It’s easy for collections of things such as books, CDs and DVDs to become jumbled up as we use them, and the more you have, the more daunting the task of sorting them out as they get messy.

Having our collections in a mess can hinder our enjoyment of them, and sorting them out can actually be really fun. 

You collected these things presumably because you liked them and they interest you, so let yourself really enjoy them.  If the idea of getting them in order doesn’t appeal to you at all, consider whether you are still really interested in keeping them all.  Perhaps you’ve moved on, and are interested in other things now, and this stuff is just getting in your way.

I have a friend with a large collection of music CDs, which often look messy, but are actually re-sorted every week as he prepares for his radio show.  He enjoys them so much that it’s no chore at all to go through them, and because of frequent use they are often not sorted alphabetically on shelves, but in piles on the floor according to themes and styles and release dates.  From time to time though, they do go back into alphabetical sorting.

I like to keep books, even if I’ve read them already and may not be likely to read them again.  I like the look of them, I like to be able to get something out to refer to it if I want to, and I like the reminder that I read all those books.  Many of them are things I do enjoy reading again, and think my family might enjoy too.  Once in a while, I purge some of those I’m not interested in keeping.  This helps slow down the need for more and more bookcases.

We’ve started to get quite a few DVD movies in the house too, and these are kept in two basic sections – those suitable for children and those which are not.

Alphabetising is a very useful way to keep these collections so that you can easily find things, especially if you have quite a few to look through.  But there are different ways of alphabetising, and there is often preliminary categorising necessary before this takes place.

Books

Fiction, then there might be categories such as poetry, horror, classic, modern etc, then by author, except for collections of stories by various authors.

Non-fiction, then by subject, such as art, self-help, psychology, music, feminism etc, then by author.

You can use your own system as it makes sense to your own particular collection, or you can use your local library as an example.  For smaller collections, we are sometimes restricted by shelf heights, having to put some larger books on the bottom, which are not necessarily in the correct category.  As long as you can find what you’re looking for, that’s what really matters.

DVDs

Start by rating if you have children in the house, obviously.  If you have children of different age groups like I do, you will then have different sections for pre-school, school age and older teenagers.

It really is important that your children are only watching age-appropriate material.  It can be harder to achieve this when you have children of different age groups in the house, but it can be done.  Older children can be given set times to watch their shows when little ones are not around or have gone to bed.  Older children often need guidance and discussion about what they are watching, and it’s ok to say “no, I don’t think that’s appropriate”.  Watch some of the programme yourself to get a feel for it.  Children of all ages will enjoy it if you watch some of their shows with them and can talk about it.

You might then have a section for family movies, the ones you can all enjoy together.

Another section for sport perhaps, if you’re into that sort of thing.

A section for M or MA movies, out of reach of little ones. 

DVDs of family home movies need to be kept separately, backed up somewhere, and kept safe.

CDs

I would love to have a much larger CD collection than I have now, and I’m sure it will continue to grow.  I find it very enjoyable to sort these out, as I do with my books.

Firstly, music from very specific genres, such as classical, movie soundtracks, world music and so on, can have their own sections.  The rest of it, rock, pop, alternative, country and so on – well there is so much room for overlap and some things can be so difficult to categorise, that it often makes sense just to alphabetise all this as one group.

Now, how exactly to alphabetise?  Do you go by the surname of the artist or the first name?  Do you put groups starting with “the” under T or do you take the first letter of the next word?  Well, I can see the argument that the word “the” should be ignored, and The Beatles filed under B, but what matters is that whichever you choose, it must be done consistently!  Johnny Cash under J or C?  Your choice, but do it the same way.

If you’re embarking on a large sorting session, get some dust rags before your start, set aside enough time, and think first about how you are going to approach it.  It can be a fun thing to do with a friend or your partner.  One person can pick up each item, announce it’s category or artist, then hand it to the other person, who puts it in the correct pile. 

You can first make a pile for each category, then make a pile for each letter, then move onto the second letter.  You can alphabetise each letter before putting them back on the shelf, in a row on the floor.  Dust them as you go.

Dust the shelves before you start putting them away, and don’t try to pick up too many at once!  You don’t want to smash all the crystal cases.

If your shelves are too high, and you could do with extra shelves for CDs, a good temporary solution can be a stiff piece of cardboard box cut to the correct size to go between two rows of CDs, doubling the amount you can store on the shelf.

As you’re working on this project, it’s fun to come across favourite books or other items you had forgotten about, but don’t get sidetracked and distracted from what you set out to do.  Keep a notepad and note down the items you were interested in.  When you’ve finished the project, you’ll know exactly where to find it.

To keep your collection nice and tidy, you need good habits.  Follow these simple rules:-

- NEVER put a CD or DVD back in the wrong case.

- If you have a CD or DVD which you have burned, such as a home movie, make sure it is always labelled.  If it’s lying around with no case and nothing written on it, it could easily become lost and might be something very important, like your children’s birthday party.

- Decide on a limit to the number of books you may have off the shelf at any given time.  You might like to have a little pile beside your bed or chair, but make a rule that if it gets beyond, say 10, you will put some away.

- Decide where is your designated spot to put the CD or DVD case while you are viewing or listening to it, and stick to it.  Make sure everyone in the house agrees on this method.  You want to always be able to find it to put it away easily.  A great idea for this I just saw on a You Tube video made by a DJ, is to put the empty case back in the spot it came from, but sticking out on an angle to mark the spot.  Or you might leave it open on top of the CD player or DVD player.

- ALWAYS put your CD or DVD back in it’s correct case when you have finished with it, BEFORE you get out another one.  Take it a step further and put it back in the correct place on the shelf too.  You could have a cardboard maker to mark the spot if you don’t use the empty case to do this.

- If you often lend or borrow items, set up a way to keep track of them.  I’m missing many books and CDs that I have probably lent out and can’t remember who to.  A simple list is all you need, and tick off items as they are returned.  Just put the name of the person and the date lent or borrowed.  Show your friends the same courtesy you would like, and return things promptly.

Allow yourself to really enjoy your collections.  Are you setting aside regular time for yourself to listen to music, read or watch movies?  You need fun in your life, so make sure you’re allowing it.

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