Most people who are simplifying their lives and trying to live with less, exclude books from the decluttering process.
I used to be one of those people.
There is something about the written word and books that comfort us. After I read a good book, I put it on the shelf for the next time I want to read it. I used to dream about creating my own library.
There are some books that I refer back to for information, but very few that I have re-read cover to cover. Only 3 come to mind:
- The Pillars of the Earth
- The Power of Less: The 6 Essential Productivity Principles That Will Change Your Life
- Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia
I have great intentions on the rest, but it never happens. There is always another book I want to read. Yet, my books still sit, waiting, collecting dust. That ends today, and so begins today’s mini-mission, Pass it On.
Like me, you may have done an initial sweep of your book collection, and now it’s time to take a second look. This might be painful so take it slowly. Start with the book you are reading right now, or with the pile on your nightstand. As you are reading the book, think about who you are going to give it to. Put their name on a post-it and stick it to the book. When you are finished, give it to them. Pass it on with love and the intention of letting go. Do not pass it on with your name written in bold on the inside cover with a due date.
When you give a book away, you don’t just give ink on paper, you give a lesson, an experience and emotion.
For more experiments to simplify your life, read Mini-missions for Simplicity. It’s available on the Amazon Kindle store, but you don’t need a Kindle to read it. Kindle books can also be read using the Free Kindle Reader App for your Web Browser, PC, Mac, iPad, iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android.
