 has been eventful and hectic for me. In fact, I mentioned some huge personal milestones in a previous blog post. The busyness of 2020 and my deteriorating motivation have collectively led to my lack of productivity. And as a result, there are several tasks that I haven’t gotten to. Hence, I’m dedicating the month of September to cleaning up after my own small and personal messes. (And also, a bit of casual job-hunting.)
1. Books in my physical library
Believe it or not, I grew up as a voracious reader without a collection of books. Prior to college, I owned less than 10 books (all of which were gifts from friends and guys who had a crush on me 😂) and I had no proper bookshelf whatsoever. This was because I was taught that buying books is frivolous and irresponsible — a lesson from lower middle-class households, I guess. But that’s a story for a different post.
I bought my first book when I was in my third year of college. It was a secondhand copy, and I was 18 years old. Admittedly, I only started buying my own books after I decided to commit to my book blog. (Book blogging and consumerism is another potential blog post, by the way. 👀) In other words, my personal collection of books started and grew in my college dorm. Miles and miles away from my hometown. And definitely away from the disapproving watch of my parents.
Over the years, I’ve amassed more than 150 books. And you know what? I hate myself for it. Seeing my small shelf and the balikbayan boxes stuffed with books fills me with so much guilt. Not just because of the money I spent, but also — and more importantly — because of the impracticality. For instance, I intend to move out of my house someday. And moving a huge collection of books? Sounds like a nightmare.
Unhauling
By the end of September, I want to unhaul at least 40% of the books I own. That is a minimum of 60 books. Honestly, I might be a little too ambitious for my own good. But I think that I’ve come up with a streamlined process that will help me achieve this goal:
- Read the first chapter. If still unsure, read 2 more chapters. (Total: 3 chapters)
- Decide to keep or unhaul.
- Repeat the process until all books are vetted accordingly.
- Take photos of unhauled books.
- Sell unhauled books via secondhand book-selling groups and via Instagram.
Catalogue
Aside from unhauling books, I want to have a database of all the books and ARCs I own. I’m honestly a hoe for pretty spreadsheets. Additionally, I have the worst memory ever. So, having a regularly updated catalogue would be extremely useful to me. I had been toying around a spreadsheet tracker last June, and it’s finally ready to be filled out with book titles, book condition details, source details, among other information.
2. Shelves on Goodreads
Now that I’m no longer using the conventional star-rating system, I need my Goodreads shelves to better reflect my new system for evaluating books. This new system involves the use of recommendation levels and the exclusive use of 1-4-5 star ratings.
Unfortunately, in its current state, my Goodreads account is incredibly disorganized. Aside from having to categorize books into my new recommendation shelves, I also need to update my star ratings, clear out books that I’m no longer interested in, and if I’m feeling extra diligent, add a few reviews. I know that this is a very, very tall order. Which is why I’m finally(!!!) making #goodreadance2020 a thing.
A few months ago, I offered to host a ✨🍃🌷 group goodreads spring cleaning 🌷🍃✨ where we hold each other accountable in organizing our shelves, updating our star ratings, and reducing our “want-to-read” pile. Back then, the original plan was to host a week-long activity.
However, after much thought, I’ve decided to make this challenge as light, uncomplicated, and pressure-free as possible. I definitely do not want to impose the mindset that your worth is equivalent to your level of productivity. (Because it’s not.) I also recognize that deadlines and requirements — even arbitrary ones — can cause anxiety and stress. And most importantly, I understand that we all cope differently. And all these ways are valid!
Personally, work and escapism are my two coping mechanisms. I either throw myself into tasks or throw myself into fiction. The Goodreads Spring Cleaning Challenge (or #goodreadance2020) is intended for readers who cope by distracting themselves with tasks. Nonetheless, I want this challenge to focus more on the experience than the end results. If you want to join in and participate, the details are provided below:
Goodreads Spring Cleaning Challenge
The Goodreads Spring Cleaning Challenge is otherwise known as #goodreadance2020, a pitiful pun that infuses ‘Goodreads’ and ‘good riddance’ together. Running from the first to last days of September, it is a month-long challenge dedicated to any and/or all of the following goals:
- Sorting or organizing your shelves on Goodreads
- Removing book titles that you are no longer interested in
- Updating or changing your star ratings
- Writing Goodreads reviews for the books you’ve read
- And most importantly, sharing your approaches, goals, and personal experiences over time
How can you participate?
