There’s a moment in most of the online clutter clearing courses I teach where someone in the group mentions how many new notebooks they have in their home that have never been used. Then others chime in to say they have the same situation.
We’re not talking 2 or 3 notebooks here, as this photo might suggest. It’s often double figures. The record so far is 40.
Empty notebooks belong in the “just-in-case-you-need-them-some-day” category of clutter. With most clutter of this type, if a person has had them for years and they have never come in useful, they are usually willing to let them go. Not so with empty notebooks. Here are some of the excuses I hear:
I use a lot of notebooks so they are all sure to be needed at some time…
I’m saving this one for a project I’m planning to do…
I can’t throw this one away – it’s so beautiful…
Notebooks never go out of date…
And so on.
Of course the marketing of notebooks is done very cleverly these days, targetting impulse buyers rather than just those who need new stationery. They’re now in gift shops, department stores, and supermarkets as well as regular stationery stores, making them even easier to find. Ah, the sweet smell of new paper! It’s pure nectar to the dedicated paperphile.
So what can you do if you suspect you may have a few notebooks too many?
Well, the first thing is to go around your home and gather them all into one place. Create a notebook shelf somewhere. Then count them.
Next, figure out how many notebooks you actually use in one year. Divide the first number by the second, and you will know how many years of notebooks you have in stock. This is called a reality check.
Suppose you discover you have 10 notebooks and you use, on average, two per year. This means you won’t need to buy any more for another five years. And if you do fall prey to a pretty cover one day while out shopping, make a deal with yourself that if a new notebook comes into your life, then an old one must leave, so at least the number won’t be increasing.
And what if you find you have more notebooks than you can possibily use in your lifetime, as some people reading this will certainly do? My advice is to keep the best and donate the rest so that someone else can have the pleasure of using them.
Copyright © Karen Kingston, 2014
Related articles
Notice board clutter
Paper clutter