In this digital age, it’s so hard to hold on to books! And really, how many magazines are people reading, cover to cover? There is something so comforting about having books or a stash of reading material to leave out to pass the time, but how many people just pull out their phone instead? Or even just listen to a podcast instead of reading at all!? Is it really worth it to have all this paper reading material?
I struggle because I really want the kids to practice real reading – not just listening to audio books or podcasts or reading ebooks. I want them to feel the book in their hands, I want them to see the pictures in the magazines. I want them to be able to cut things out of the magazines and decoupage something! Oh, the number of school assignments that I got through doing that!
What I am really getting at, is that I am certain that anyone over the age of say 40, probably has a stack of magazines they hoped to read one day, and a book shelf of books they probably haven’t thought about reading in the last 10-20 years! Because all those paper items were comforting in some way!
BUT, do you really need them all?
It’s time to declutter this!
Books
Declutter your book shelf (or shelves). Really think about the books. Ask yourself if you have read it? Did you like it? Would you recommend it? Do you even remember it? Could you lend it to someone? Give it to someone? Donate it somewhere? Do you have a lot of non-fiction books? Textbooks? Travel books? Is the information in the book still accurate or relevant?? Ask yourself these questions about each book. Even if it was a book you loved, if the information isn’t accurate anymore, there’s no point in keeping it! If you will never read that fiction book again, there’s no point in keeping it!
Magazines
Just get rid of them! I know, it seems crazy! I practically guarantee that any information, tips, recipes, and interesting facts that you will find in a magazine, you could just google and find online. Magazines are actually pretty hard to store and take up a fair amount of space. It’s not worth keeping them! If your kids actually need to decoupage anything, look up a buy nothing group online, and see if anyone is getting rid of their magazines and grab some for the short time that you need them! Otherwise, there is nothing in any of them that you can’t find online for the few articles you may actually want to read. Magazines are mostly ads anyway!
Paper
Recycle lots of it every week if you are inundated with paper. If you are hesitant about recycling it due to private information, get yourself a paper shredder! Make the kids shred paper! They will probably love it! They can even make paper mache things using the shredded paper! There are very few paper things that you truly need to keep. Keep a few paper drawings or artwork from the kids, keep papers with upcoming dates on them like invites or appointments, and then recycle the rest! Any important notes or lists that you jotted down can easily be put on your phone instead! See how full your paper recycling bin can get this week or next week! Go around the house collecting as much of it as you can find!
Planners
If you are a paper type of person, then I can guarantee that you have a few planners lying around. Maybe even some undated ones that you have had for years! Or worse, empty ones from previous years! Maybe you like to keep your planners year after year as a memory book of your life and the crazy shenanigans you got up to! Decide if it’s worth keeping it or ask yourself if you ever actually look at it again after the year is over. If you use a paper planner daily that you love, keep that one – there’s no need for multiples. They will simply clutter your desk! If you don’t use a daily paper planner, and you just use your phone to keep all of your memories, to do’s and schedule – then toss those paper planners! I love planners! I feel like I still have yet to find the actual perfect planner – but having 20 different possible planners is no better! If you really love planners, make a promise to yourself to really use them. Make a commitment to use one for a week and see if you like it. If you don’t, then it’s time to say goodbye!
Notebooks
This goes along with planners. Notebooks with school notes in them are not worth keeping anymore. Likely, the information has changed, or if you really need the information, you are more likely to do a quick google search than pull out those old notes. Notebooks that you thought you were going to fill with a daily journal or with ongoing lists are just not as useful in this day and age as they once were. Keep all of that stuff on your device to make it easier to edit and easier to refer to if you are out and about! Keep one or two if you must, but otherwise, really think about the purpose they add to your life. If they are not helping to make your life more productive, then it may be time to say goodbye!
Scratch pads/list paper
These, like notebooks, are becoming less relevant these days. Get a whiteboard, put it up somewhere in a high traffic area of the house for when you need to leave a message for someone – or simply send a text or message them online. If it’s a reminder about something, just set a reminder on your phone! If it’s a list, write the list into your phone instead! I am a paper person through and through! I would much rather write something down on paper while I am on the phone with someone or just multithinking while cooking! BUT, when I am done writing it down, I tend to misplace that little piece of paper that I wrote that random thing on! Once you have a moment, or when you’re tidying the house to reset for the next day, make those notes accessible on your phone! You can even take a picture of it – just remember to create a photo folder so that you can retrieve it more easily!
Cardboard
Being a bit of a crafty person, I tend to hold on to too many things for a ‘just in case’ future need. But this also puts a lot of burden on the house to accommodate things I don’t actually need, likely ever! A good, thick, strong piece of cardboard can be hard to part with – but do it anyway! Chances are you won’t ever need it. If you do need something, I am sure that between Amazon, food packaging, other online ordering services, or even just grabbing a box the next time you shop at Costco, you can get cardboard! It is basically freely available! You don’t need to keep a stash of it at home! Just recycle it!
Craft paper and colouring books
If you have young kids, then you know how critical it is to have some random paper in the house, in the car, even in your purse ALL THE TIME! It can be a game changer to pack it everywhere. Kids getting bored? Draw, write, or doodle – anything! Colouring books are key! It can literally provide those much needed couple of minutes or seconds of reprieve from the kids getting out of hand. It made a huge difference as I prepped dinner when the kids were young. As they got older, though, I stopped needing as much craft paper. Now it’s origami paper! Anyhoo! Old colouring books are a great thing to get rid of when the kids are done with them! They, too, can start taking up a lot of space without you even noticing!
So go through each and every room. Find all the paper things that you can! Really think about how that paper is contributing to your life. If it’s not – which it likely is not! – then why keep it? Go through every desk, every junk drawer, every book shelf! Find as many paper items to get rid of as you can! Getting rid of paper piles or stacks will definitely give you a huge accomplished feeling to start on your decluttering project! Shelves will seem tidier, drawers will be emptier, and your desk will be easier to use!
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