Simple. Just use the hashtag #goodreadance2020. Share whatever updates or tidbits that you feel like sharing! You can set concrete goals for yourself, or you can opt not to. It’s all up to you!
What else can you do?
If you’re feeling extra, you can challenge yourself further by completing some of these prompts and mini-challenges:
- Form a game plan and write about it. How will you reorganize your shelves? What criteria will you use for removing books from your shelves? How will your rating system change? How will you keep track of your progress?
- Create concrete, measurable goals. By the end of the challenge, how many books should be in your ‘want-to-read’ shelf? How many reviews will you write? What are your target numbers, ratios, and percentages?
- Do a before-and-after update. Before the start of #goodreadance2020, how did your Goodreads look like? And how did it look like after? How helpful was this challenge to you?
- Share tips and strategies. These can be extremely valuable to other participants and even non-participating readers who want to revamp their Goodreads someday. (I would personally love tips on how to effectively organize my Goodreads shelves.)
- Reflect after the challenge. What are your main takeaways from this challenge? Did you learn anything? Would you encourage other people to try it?
If you decide to write a blog post dedicated to #goodreadance2020, please link back to this post so that other people can find the challenge details and prompts. (Plus, I would love to see everyone’s experiences with the challenge!)
3. Spreadsheet trackers and databases for books
This is sort of, kind of related to Item #1. Over the past few months, I’ve been quietly working on a set of comprehensive spreadsheets that collectively make up the Ultimate Reader Spreadsheet. It’s a series of trackers and databases that every reader can use to effectively step up your reading and reviewing game. Additionally, I’ve posted a few teasers on Twitter, and I do plan to share them with all of you someday.
Currently, the Ultimate Reader Spreadsheet encompasses and includes the following:
- Separate databases for physical books, e-books, and Advanced Review Copies (ARCs)
- Database and tracker for books on your wish list
- Database of publisher contacts
- Tracker for reading and reviewing books
- Tracker for purchasing books
- Tracker for requesting ARCs
As a perfectionist, I don’t feel comfortable with sharing my work until I’ve tested it out myself. Thus, my goal for September is to test my spreadsheets, refine the features, and make as many improvements as possible. Afterward, I can finally move forward and take the necessary steps to make my spreadsheets publicly accessible.
4. Boxes from my college dorm
Last July, I picked up the last of my things from my college dorm in UP Diliman. It was definitely a bittersweet moment for me. Especially since I had been a proud dormer throughout my whole stay in college. But I digress. Because I’m admittedly a lazy bum, I haven’t finished unpacking the boxes. In fact, I only grabbed and wiped my books and called it a day. 😅
I definitely need to get the whole unpacking thing over with. Ideally, before September ends. Hold me accountable!
Pin this post on Pinterest:
Thank you for reading!
My main affiliates (such as Amazon and Fully Booked) are disclosed at the bottom of this website. Making purchases through my affiliate links will help me earn a tiny commission at no extra cost to you.
Finally, if you really enjoy my content, consider further supporting me by leaving a one-time tip ☕ or joining my sunflower garden. 🌻🍃
I’d love to hear from you!
🌻 What are your plans and goals for September?
🌻 Are you going to participate in the first-ever Goodreads Spring Cleaning Challenge? Will you give the prompts and mini-challenges a try?
🌻 Do you keep spreadsheets to track your reading? What are your thoughts on the Ultimate Reader Spreadsheet? Would it be something that interests you?
So excited for your spreadsheet, Shealea! It’s a bit of a relief to read that you’ve taken not just days but months to work on this because I’ve been testing out a spreadsheet I’ve been working on for blogging and ARCs, and have been feeling the pressure that it’s taking so long! I love how honest your are 🙂
Oooh I feel you on the boxes of books! I have so many in the PH but just the thought of having to bring so many and not having my own place yet is daunting! I don’t want to just leave them in storage and have them get mould or something!
Oh, this is such a fantastic challenge! I love organizing so much and doing some spring cleaning for my TBR sounds like a great idea ? I regularly go through my shelves but the last time was in May, so it’s time again to sort out my Want to Read list and maybe also unhaul some books I’m no longer interested in reading ?
That’s amazing! I hardly ever go through my shelves because I’m SO lazy. You’re a rockstar. ✨
Definitely gonna participate in the Goodreads springcleaning! Great idea! I have like zero organisation on there.
