Books
“Remember: you are not what you own. Storing all those books doesn’t make you any smarter; it just makes your life more cluttered.”
-Francine Jay
Books are tough to let go of for many of us. They were by far the hardest category for me on my decluttering journey.
If you have the space for a huge home library and books are your jam, all the power to you! But for most of us, we inherently know that a large percentage of our collection is taking up precious storage space and that we’ll likely never read them again.
So why do we keep them? Often, because there is possibility and identity tied into them; we see books as a reflection of who we are and who we fantasize about becoming. But, in reality, many of them are simply ghosts of our past interests and not who we actually are today.
If you have a hard time saying goodbye to books, take a picture of the titles and store them in a folder on your phone, then check your local library app to see if they carry a copy. The chances are high that they do! That way, if you ever feel the urge to read it again, you’ll know where to look without having to spend a cent.
Books offer us a beautiful, tactile experience like no other. Surround yourself with your absolute favourites that you know you’ll want to read over and over. Donate or resell the rest to be enjoyed by others as much as they once were by you.
Creating Space Organizing provides decluttering, home organizing and move management services throughout the Lower Mainland and Greater Vancouver area.
