Death by Paper

Photo by Rodrigo Galindez

The Living Room.

During the 19th century, the “front room” or “parlor” of a house was used for formal events, namely the laying out of a body for viewing prior to the funeral. In an effort to move away from a blatant association with death, architects aptly renamed the space “living room” in the 20th century.

While we can be thankful that the living room is no longer a place designed for sorrowing, we should quickly address one of the key issues that still causes homemakers everywhere to mourn while sitting on their couches.

Reading material.

Books, magazines, newspapers, catalogues, and mail have the ability to take us quickly from a place of joy to a place of grief if left unmanaged.

When it comes to magazines, remove the articles you want to keep and discard the rest of the periodical. Manage magazines by displaying only the most recent issue. Designate a place for mail—and cull it daily. Don’t allow mail to overtake your house. (This will also make bill paying more efficient!) Distribute books to the rooms where they are used. Box up the books you no longer want and donate them. (But don't donate them to your garage!)

In short, if you haven’t or won’t read it, remove it. It will bring life to your living room!