How do I downsize before I move to a senior living community?

First, a word to the closets-, basement- and junk drawer-facing wise: While you downsize, continually remind yourself that the life you’re about to move to in the senior living community you’ve chosen will make all your downsizing efforts absolutely worthwhile.

Second, help is available. As you consider a move to a senior living community, ask about moving assistance. Some communities may connect you with services that can help you stage, sell, downsize, pack, move, and settle in. For examples, see LivNow and The Move Makers.

Downsizing: The 5 Categories

Visualize sorting your worldly goods into five categories.

Recyclables

Paper products, plastics, glass – much of what might otherwise be thrown away can be recycled. Avoid the landfill, do Earth a favor and hit the recycling bin.

Donations

Many of your belongings still have life in them and can be put to good use by others. Your favorite local charities may welcome gently used clothing, household items, small appliances and furniture.

Shared

Among your possessions are those heirlooms and beloved belongings that mean something to friends and family because they mean so much to you. Ask first, of course, and then share with those eager to appreciate a useful item that reminds them of you.

Keepers

Hang onto the necessities that will ensure your new home feels comfortable and familiar. And plan to make room for a few treasures that give you joy.

Trash

When it can’t be recycled, donated, shared or kept, it’s bound for the curb. Check with your trash collection company about removal of large or bulky items.

For further inspiration, try Sara B. Hart’s The Upside of Downsizing: Getting to Enough. Or for a smart list of ways to manage the what you need to donate, sell, recycle and discard, take a look at this resource from Better Homes & Gardens.

Downsizing’s 9 Rules

Fast & Frequent

Start soon and make brief, swift decluttering a habit. Regular, short bursts of determined action pay off with steady, surprising progress toward your downsizing goal.

Reserve the Date

It’s part of your life now, so add decluttering to your calendar. Schedule light daily tasks, bigger weekly projects, and all-day or all-weekend projects monthly. You might find confidence-building joy in a running list of tasks completed, too.

Brakes

It’s “pre-decluttering.” If you stop bringing new stuff into your house, you won’t need to sort it out later. Put the brakes on new acquisitions.

One Minus Two Equals Freedom

And when you can’t put the brakes on, hold yourself accountable: for every new thing brought in, two old things must go out.

Zip It

Once you’ve cleared it out — closet, attic, drawer, cabinet basement, whatever — shut it down. Cleared-out space is off-limits for new accumulations.

The 1-Year Limit

• Clothing: If you haven’t worn it in the last year, you don’t need it. Let it go.
• Other belongings: If you haven’t used the kitchen appliance, lawn or garden tool, linens, crafting item, musical instrument, etc., etc., etc. — in the last year, you can live many more years without it. Let it go.

Cry for Help

You’re not alone. Chances are a trusted friend or family member can help you with your downsizing — and share the joy in recalled memories (“Oh, look! Remember when …”). Plus, a companion is likely to offer a less biased opinion about what you should and shouldn’t keep.

Pace Yourself

It’s not a race and scurrying in haste is likely to result in discarding in error. Take your time. Give yourself space to think, feel and remember.

One Bite Is All You Can Chew

Focus. Map out a manageable task, see it through to completion, and relish the satisfaction of the accomplishment. It’s your fuel to take on the next task. But remember you’re not downsizing your whole world at once; you’re decluttering a drawer, then a closet, then a garage shelf — until one day, you wake up rested and relaxed in your loving, neatly sorted senior living community residence.

How to downsize?

It’s a giant project, but you can manage it by turning it into a series of smaller tasks, keeping the categories for sorting in mind, and following the nine rules of downsizing.