Baby Boomers and Seniors Wade Through Years of Possessions

Downsizing: the act of making something smaller, reducing the size …   If used in referring to your home or personal possessions, it’s an act that focuses on de-cluttering, eliminating and letting-go.

At MovingOn with Style we like to put a different spin on it and call it – RightSizing. It’s not about how much stuff you keep, but instead making a conscious choice to keep only the right-stuff. Those things, the “stuff” that actually contributes to your life now – today!

Think about the many good things that could be added to your life with the freed up space – dreams you could revive, hobbies you haven’t had time for, energy that can be spent on grandchildren, volunteering & friends. Keep your goals in mind and the process will move more quickly and with less stress.

So, RightSizing is the method we use whether we are working with -

Baby Boomers moving, to their retirement residence

A Senior moving to an assisted living community

A mature, newly married couple, combining households

Seniors and Baby Boomers moving from the home, where they raised children and the focus was on family, to a smaller space, will need to downsize considerably, that’s a daunting task at best. The rightsizing perspective looks to incorporate the past and its fond memories in right proportion to the life at hand.  When your living space is so full of the past there’s no room for flexibility or for growth, or the unexpected

1) Start with a Vision of the life you want to embrace. What could you gain? What will there be room to do now? Let your mind imagine the possibilities, dream be positive, then write it down. Refer to your vision often, especially when the going gets bumpy. [NOTE: If RightSizing for a move - Start Early, you'll need time to decide. The shorter the notice, the more stressful & difficult.] Get a notebook, with pockets, collect your information, thoughts and ideas, for easy reference.

2) Small Steps to Start Pick one-two-hour project, a paper-stacked desk, a giant pile of stuffed animals, the ever-present “junk drawer.” You’ll get a quick win and become familiar with the process of sorting -& tossing. Don’t spend a lot of time deciding.

3) Strategize Map large projects out, on paper. In the “old place” you had a big desk – now, what will you do at the desk. What files do you really need now. Hobbies or volunteer work may take up more space now than they once did, so what will the trade off be?

4)Slice it. As you begin, think in terms of percentages. What percentage of your clothes can you keep? 3000 square feet has less closet space than 1100. Do you still have to have 10 business suits or 20 pairs of pumps? Using masking tape, mark out the size of the new closet or consider the size of the living room you may be going to and mark that off. Now, you’ll have a clearer idea of what will fit in THAT space.

5) Score the Stuff. On a scale of 1 to 10 ask these questions for each item. Love it? Use it? Space it takes? Condition/$$Value, Sentimental value? For example, consider collections,(say angels) and it’s Love it?/10, but you plan to store except at Christmas – that’s a 2/for use it,  Sentimental/is it all really a 9?  Couldn’t you dole out some for each child and box for them to use now?

6) SORT LABEL. SORT LABEL!. Putting like items with like. When you have ALL the office supplies together, it’s easier to see what you really need to keep. Make good use of sticky notes, denoting what it is, where the items will go (i.e., guest/linens, hold for charity, Kitchen/pots). Don’t keep things that are cracked, worn or don’t work (i.e. that chair you’ve been meaning to fix/paint for 7 years). Remember, whatever you keep  will go to an assigned, specific room it will live.

7) Showcase it or Sow it. REMEMBER with some items, it’s the memory that’s precious not the thing itself. Creating a showcase that honors the memory, or the person who gave it, instead of keeping the vase itself, that Aunt Jane gave you for your wedding, will mean more and take up less space. If it’s buried, it isn’t a treasure!

Share the Process, Share the Stories. “a burden shared is lessened and joy shared is doubled” is especially true now, Respecting the emotional need to share stories that will come to mind in this process, is good for everyone — just as telling the story behind a funny old statue can suddenly give it meaning, that item that you think trivial, can have a special memory for your children, that you never considered.

9) Remember – It’s not about how much stuff you keep, but about the those special objects, from critical periods of the past, imbued with the values that will help you make the most of the new life you’re about to begin – that’s Rightsizing & the UPside to downsizing!™

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