How to Organize Your TBR List

If your TBR is currently giving “overflowing laundry basket” energy—stuffed, chaotic, and somehow still missing the one thing you need… you’re not alone.

I’ve had nights where I scroll my TBR for so long I could’ve read three chapters instead. And it’s not because you don’t love books. It’s because your TBR isn’t set up to help you choose a book when you’re tired, overstimulated, or just not in the mood for anything that requires emotional labor.

So, here’s a real 30-minute reset. Not a “spend all Sunday color-coding shelves” reset. A timer-on, quick-win reset that makes your TBR feel like a curated menu instead of a messy storage closet.

What “organized” actually means (for a TBR)

Let’s keep expectations sane.

An organized TBR means:

You can pick your next read without spiraling
you’re not forgetting books you were genuinely excited about
you stop re-downloading the same samples because you forgot you already had them
your list has structure, but it still lets you mood-read

That’s it—no perfection required.

Step 1: Choose ONE home for your TBR (2 minutes)

This is the part that stops the chaos from coming back next week.

Pick your “official” TBR home:

Goodreads (easy, familiar)
StoryGraph (great for moods + content warnings)
Notes app (fast, no pressure)
Spreadsheet (best for sorting/filtering) (I use this method)

Tiny rule that helps: Your official TBR lives in one place. Everything else is just “where books go to get lost.” Trust me on this.

Step 2: Set a timer for 30 minutes

Seriously. Set it. It keeps you from reorganizing your entire reading life.

You’re going to build 5 simple lists, and that’s it…you’re done.

Minute 0–4: Make 5 lists that do the heavy lifting

Create these shelves/lists wherever your TBR lives:

Next Up
Mood Picks
Series I’m In
New Releases
Maybe Later

That’s the whole system. Five buckets are enough to make your TBR usable without turning it into a second job.

Minute 5–12: Build your “Next Up” list (the one that saves you)

This is the shortlist you use when your brain is done for the day.

Pick 5–10 books max you’d realistically start soon.

How to choose without overthinking:

pick the book you keep coming back to
pick the one you already bought (physical or Kindle)
pick one comfort option and one “I’m ready for chaos” option
pick one that’s been sitting too long

A quick gut-check that works:
If you wouldn’t start it within the next two weeks, it doesn’t belong in Next Up.
Put it in Mood Picks or Maybe Later.

Minute 13–20: Sort the rest by mood (this is where it gets good)

This is the trick that makes choosing a book easy again.

Because most of the time you’re not asking, “What book do I want?”
You’re asking, “What kind of emotional experience can I handle tonight?”

Create mood categories that actually match how you read. Examples:

High heat + fast pace 🔥🔥🔥🔥
Dark romance / intense obsession 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
Banter + tension
Angsty and emotional
Soft, cozy, low stress
Fantasy/paranormal escape
Short and satisfying (under 350 pages)

Don’t make 20 categories. Make 6–10 you’ll use.

Little honesty moment: If you keep putting the same types of books on your TBR but never choose them, that’s not a “you” problem. That’s a category problem. Your TBR needs mood labels that reflect your real life.

Minute 21–25: Tame your series list (so you stop forgetting everything)

Series are sneaky. They pile up quietly, then suddenly you have six “Book 2s” staring at you.

Create Series I’m In and do this fast:

add any series you want to continue this year
write a simple note beside each: Next: Book __
If you’re missing the first book, mark: Start at Book 1

If you’re the kind of reader who forgets details (hint me), add one more note:

“Read recap first” or “skim last chapter.”

That small note saves so much hesitation later.

Minute 26–28: Put two boundaries in place (so your TBR doesn’t explode again)

Your TBR gets overwhelming because it grows faster than you read—a couple of gentle boundary fixes, that.

Pick two:

Next Up stays at 10 or less
If a book enters Next Up, one leaves
If I haven’t thought about it in 6 months → Maybe Later
If I only added it because it’s popular → remove it
If I keep skipping it → it’s not for me right now

And yes… You are allowed to remove books. Your TBR isn’t a contract.

Minute 29–30: Make a “choose my next book” routine (so you stay organized)

This takes one minute but makes the system stick.

Pick one method:

Option A: The “Three Choices” method

Always keep three types in Next Up:

one comfort read
one high heat/fast pace
one plot-heavy or intense

So, you always have an option that fits the day you’re having.

Option B: The “Mood First” method

Before you look at any titles, ask:

Do I want comfort or chaos?
Do I want sweet or spicy?
Do I want short or a long ride?

Then you pick from Mood Picks like you’re choosing from a menu.

Option C: The “Weekend reset” method

Every Sunday, swap out 2–3 books in Next Up. That’s it—no full refresh needed.

If you have 5 extra minutes, do one of these

Only if you want. Not required.

Make a Palette Cleanser list (novellas, quick reads, low effort)
Make a DNF Without Guilt list (so you stop re-adding books you already know aren’t for you)
Add one sentence to books you’re excited about: “Saved because…” (trope, vibe, scene, recommendation)

That “saved because” line is small but powerful—because it brings back your original excitement.

Helpful Resources

If you want a simple TBR tracker you can print or use on your tablet, grab it here on Amazon.
If you love tracking tropes, spice, and favorite scenes, this reading journal makes it easy; Get it on Amazon.
Looking for a list of tropes, read my post Top Romance Tropes 2026