Wednesday, March 25, 2015

The KonMari Method Continued

I wrote a couple of posts about the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo on previous posts here and here.  Marie's tidying method is known as The KonMari Method. In a nutshell, if something doesn't spark joy within you, get rid of it.

Cleaning out my closet (well, technically, 2 closets, a chest of drawers, plus out of season stuff stored under my bed) took me a solid day and a half and was pretty draining.  But it also felt great to say goodbye to stuff I never really pay attention to anymore anyway, and then drop off about 5 big garbage bags full of clothes to the local Goodwill. Win/Win!

Marie Kondo suggests that after you finish tidying your clothes, you move on to books.  According to her research, she says books are one of the 3 things people find the hardest to let go.

If you know me at all, read this blog, or follow me on Instagram, you know I'm an avid book reader, and a big fan of my local library.  I get most of the books I read from the library.  Occasionally I download a book not available thru the library for my Kindle. Only rarely do I buy a physical copy of a book.  So I figured I didn't have that many books to even contemplate keeping or not.

As with all categories for tidying using the KonMari Method, I gathered all the books in my house into one central location for my purge- cookbooks from the kitchen, books on the bookshelf in our office, in my studio, and a few in random spots around the house were all included.  Sure enough, I had more books than I realized.  I think that's the importance of laying everything out in once central space: You see just how much you possess.  It's usually a surprising amount.  I think it's always more than you think. 
My collection of books (pre-purge)- Small compared to most, I'm sure.
Just like with clothing, you're suppose to look at each and every book asking yourself, "Does this spark joy?"  Marie's overall thoughts about books you might eventually read, or the ones you might read again: If you haven't read it yet, you probably won't.  And years down the road, if you do decide to, just buy another copy. (Or get it from the library!)  If you've already read it, liked it and think you might just read it again?  More than likely, you won't.  Most books don't get a second reading from the same person. Pass those along to a friends or book-loving strangers!

I ended up getting rid of tons of songbooks.  I've memorized the songs in them that I want to play, at this point.  If not, it's easy to find music online these days- for free.  I also got rid of paperbacks that didn't hold meaning for me- some I had read, some not.  I got rid of all but my favorite cookbooks.  You can find so many free recipes online these days, I decided I just don't need all those cookbooks anymore. I did however, hold on to some books because they are very special to me- Some childhood books, and some very meaningful novels that I loved so much, just having them take up space on my bookshelf truly does spark joy!

I wound up with several bags and boxes of books to sell at Half Priced Books.  I wound up with about $60 I didn't have before, and now, those books can find their way to someone who will read them with fresh eyes.  Books are meant to be read.  That's when books feel happiest!
Thanks to the KonMari Method, these books can continue to fulfill their destiny and find someone to read them!

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