Do you want to Downsize or Rightsize?
Musings—May 07, 2012
Imagine what its like to live in a larger home that no longer meets your simpler, easy needs. You’ve raised your family and now it is just the two of you or you are living on your own. Imagine all the responsibilities that come with living in a large home – rooms full of items that go unused, cleaning, maintenance, heating costs, and so on. (maybe you don’t need to imagine it because you are living it!)
Imagine what it would be like to live in a home that was sized perfectly with a floor plan that suited your needs.
When you go from a larger home to a smaller home it is often referred to as “downsizing”. The other day I heard Sheila Delson CPO-CD refer to it as “rightsizing”. It was like a light bulb went off in my head. She was absolutely correct! It is rightsizing – we are going from something that no longer works for us to something that is right for us.
Deciding to rightsize is a decision that, for some of us, can be fraught with anxiety, worry and feeling generally overwhelmed. The volume of work that is involved with rightsizing a lifetime of possessions to the right quantity is often delayed (procrastinated!) for years.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
There is no doubt that some decisions will be easier than others. Some items will be imbued with wonderful memories, while others are not. Some items will continue to be useful, while others have long since finished their utility (for ourselves and for others).
Imagine having only those items that are really special to you, those that you use and need on a regular basis in your home? Rightsizing can simplify our lives in amazing ways. Imagine living fully in every area of your home instead of having multiple rooms, with multiple belongings going unused year after year!
When you are ready to rightsize here are a few tips to get you started.
- consider starting in the rooms you use on a regular and frequent basis (e.g. kitchen, bathroom, your bedroom (not the other 3 bedrooms!), the room you use in the evenings (is it your den, living room, family room, rec room?).
- de-clutter each area using the following questions to guide your decisions:
- would I want this item in my new home?
- is this item useful enough (and will it be used enough) to warrant the space it will take in my new home?
- which furniture will I need in each of the rooms in my new home? If you currently have 3 bedrooms but only need to furnish 1 bedroom, take the favourite items you’d want for that room. There is no rule that says you have to take your usual dresser when you’d prefer to use the one from another bedroom.
- every week (or month) choose another room to de-clutter.
- consider designating a room for give aways and another room for things to sell. Then when people come to see/get/pay for the items it will be easier.
Help your friends, family, neighbours and community by:
- having an open house and invite friends, family and neighbours to take whatever they want from the items you no longer want or need (cleaning supplies, pantry items, household items, tools for yard work, clothing, furniture, etc.) – if it’s all in one room it will be easy!
- having a yard sale and give all proceeds to your favourite charity (e.g. the local hospital foundation, womens’ shelter, womens’ centre, animal shelter, etc.). A friend of mine did this. She didn’t put prices on anything, but because she advertised that all proceeds would go to a particular charity, people were (mainly) generous in their ‘donations’. She got rid of stuff she no longer wanted and helped out a worthwhile charity at the same time.
Regardless of the name we use, downsize or rightsize, the end result is you are creating the right size for you and your home. And when something is the right size it feels great!
What steps can you take this week to help you rightsize?
