unclutter | (no subject)

I managed to cull a few of my books, but I have two full shelves of books I really do want to read. Or at least, I did, when I bought them. Except now that they've been in the stack of stuff I've felt guilty about for 3+ years (yes, I've had some of them sitting in the "to read any day now" pile for that long), I can't remember whyI wanted them. The really sad thing is, I picked up Broken Kingdoms the day it came out (about three months ago) but I was so busy with school I didn't get a chance to read it. It's the sequel to a book I loved and I spent most of last year looking forward to getting it, except now it's in the guilt pile with all the rest and I don't want to read it anymore. I don't know what to do, other than just declare bankruptcy and get rid of all of them.

Anyway, today's totals:

In: Nothing!
Out: 4 paperbacks

Running total for Day 27

In: 18
Out: 25
Net: -7
Owed: 20

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I can sympathise with the "had it so long I feel guilty" feeling. I felt a bit better when I catalogued my book pile, because I had an objective count that I could track, and then I set myself a 1-in, 2-out goal. But that might not work for other people.

My other suggestion would be to put everything that currently makes you feel guilty into a box in a place you don't have to look at, and leave it there for a month or two, to give you time to decide if it is just the guilt or if you have genuinely gone off the book in the meantime.

I said it elsewhere, that what I have to remind myself at intervals is that my goal in decluttering is to make my home more pleasant. It's not to punish myself For Having Too Much Stuff.

*hugs*