Empty Nest, Full Life: How Downsizing Can Elevate Life

Whether your high school grad is off to college or their first apartment, or if you’re approaching retirement looking to simplify your life and surroundings, there are some key steps to make the process less stressful and more enjoyable.

Downsizing your living space can open the door to new adventures, travel and free up time previously spent on maintaining a large house and yard.

1. Define your lifestyle goals: Are you looking to turn your kid’s bedroom into a home office or wanting to create a low maintenance home so you can travel more? Once you have a vision for how you’d like this next chapter of your home to feel, you can start planning. 

2. Love it or list it: Once you know what type of lifestyle you want, decide if you want to stay in your current home or look at selling it. Either way, downsizing starts with decluttering! 

3. Give yourself plenty of time: Downsizing involves sorting through all the “things” you’ve collected over the years. There can be a lot of emotional attachment to household items. If you take a “slow but steady” approach, you can decide how best to save, pass on, donate or sell special items. 

4. File in piles: It’s best to work specific areas of the house at a time instead of trying to tackle everything at the same time. For each area of focus, make three piles: 
- Keep: Items that are in good condition, that you need and use regularly. - Donate: Gently used items that can be useful to others, and duplicate items. - Recycle/Trash: Items that have seen better days, that are broken or not functional. Take advantage of local specialty recyclers for computers and environmental products like old paint.

5. Decide on a criteria for what stays or goes: Ask yourself these three questions: Is this something I love? Is it something I need? Is it something I use? You may love something, like your beloved encyclopedia collection, but do you need it, no. Will you use them, also no.  

6. Apply the “One Year” rule: If you have items that you haven’t used or worn in over a year, let them go. Then decide to sell, donate or recycle. 

7. Save the memory, not the item: So many of us have boxes of artwork and cards from the kids. It’s great to keep a couple works of art but take photos of everything else and recycle the rest. Consider buying a digital picture frame to display the photos you capture. You’ll see them more on a digital frame than you ever did when they were in a box under the bed! 

8. Donate used items: There are countless nonprofit organizations who would love your unwanted or outdated possessions. If you itemize on your tax returns, be sure to get a receipt for the donation from the nonprofit. 

9. Keep track of important documents: Be sure to keep all your critical documents in a safe place so they don’t end up in the trash by accident!  

10. Ask for help! Inviting family and friends to help sorting can make downsizing feel like more of a fun event, focusing on what you’re gaining (more simplicity and freedom) than what you’re losing. Also, consider enlisting the help of a professional organizer. They can work with you on a plan or the full process. They offer a neutral but compassionate approach that can help you move beyond emotional attachments that can make the process more difficult.  

Downsizing your home doesn’t mean downsizing your life. Clearing clutter and designing your home environment to better align with your changing lifestyle can create a newfound sense of freedom. Embrace the process and enjoy all that your next chapter has to offer.
Inviting family and friends to help sorting can make downsizing feel like more of a fun event, focusing on what you’re gaining (more simplicity and freedom) than what you’re losing. Also, consider enlisting the help of a professional organizer. They can work with you on a plan or the full process. They offer a neutral but compassionate approach that can help you move beyond emotional attachments that can make the process more difficult.

Downsizing your home doesn’t mean downsizing your life. Clearing clutter and designing your home environment to better align with your changing lifestyle can create a newfound sense of freedom. Embrace the process and enjoy all that your next chapter has to offer.

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