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.
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My collection of books (pre-purge)- Small compared to most, I'm sure. |
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!
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Thanks to the KonMari Method, these books can continue to fulfill their destiny and find someone to read them! |
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