There’s lots of advice for downsizing and decluttering out there, much of it easily available online. Just for starters, you can find lots of tips here and here and here. One common thread: Many organizational experts abide by a simple commandment — start small.
The local experts we spoke to for our story mentioned a number of tips worth keeping in mind. Here’s a starting guide, but by no means a complete list, with some annotations to get you going.
(Thanks to Pam Holland of Mindful Decluttering & Organizing, Trish Rice of All About Ease Organizing, Nancy Devlin of Efficient Living, Inc. and Jennifer Brink of Things Forgotten Not Gone.)
Start small.
“Once we have that feeling of accomplishment for something of that size, it fuels us, and it encourages us to try something bigger. You don’t have to start with emptying out your entire master closet or your kitchen cabinets and having everything out, but definitely empty out a small space.”– Rice
Find a better place.
If there’s something you absolutely want to keep, see if there’s a better place to store or even display it in the home. “Sometimes I just need to help them find a better place to keep it because if they’re attached to it, the last thing you want to do is encourage somebody to get rid of something that they then regret.”– Holland
Ask questions.
Three basic things to ask yourself: Do I use it? Do I love it? Do I need it? Those give way to slightly more detailed queries, like, What are the chances I’ll need this someday? What is the replacement cost of this item? “In other words, if you give it away and a year from now, you say, ‘Oh, I wish I really had one,’ is it going to cost you 10 bucks or 100 bucks to replace it?”– Devlin
Pick an easy target and use a partner.
Start with the room with the least amount of stuff. If you’re working with someone else, divide and conquer. Start on opposite ends of the house and work your way into the middle.
– Brink
Out on a high note.
“My new husband gave me this idea when we were still dating, and he said, as an example, if it was a dress, think about the last time you got to wear it. And if it was an occasion, or if it was an anniversary, it’s OK to donate it at this point, because it gets to go out on a high note. And I thought, Oh, that’s lovely. And that could be the same for, you know, a painting or a vase or something like that.”– Rice
Start in the bathroom.
There’s generally not a lot of sentimental items, and expired medications can give you some easy decisions. “The bathroom is also sort of a small space, and there’s not a lot of storage in there. There’s not a lot of spaces for things to collect. If I have to suggest a place, I would suggest a bathroom or a drawer.”– Holland
Fix it or pitch it?
“Does the item need repair? And if it does, will you either take the time to repair it, or will you pay to get it repaired? Are you going to sew that button on that blouse? Has it been sitting there for two years and you still haven’t sewn the button on it? You know, you’re probably not going to do that.”– Devlin
Keep your stuff level
“There’s this thing called ‘one in, one out.’ If I’m not buying any more shoes until I get rid of at least one pair of shoes, that keeps the collection level. If you’re really serious, and you say, ‘I am not buying another pair of shoes unless I get rid of two pairs of shoes,’ then you start to reduce the shoe collection, and you can still have your new pair of shoes.”– Holland
This takes work.
“Put it on your calendar. Think of it like something you have to do, like paying your bills or going to a doctor’s appointment. Or if you work, think of it like your work. In other words, make time for it, and just realize you have to do it. You don’t have a choice — like brushing your teeth.” – Devlin
Should I sell my stuff?
“First of all, I’ll say, ‘Do you have the time to do that? And do you know how to do that or know someone who knows how to do that?’ If they still want to, I’ll say, pick out the three things that you think are going to have the most value, and then go ahead and give it a try, but keep track of how long it takes, and keep track of how much money you make. If they enjoy doing that, if they think it’s a hoot to sell their own dress, even if they only make $10 for it, and that makes them happy, then go for it.” – Holland
What is success?
“When a person can find what they want, find what they need when they need it, without stress and feel at ease in their space, then I would say, that is a success. However, one of the things that I try to do with clients is help them create new habits so that the situation doesn’t reoccur.” – Holland