Your Book Collection
* If you wanted to access the Hurricane Planner last week but couldn't, please be sure to try the revised link at the end of this week's email. 

When it comes to decluttering, books can be one of the hardest items to let go of.  Often we associate strong feelings with books  because they hold many memories -- of how we acquired the book, our feelings as we read it, where we lived at the time, etc. I recommend a helpful exercise developed by my colleague, Judith Kolberg, for decluttering your book collection.
 
The exercise is called FRIENDS, ACQUAINTANCES, & STRANGERS. Let's define each....
  • Friends are people we like, trust, and enjoy spending time with.
  • Acquaintances are people we know, but they're not ones we lean on for support or know well enough to say we have much in common.
  • Strangers are unknown to us. We are neutral and have no established feelings or commitment towards them.
So, when decluttering your books do this exercise:
 
Pick up one book at a time and ask yourself, "Is this book a friend, an acquaintance, or a s tranger?" Very quickly you will realize you have a much stronger attachment to some books more than others! Make separate piles for each.  The books that are strangers you can release (donate) to someone else to enjoy. Do the same with as many acquaintances as you can. J ust imagine how wonderful it will be to have a book collection filled with just your friends!!!! By the way, this helpful exercise can be used to declutter many groups of things.
 
What if you have a book(s) you don't have an attachment to, but you feel may be worth something? Check out a website called   AbeBooks.com .  

AbeBooks accepts new, used, and rare books, as well as art and collectibles for sale on their site. The nice thing about selling your books, comics, or art on a site like this is that you can be pretty sure that whoever is buying the item really wants it. 

* You may have had trouble accessing the Hurricane Preparedness Planning Notebook last week. If you did, we're sorry about that! Click here to access and download this document for yourself.
Are you ready to "lighten your load" but need organizing motivation and guidance? Let's talk about how I can help you! Call me at 914-907-6712 or send an email to [email protected].