 |
| "Owned but unread" books |
Background
I've posted several times on materialism and my struggles with it (here and here are examples). One consistent problem area was books. For years, I've collected books. I would read them, but I often bought them at a pace faster than I read. Over time, I ended up accumulating over 100 books I hadn't yet read. Is this a problem? Some say no; I say yes.
It's not inherently bad to own anything. But when we own much more than we need, it often is (or can easily become) a problem. In our consumer-oriented society, it's easy to not see the problem or accept it as okay. But our purchasing practices reveal a good deal about what we truly believe is important in this world, and therefore becoming aware of this is critical (see my review of this book for more information on that). Left unchecked, rampant materialism has horrible consequences. Regrettably, this truth hit home through the faults of another.
Several years ago, my family found out that close relatives were hoarders. Okay- my family had known that for a while, but the depth of the problem was brought to light. When it was, due to the severity, extreme consequences had to be taken- because of deterioration, every single item in the house (save some wood furniture) had to be pitched. In the end, multiple dumpsters of trash had to be removed from the home, to the great psychological trauma of the occupants. It was hard on everyone, but what moved me the most is what one occupant said: "I just wanted to die surrounded by my things." She said this to her son; you can imagine how he felt.
Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)The preceding Bible verses speak to this issue. Her heart had gravitated away from love of God and others to love of things. How horribly sad . . . but good things can come from it.
People need dramatic examples to shake them out of apathy - Batman BeginsAfter this situation- which was hard on all of us- I noticed a trend. Everyone in my family started minimizing their stuff. We're not hoarders . . . but the dramatic example we had just experienced awoke in us the realization that we all simply had too much. And the best time to deal with a problem is today.
Tips
I could have just sold the books right away and been done with it . . . but I did want to at least 'give them a shot' before getting rid of them. So my goal was to read and then minimize. I found the following to be helpful in this journey:
- Recognize the problem
As discussed above; need more be said?
- Learn the extent of the problem
For years, I had a vague sense that I owned "about 100" books I hadn't read. Each year, I'd buy some, read some, and get rid of some . . . but never bothered counting too closely. You'll note the uptick in the graph around 2014 . . . that was when I counted and recorded every single one. Gone were vague notions or general senses . . . I wanted to scope the problem exactly and completely. It made it 'real' and stark.
- Know the end state
It wasn't necessary to get down to zero books, per se, but I wanted to get down to a number I could read in ~6 months. In hand with reading them was minimizing the number I owned, so I wanted to keep books based on certain specific criteria only.
- Set limits
My goal moving forward is to never own more than 10 'owned but unread' books, and my books should occupy no more than two bookcases in our home.
- Make a plan
This was simple: Don't buy more books until I read (almost) all of them. As the sharp downward line in the above graph indicates, I was reasonably successful in this area. The 'blip' at the end was a 'binge' of buying that delayed my goal, momentarily. But by then I was so close to the end that I knew I could account for it quickly.
- Keep it before you
I kept my list of books on a spreadsheet called 'to read.' Whenever I read a book, I'd remove it from the spreadsheet. It was fulfilling seeing the number dwindle.
- Get accountability
It's always helpful to have an external party ask you how things are going in an area you want to improve.
- Avoid temptation
One big thing helped: I stopped going to the bookstore. Well, almost :-). But weekly visits turned into once every 2-3 months. It made a huge difference not knowing what I was 'missing.'
- Keep on keepin' on
This goal took me over two years to achieve. It was slow but steady.
Lessons Learned
- I got rid of many books without reading much of them, quickly realizing I no longer interested in them; to my shame, some of them I had owned for 15+ years.
- It got easier. My 'trickle' of books read (and subsequently donated, sold or kept) soon became a flood. I realized I just didn't need as many as I thought. The more I got rid of, the more I wanted to get rid of.
- I have almost no regrets. This was a big fear going in: what if I read a book and got rid of it, but later wanted it? I shouldn't have worried. I regret getting rid of one book . . . out of the 163 I sold or donated. Not bad.
- Changed habits can change the heart. Re-forming the heart by forming new disciplines is discussed in a recent book I read, You Are What You Love. I found this to be true: when I minimized, I started desiring healthier things. Every trip to the bookstore used to be a 'I must buy ___' struggle . . . now, I can enter one without temptation to buy (well, most of the time).
- I'm not there yet. Please don't take this post as me saying "I'm awesome" or "I've arrived" or "my heart is centered where it ought." Far from it! But I'm in the right direction, and this exercise has taught me the value of minimization. I've moved on to other areas- toys, movies, games- and it will be a life-long quest.
No comments:
Post a Comment