Easy Things You Can Do NOW to Jumpstart Your Downsizing Project

“Have nothing in your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful.”~ William Morris

Are you moving to a smaller home? Or do you want to create more space in your current home? Downsizing your living space is a smart idea for anyone who wants to deal with less stuff or live in less clutter.

Sometimes it just takes one small thing to get the momentum going. Whether you’re downsizing, rightsizing or simply decluttering, here are 10 things you can do now to get the party started.

1. Declare it! Tell yourself, your family and your friends that you’re planning to downsize. Now that you’ve said it out loud, you’ll be more likely to commit to your project.
2. Get the conversation started. Talk to your family and friends now about what you want to give away. This will allow them to enjoy these items (and get them out of your house) sooner.
3. Get your kids involved. If you have younger children, give them a donation box and have them place any toys and clothes they no longer want in it. If you have adult children, have them swing by and get their stuff out of the house – you’re no longer their local storage unit!
4. Begin with just one closet. Donate anything that doesn’t fit, is out of style, or has dust on it. If you’re no longer wearing it, it doesn’t belong in your closet.
5. Clear away the clutter. That first layer of clutter is everywhere, whether it’s paper, clothing, or all that random junk on your kitchen counter. Pick one area to clean up and get to it.
6. Let go of sentimental clutter. All those items you’ve collected over the years add up. Take photos of meaningful items that you don’t plan to keep, then scan and save these memories in the cloud.
7. Get rid of extra boxes. Take 30 minutes and flatten all those boxes you’ve thrown into the garage and get them into the recycling bin.
8. Purge the pantry. Go through the pantry and toss out any food that has expired. For any food that hasn’t expired but you probably won’t eat, box it up and give it to a local food bank so someone else can. Then, start eating your remaining food reserves before they go bad and become wasteful.
9. Remove the excess. Go through the kitchen junk drawer – the one that’s crammed full of all the odds and ends and doo dahs you never use. Keep only what’s essential and necessary and donate any surplus items.
10. Tackle those forgotten places. Go to where you secretly stash plastic bags, grocery sacks, and shopping bags, then get rid of them all, except for a reasonable amount that you’ll actually use.

By starting small, you’ll have big results. And with a little careful planning, you can turn many of these steps into daily habits that will help you manage your clutter more easily.

Take the NextStep
Whether you’re downsizing to a smaller home, preparing for a move, or just need more space in your current home, NextStep Transitions can help you jumpstart your downsizing project. Click here to learn how.