I’ve also been working on creating a spreadsheet to get more organized (I suck at organization), so your ultimate spreadsheet sounds amazing!
That sounds awesome! I’m happy that you’re participating. And yes, spreadsheets are the bomb diggity. ?✨
I saw Ikram’s BuJo spread for #goodreadance2020 and it reminded me that a) I haven’t used my journal in a while and I should for this initiative – it’ll definitely help me narrow down what I want to accomplish during this month; and b) I really need to order new markers for my BuJo. Lol.
Also, this post is making me anxious to once again finish up organising the last bit of my bookshelf and my daughter’s room!
Good luck with all your goals, and hope we both do well with ‘spring cleaning’.
Ikram’s bujo spread looks so amazing! I was totally in awe.
Honestly, I’ve been behind on my bullet journal as well. So, I totally get what you mean.
Good luck with your decluttering, spring cleaning, and everything else! I’m rooting for you. ?
I love this! Yes! Exactly what I need. I cleaned my tbr shelf back in March when the pandemic started and it smoothed my mind. So I think I will use this to catch up with my reviews and reorganize my shelves/categories. Iconic idea as always, Shealea!
I just read your blog post about #goodreadance2020, and I swear my heart fluttered!!! I’m so excited about your progress. ?
Can’t wait to take part in this! I definitely want to manage my Goodreads TBR so this is the perfect opportunity
That’s awesome! Good luck! ?
Ahhhh okay this is such an amazing project?! I’m gonna be so busy this month so I am going to attempt this on a small scale. I recently did clean my tbr so I’m going to just reorganize my books into proper shelves. I currently only have the basic read, want to read and reading shelves cause I’m lazy but I really want to do the whole tier ranking thing with my books. Also possibly have a shelf for underrated and desi books? Hmm let’s see what I’ll do.
Also I absolutely can’t wait for you to make that spreadsheet public, I’m sure I’ll love it ?
Aww thank you, Charvi! The support that this project has received is really overwhelming. I’m glad that you’re participating, and I hope you know that it’s perfectly fine to go at your own pace. ?
I am cranking up Eye of the Tiger. I am stretching and doing warm ups. I am ready to get ? rid ? of ? some ? books, clean my shelves, and reorganize!
Ok let’s do this!! This is such a must-needed challenge for me, I have so many books in my “want-to-read” shelf and most of them I don’t even remember? Time for some cleaniiiiiing ✨
I feel you!!! The current state of my Goodreads shelves is… embarrassing, to say the least.
This is such a great idea! I don’t use goodreads anymore (I use story graph) but I’ll still also clean up my TBRs! And I’m excited for those sexy reader excel sheets ?
You can definitely apply the spring cleaning concept to storygraph. I haven’t tried that site yet, but I eventually plan to relocate there. How would you rate your experience with storygraph? I’m curious. ?
I still own about 20 books I guess. It’s still a big no from my parents to buy books because they cost the price of a meal. SO, I get you
I will definitely look into participating in the challenge. My GR shelf is a mess
Omg!!! Exactly. In my case, one hardback costs my entire week’s food allowance. ? I had to find a way to earn money because I staunchly refused to spend my student allowance on books because THE GUILT AND IMPRACTICALITY. So essentially, no freelance work = no income = no book buying.
I’m very happy that you’re going to join! I hope it’ll be a fun experience for everyone.
I definitely need to join this! My Goodreads organization is non-existent and I want a better way of both clearing my shelf of some titles I’ve read, and also organizing them into more appropriate categories!
I also grew up with the same mentality when it came to buying books and yet, here I am with a ton of physical books that I can’t take with me when I go to the UK! Due to time constraints, I’ve just decided to donate mine to my local library rather than sell them.
I’m looking forward to your spreadsheet! I’ve tried using a couple spreadsheets that others have made, but I’m still looking for that perfect fit that has the tracking functionality but also a rating functionality (like the CAWPILE system) so I can keep track of ARCs but also break down my rating of the books. Maybe this is a sign I should play around and make some spreadsheets of my own…
I’ve heard of the CAWPILE system! I don’t think that it would work for me personally, but I do think that the idea of breaking down a rating into smaller rating subsets is neat — and I just might try to incorporate that in a spreadsheet. Just let me find the energy because I’ve been such a bum lately. ?
