Asking Tough Questions of your Media

When is the last time I read, watched, or listened to this?

If I answer that question honestly about some of our books, movies, or music, I can move onto the next question which is a little harder to be truthful about.

What is a reasonable amount of time to hang on to items “just in case” we want to use them again?

“A reasonable amount of time” can feel different to all of us, but it is important that we ask ourselves these questions. Media tends to collect without us reevaluating if we need or even want it. Our tastes, lifestyles, and technology change.

I posed these questions to myself in today’s 10 Minute Tuesday organizing project.

Our movie cabinet is a great example of a place needing reevaluation. It has been almost completely abandoned since we got our laptop and discovered instant Neflix. I have been holding on to a lot more than I’ll actually use.

I went through it about a year ago when I was on a hunt to sell books and movies on Amazon to make some extra cash. and ask myself

In an effort towards living more simply I wanted to take a look at the media cabinet again. I sometimes struggle with letting things go, but I remind myself that owning less stuff also means less stuff to clean, organize, and worry about.

After 10 minutes of asking myself those tough questions, a little dusting and sorting into categories, I was able to part with a sizable pile. I even had time to weed out a few books.

I was left with a much more organized selection of movies and books. And a collection that actually mirrors our current taste.

We all have a different comfort level with how many books to keep. Even though I like to read, I don’t keep a lot of books around. I get all of my books from the library and if I love it and want to refer to it again I will buy it. But I also know I can check out the book again if I need to refer to it. A good rule of thumb is to keep what you have room for and what you will realistically use again.

Another thing to keep in mind as you find items to let go of, is to focus on what items are yours instead of trying to get rid of what you consider to be someone else’s “clutter” (unless it is your kid’s clutter, then you have all the power).

The top shelf holds my husband’s movies and he doesn’t necessarily have a life goal to live with less stuff. As I was sorting, I asked him about a few movies I thought he might be ready to donate. He kept more than I would have, but it’s important to make our own decisions and honor the choices others make (even if I know he is not going to watch This is Spinal Tap again).

I still have some VHS tapes I could probably get rid of, but how can you throw away Chocolat when our player still works?

Choose a category like books, movies, or music and spend 10 minutes deciding what you really need. How long has it been since you read/watched/listened to the item in question? What is the likelihood you will use it again? Be honest and surround yourself with items you love.