Do you have an unnecessary attachment to your possessions? Does the thought of downsizing overwhelm you to the point of perpetual procrastination? Don’t worry. You just need a little bit of guidance! In this article, I’m going to share 5 simple steps to make the downsizing process less painful and time-consuming.

STEP 1: CREATE A PLAN

  1. Make a blueprint of your home and decide which rooms you’re going to tackle first. Then, for each room, divide your possessions into four categories :
    • Items you’d definitely like to keep (e.g., useful or meaningful possessions)
    • Items you’d “maybe” like to keep (you’ll need to revisit these later as you continue paring down)
    • Items you’d like to sell, donate, or give away to a loved one
    • Items you’d like to discard
  2. Use coloured tags or stickies to indicate which category your items belong to. (E.g. green = save, red = discard, yellow = maybe)
  3. Create a list of the organizations and people you’d like to give things away to. This is also a good time to look into junk removal and moving companies.
  4. Make an agenda. Print a calendar or timetable and post it in a highly-visible location (e.g., the fridge). Then, write your tasks on the timetable, ticking them off as you go to ensure you’re making good time.

STEP 2: GET RID OF UNNECESSARY JUNK

Now that you’ve created a plan and colour-coded all your discard items, the next step is to simply discard them. Here are some ways to go about this efficiently :

STEP 3: TACKLE EACH SPACE METHODICALLY

Here’s what I like to do:

Remember, keep items that are useful, meaningful, and provide tangible value in your life. Work towards keeping 50% of your books, and just 20-50% of your clothing.

STEP 4: GET PACKING

Once you’ve discarded unneeded items and sorted all your rooms methodically, the packing process becomes infinitely easier because you know exactly what you’re working with. You can finally visualize how many boxes and containers you’ll need.

STEP: GET MOVING

Do you have a truck or van of your own? Friends that are willing to help? That’s great! Otherwise, now’s a great time to revisit that list of moving companies from step one. Choose carefully by reading reviews, and ensure that they’re insured!

Do you need help bringing order to your everyday life? You don’t have to go at it alone! Contact a professional organizer today!