I recently started tracking for a readathon but it no where looks as pretty as the Ultimate Reader Spreadsheet. A tracker makes so much sense because I do not always feel like a writing a review. Sometimes it’s just a rating or notes like, “Woohoo! Character crush.” I am excited to use your spreadhseet…hahaha…why3 recreate the wheel when something better exists right?
Cheers to spring cleaning! I might participate but I am afraid I will to rather than actually declutter.
Hopefully, the Ultimate Reader Spreadsheet will be ready before 2020 ends. I’m so touched that a lot of people seem to want to use it as well. ?
And yes, cheers to spring cleaning!
I did a bit of a Goodreads purge but I’ve been wanting to actually reorganise my shelves there and also catalogue my physical tbr and this was exactly the motivation I needed! I’m totally going to do a before/after blog post and get into it this month. Amazing work Shealea <3
That’s amazing, Tracy! I’m really excited for your before/after post. It’s definitely my favorite prompt. ?
I definitely need to do spring cleaning! This post came at just the right time. Thanks for sharing your process 🙂
I’m glad that I have good timing! And hopefully, this post is a bit helpful to you, too.
Such a cool idea! I love organizing things physically, but it’s so easy to have digital clutter! Decluttering my Goodreads sounds ….. intimidating, but definitely interesting!
I feel you on the digital clutter. I hope you consider participating!
Over the last few weeks, I’ve been going through my want to read Goodreads shelf and doing a better job of deciding if I’m going to actually read a book or not. I was able to take off about 200 books. I also was able to get rid of a couple of my Goodreads shelves that didn’t really matter anymore. Great post and idea!
That is so amazing! I can only wish to achieve that much when I do my own decluttering. ?
I love that you have a mastersheet spreadsheet for your reading. I currently have one for jobhunting (someone please hire me). It is definitely not as intricate as yours, I am trying to step up my excel sheet/ google sheet game and have found so much inspiration with yours.
Omg. I also have a master spreadsheet for job-hunting!!! It’s been super useful. ? And thank you for all the compliments! I’m touched that my spreadsheets can help inspire you. ?
I normally clean up my goodreads twice a year. But forgot to do it during June so this is the perfect push that I needed. I also started cataloging my books in a spreadsheet but have neglected it. I’m hoping to fix that.
I’m so excited to do this! And btw where I live (South Africa) it IS spring in September ?
I love that it’s spring somewhere. ? So glad that you’re joining, though!
Okay I’m so excited for this!!! I’m gonna write a post about it once I have an idea of the books I’m getting rid of and which ones I wanna sell/trade/do a giveaway for. This is gonna be so much fun!
I AM EXCITED FOR YOU!!! I can’t wait to read your post. ?
I was the exact same way when I was in India. Mumma and Papa would always tell me that wasting money on books is useless especially because they cost upwards of ₹800 for just about any book. I only started buying more when I recently moved to Canada and started working at a bookstore
Ahh, I’m glad someone can relate. Honestly, I *do* agree, though. I always consider book-buying as my one and only vice. ?
I will try! I did something sort of like this last year but in terms of physical books, there are I few I need to really think about keeping. I also have some ARCs from Goodreads giveaways that I want think about.
Glad to know that you’re going to try decluttering too. ?
I definitely need some productivity in my life right now! I’m always in awe of people’s different shelves on Goodreads and how organized everything seems but never took the time to organize my own so I’ll have to give it a try!! 🙂
I hear you! Seeing other people’s trackers and spreads — it’s all super inspiring. I’m always looking for new ways to improve my own stuff. ?
Haha, that urge to organize every thing, I know how that feels! And because it can get stressful I keep myself in check and not try to be too perfect by re-evaluating the end goal. Like, is it ACTUALLY useful or am I just being anal about it ? I do keep a physical tracker of my ARCs(a notebook and a sheet categorized by months) but it can get irritating and a pain to work with when publishing dates shift! There’s no way to automatically update that even digitally ?
I love unhauling and hauls. Decluttering feels therapeutic and selling them off gets you a bit of extra pocket money, so that definitely gives a dose of dopamine ? But I also think us readers need to accept and make peace with the fact that, as long as we love reading, we’re gonna have unread books sitting on our shelves. It’s essential to keep that sweet balance of slightly more ‘read’ books over ‘unread'(right now my shelf chakras are not balanced ? I’m going to stop myself from buying more until it’s righted).
