Organizing the Virtual

 A few weeks ago, I was trying to locate a book on my Kindle. I went to my library and scrolled...and scrolled...and scrolled....

There had to be a better way. 

I tried the search function and the book came up.

On Audible. 

I eventually found the information I needed but, while trying to find the book I was looking for, I revealed dozens of books I didn't even realize I had. Most of my e-book library was essentially invisible, something that is not at all helpful to someone with an I need to see it personal style. 

This experience made it clear that I needed a better method of keeping track of my e-books. The search function was definitely helpful, but it certainly wouldn't be useful in turning up books I didn't even know I had. And what if I wanted to browse?

After searching online to see if there was a quick way to create a list (and not finding one), I set about copying and pasting into a document file. I opted to keep it simple: alphabetical by author, titles organized under four categories: fiction, non-fiction, art-related, and writing/writing-related. I could have added a few other categories but I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. 

The process was tedious and is not yet complete, but it's something I can do while watching television and I want the list badly enough to persevere.

A few days later, I shared my dilemma with my friend, Cerella, who directed me to read.amazon.com where, lo and behold, I had a much better view of my library, and more options for filters as well. I especially liked that I could separate the samples from the full-length books, something I hadn't yet figured out a plan for when it came to my list. 

The view from read.amazon.com reminded me that my overall view is better on my iPad than on my Kindle (and better on my laptop than my tablet). In addition, it solved my browsing dilemma, with all my books coming up clearly and in color.

When I told my friend that I was creating a list, she shared that she'd created one, too, using an Excel spreadsheet instead of a document file. I hate Excel (which has more to do with the fact that I lack Excel skills than anything about Excel itself), so I'm going to stick to my original plan.

When I first set out to write this post, I thought it would be about finding the tool that worked best. Clearly, it is about that, but this process reminded me of something else as well.

Sometimes, when we're stumped, or convinced there's a better way that's eluding us, reaching out to a friend can make all the difference. Friends can validate us, remind us we're not alone, and clue us in to solutions we didn't know were out there.

Thanks, Cerella.