Continuing this week's series on  how to deal with an abundance of good things — aka the backlog that is cluttering much of your life.

Today's installment will address the backlog of books and magazines waiting for you to read them. I love to read. It's one of my very favorite things in the world, but I can only read so many hours a day. How do you use your reading time to get through the backlog effectively?

• The first step is always to keep it from getting worse. Take a look at the magazines you receive. Do you really value (and read) all of them? Do you just check out an article or two? Cancel your subscriptions for the magazines you don't read. Bonus: you'll save money too. With books, make judicious use of your local library. You'll still have a lot to read, but it will come with a built-in deadline and someone else has to store it for the long run.
• Make it a regular practice to get rid of magazines you've already read. Many locales recycle them. Some schools or community groups may take magazines (especially those with top notch photography) to use in craft projects. Do a little research about where you can donate or recycle magazines I your neighborhood.
• I don't recycle books unless they are falling apart with pages missing. If you aren't going to read a book again and again, donate it. Many libraries have used book sales. There are also used book stores and other community groups happy to take your donation. If you have a lot of best-sellers, you may want to call a nursing home to see if they can take donated books.
• Be honest. If you aren't going to read a book, let it go.
• No one said that you have to read every magazine you get cover to cover. Read the articles that interest you and then let it go. If you desperately need an article in the future, there are web archives and microfilm.
• Make reading something you do each day. Since the weather has improved, what could be better than sitting in te sunshine with a cool beverage and a good book?
• If you have a stack of magazines to be read, make it a habit to keep one handy at all times — in the car, your briefcase, etc. That way, if you find yourself having to wait at the dentist or the car repair shop, you can read. You just have to avoid getting caught up with playing games or checking messages on your smart phone.
• I keep a shelf of books I want to read. It's like having a list for my books. Once a book is read, it's either donated or placed in its more permanent shelving. And I always have something good to read.

How do you deal with a backlog of reading material?