OH MY GOD, MOOD. I’m constantly navigating the line between “efficient organization” and “over-the-top perfectionism.” ? I’m too lazy for physical trackers. I mean, I can barely update my bujo as it is. Plus, I suck at designing notebooks and journals. ?
And I agree! Readers will always have a personal library, whatever the size. I think my guilt stems from knowing that my reading taste has drastically changed over the years, which means I’ve lost interest in a lot of the books I own. And so, it feels shitty to still have them on my shelves, gathering dust. Haha.
Awww, Shealea! I really love your blog posts. All of them are inspiring. It makes my lazy ass to do something. Thank you so much for this. Will finally be able to re-organize my GR.
Aww, Yani, that’s so sweet! I consider myself to be quite lazy, too, if I’m being honest. ? But I’m touched that my content inspires you. ?
This is an amazing idea, Shealea! This bookish spring cleaning is a great motivation to declutter our physical and digital shelves (Goodreads + e-readers). I’ve ditched Goodreads three years ago in favor of spreadsheets myself, but this spring cleaning will be so useful for those who use Goodreads. You know… this might actually work for people who use spreadsheets or other GR adjacent sites (like Booklikes) in a way as well. I know mine can use some updating and reorganization.
When it comes to spring cleaning/decluttering of any kind, I usually go with a minimalism approach, however your prompts/mini-challenges are excellent and would make it fun and less stressful!
Your ultimate reading spreadsheet is super organized and categorized, it’s a dream. ? You’re absolutely brilliant to create columns for reading status, book + review details, a whole diversity tag section and reviewed/not reviewed. I try not to put too many columns since mine translates to multiple graphs, pie charts and tables of various sizes in the next tab which takes up a lot of room. Something I’d have to work on. ?
Aww thank you, Genissa! That’s so kind of you to say. This idea has received more interest than I anticipated, and it’s really heartwarming. ? I’m glad that you like the prompts. I really want this challenge to be all about the experience of decluttering and organizing. ?
I am learning to rely on my spreadsheets over Goodreads, too. Especially when it comes to tracking and ratings. I see Goodreads as an extension of my platform, which means I’m more audience-oriented about it. Meanwhile, my spreadsheets are more personal and just for me. I’m not sure if that makes sense, but I hope to write a blog post about it someday! (And maybe a blog post about spreadsheet-making tips, too. ?)
That’s so true! The amount of guilt I have whenever I look at the amount of books I have? Imagine what else can you buy that’s more important than buying all those books! But they’re my *babies*! That’s why I also started selling some of my books online and it’s quite a painful process (really, letting them go?)?
Thank you for your unhauling procedures recommendation?. I’ll try to do it the next time I decided to sell more of my books to free up some space.
I’m glad that my post is helpful to you. I haven’t tried the 3-chapter thing myself, but I do plan on doing an blog post update and let y’all know if I found it effective. ?
My plan for September was cleaning my shelves and organizing my books in a spreadsheet SO this is the biggest sign!! Guess I’ll also be organizing my Goodreads 😛
Ahh, I’m happy and honored to be your biggest sign. Good luck!!! ??
This post came at the most perfect time !! I’ve wanted to revamp my goodreads for a while and I started on my shelves this week so this literally is perfect timing. I will 100% be joining, it looks like so much fun!
I’m happy to hear that I have great timing. ? Thank you for joining! Good luck, and I’m excited to see your progress. ?
I’m definitely taking part in this challenge! I have time and time again started organising my goodreads want to read shelf but I alway give you half way but I’m gonna follow through this time (since I can’t do anything unless I’m held accountable for it ?) hopefully I’ll get rid of the books I’m not planning to read and create a place full of books I’m genuinely excited for
Omg. I can totally relate! The whole idea of making this a group challenge is knowing that I need community accountability to keep me motivated. Good luck! And I’m excited to see your progress.
Will definitely be joining in! My Goodreads shelves are all over the place and my reading tastes have changed so much since I signed up for GR all the years ago that very many books need an updated rating. Plus, this sounds like a lot of fun so there’s no way I would want to miss. <3
I can definitely relate! My taste and preferences have changed *drastically* over the years, especially after 2018. But I haven’t tried scrolling through my past reads and reevaluating my star rating. I think it’d definitely be interesting to experience and a more concrete means to really see how much I’ve changed as a reader.
You know what, Shealea? I’ve been meaning to reorganize my Goodreads shelves, but I can’t find the time to do it. Is this a sign??
Yes, it’s the biggest sign!!!