TBR lists are a great way to help you stay organized in your reading life as well as help you reach your reading goals. But while they can help you stay organized in your reading, has your TBR list ever felt like it’s an unorganized disaster itself? If so, here’s what you need to know about how to organize your TBR list so you can find your next read with ease!
How to Organize Your TBR List
Once you’ve made a TBR list and perhaps been using it for a while, your next step is going to be figuring out a way to keep it organized.
If you’ve had a TBR list for a while, it’s possible you actually need to clean it up and reduce your TBR before you try to set up an organization system (say goodbye to the 103 books you added a decade ago and no longer actually want to read 🙈). If that’s your case, then check out these tips to help you clean up your TBR!
But once you’ve got your list created and somewhat manageable, it’s time find a method of organization that works for you! Here are the most popular and best ways to organize your TBR:
1. Organize Alphabetically by Title
Alphabetical organization is generally the standard for organizing lists, and it can be a great way to arrange your TBR list as well.
Alphabetizing makes finding books by title much more efficient, so if you like to be able to find and mark off your books easily as you read them then this can be a great method for you. It’s also pretty easy to organize your TBR list this way (especially if you keep your list digitally), and you can even put your TBR list into an online alphabetizer that will automatically alphabetize it for you.
This TBR organization method can also be helpful if you want to do the alphabet reading challenge someday, as it will be super easy to see all the books you want to read for each letter!
2. Organize By Genre
Another TBR organization scheme you might want to consider is organizing your books by genre.
If you find that you’re more of a mood reader or like to pick your books based on what you’re feeling like, then organizing by genre can help streamline the process of picking your next read. When all your books are categorized into their main genre, it’s easy to pick what to read next when you’re feeling in a “sci-fi” mood or a “romance” mood!
3. Organize by Author
Similar to organizing alphabetically by title, you could also choose to organize alphabetically by author’s name.
Sorting by authors’ names is the way most libraries choose to organize their books, so it’s a commonly accepted organization method in the book world. This could be an especially good way to organize your TBR list if you already organize your books by author’s name on your shelves at home.
4. Organize by Release Date
Do you like to stay up to date on the latest books? If so, then organizing your TBR list by release date could be an excellent choice!
Sorting by release/publication date helps you see what the oldest books on your list are and what are the newest, as well as helping you know when to order a newly released book (or when to expect your pre-order to arrive!). This can help you prioritize what you want to read next so you can always stay up to date with reading the latest releases!
5. Sort the Books By the Order You Want to Read Them
If you’re looking for the best way to organize your list to make it easy to know what to read next, then sorting the books into the order you want to read them is a great idea.
This makes it easier to decide what to read next when you’re ready to choose your next book, because you’ve done all the work up front of organizing and choosing the order of what you want to read. As you add more books to your TBR, simply place them on the list in the place that matches how high of a priority it is for you to read that book compared to the other ones already on the TBR!
6. Separate Your List Into “Books Owned” and “Books Not Owned”
If you buy a lot of books but don’t get around to reading them, then sorting your TBR by the books you already own and the books you don’t yet own can be a good way to help you actually read the books you buy. This way, the next time you’re looking for a book to read, you can go straight to the ones you already have.
But this is also helpful because you can simply hand over your “Books Not Owned” list to anyone who is looking for gifts for you. It’s like a running list of great gift ideas for people to get you for Christmas or your birthday! And you can also use that list as a reminder of the books you want to buy for yourself when your next paycheck comes in 😉
7. Mix It Up in a Jar
Have you heard about TBR jars? There are lots of ways to use these jars, but one way is to put each title of a book on your TBR list on a separate piece of paper and put it in the jar. If you’re looking for something to do with your TBR list that doesn’t require you to organize it, then this is a good idea!
TBR jars can be fun because instead of having to think about what to read next, you can just pull a piece of paper out of the jar. It takes away the need to choose, as well as adding a fun element of surprise because you never know what title you’re going to read next!
8. Organize by Date Added
And lastly, if you don’t really want to do much with your TBR list, you do have the option to keep it organized by the date you added each book to the list. This might be your easiest option to maintain, especially if you’re keeping a physical list where it’s more difficult to move titles around.
If you choose to go this route, I suggest you at least add a note with the date you add each book to your TBR. Though it may be a bit of a stretch to call this an organization strategy, it is a fun way to organize your TBR list because you can see how long ago you added the oldest book on your TBR…which can be good motivation to read some of those books you added a while ago!