Minimizing can be draining work, but taking things slow can keep you from giving up and reverting to old ways. My recent purge focused on my love of books and movies; which is an area where people are usually not too emotionally attached. Most of the time books and DVDs are one-and-done items. So, it seems silly to pour hundreds of dollars per year into them. The ground rules I set were simple, the items had to go if:
1) I couldn’t recall the last time I used it.
2) It was damaged.
3) The book was unread or DVD unwatched.
Following the ground rules, I cut my book collection by 75% and my DVD collection by 50%. I did ultimately decide to keep a few unread books and unwatched DVDs (most of them still in their wrapping), but they will be donated once I have used them. If you decide to do that, I recommend sitting them to the side in a prominent place to inspire you to get through them faster.
You can also apply this method to CDs. I no longer have CDs. However, if you still own CDs take the time to transfer them to the music library on your computer and get rid of the discs. Save memory on your device by only transferring the songs that you like rather than the whole CD. Purchase new music from your music library – again, save money and keep digital clutter under control by buying only the songs that you like.
Setting up some guidelines like the ones above can help you get rid of a lot of stuff. However, no matter how hard you try to convince yourself, sometimes you can’t seem to let certain things go.
Minimalist Maintenance is what I apply to those items that I just won’t let go of even though I know they serve me no purpose. Minimalist Maintenance requires that you revisit areas that you have a hard time minimizing. The principles are simple:
1) Pick a date and set a reminder to revisit your items (mine is every 3 months).
2) You must physically touch each item.
3) Designate a specific number of items to get rid of each time you revisit (optional).
Give yourself a visual to put things in perspective. Store your remaining books and DVD’s with the spine out (like you normally do), when you use them return them to the shelf with the spine in. When you revisit them, you will be able to see the ones you have used and the ones you haven’t more clearly. I am most certainly not the originator of this method, but I find it to be helpful.
Of course, we all have certain books and movies that are our go-to sources of entertainment and we will probably never get rid of them. Personally, I feel like I have a lot Harry Potter marathons when I watch movies at home – those are some of my DVDs that are here to stay. Designate a shelf for these items and keep them separate. If you can, try to eventually replace them with digital copies. Rent any new movies that you have not purchased on DVD, especially those you did not see in the theatre. You always have the option to purchase it later if you love it and want it to watch over and over again.
When you minimize do not deprive yourself of something that brings joy to your life. Don’t feel pressured into getting rid of something if you are having mixed feelings about it. If you are having difficulty letting something go, leave it alone and revisit it. Make Minimalist Maintenance a regular task for the items you can’t part with. Eventually you will be able to get to a point where you no longer need to perform maintenance tasks and you will have more time to enjoy the books and movies you keep.
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