Day 77: How To Deal with Half-Used Notebooks

What: Notebooks

Why: School’s out. You get back from a conference. Now you have multiple half-used notebooks sitting on your bookshelves, in boxes, or just lying around. Will you ever use them all? Do they just take up space that could be used for something else? Do you find yourself buying a new journal in hopes that just the eye-appeal of it, will draw you to write in it everyday? Why hang onto these notebooks/journals that will never be used anyways? Will you use them?

How:
1. Find all of the notebooks and journals you have. Even those that have notes in them.

2. Go through each one and decide:

• Should I keep the information that is still in them?
  • Are the notes relevant?
  • Will I ever use them?
  • If you still need the notes, consider typing them up and saving them in a word document. You can always print them if you need them.
  • Rip them out and file them.
• Blank pages that are left:
  • Will I ever use them?
  • Would it be worth donating the notebook?
  • Should I recycle it?
  • Rip out pages and cut into scrap paper to use for notes

3. Refrain from buying new notebooks or journals.

• Use up the notebooks you have
• Instead of buying new notebooks when school starts, check to see what you have “in stock” at home, first. Yes, notebooks are cheap and it is thrilling to open a new notebook, but in order to live with less, learning to use up what we already have, is vital.

Confession of the Day: I used to have MANY half-used notebooks and journals. As I continue to declutter and learn to live with less, I am learning to use up what I have. Instead of buying another journal for a study I am doing or for journaling in general, I am using up what I have. There is much joy in seeing more space on our shelves and realizing that we are able to live with less. There is no need to have 10 different notebooks and journals that are half-used. Set limits for yourself by not buying new. Take the time to go through them, type up the notes you need, and deal with them as you see fit.

What do you do with your half-used notebooks?