The five W’s and an H of downsizing, and what to expect as you go through the process!

Moving is a complicated and overwhelming process. Among life’s biggest stressors, it’s in the top 5 along with divorce, death of a loved one, and major illness or injury. If that move is also a downsize, you also have the enormous task of decluttering a lifetime’s accumulation of stuff. Approaching it systematically and giving yourself time is essential. Being realistic and knowing what to expect will help get you to your new home in one piece.

Decluttering is the process of removing excess items from a space or your possession and rehoming those items elsewhere. A few things may go to friends and family or be sold, and a lot of things will be rehomed to a local charity or donation center or garbage.

Downsizing is simply (or rather complicatedly) moving from a larger home to a smaller one, which more often than not includes reducing the amount of belongings you own. This means decluttering is a necessary step in that process. You can expect that you will be parting with beloved items. We are all attached to items for various reasons, some are sentimental keepsakes that bring comfort, and others are more practical and a part of our daily routine. Then there are items that we keep ‘just because’ or ‘it may come in handy one day’. Every item in your home will need to be assessed and designated to ‘keep’ or ‘not keep’.

This is what to expect when decluttering to prepare for a downsize.

Memories

Yes memories and lots of them. Items, especially ones that have not been viewed in a while, have a way of jogging our minds to the memory of how, why, or when it was acquired, and even who was attached to that acquisition. Your memories will bring you down rabbit holes of reminiscent flashes remembering days gone by.

Emotions

Feelings of happiness, sadness, and all those crazy ones in between, mixed in a jumble and spilling out at times or popping out of you like popcorn. You can expect some unexpected ones too. You can be reassured that this is completely normal, and acknowledging them is a healthy and cathartic exercise.

Decision-Making Overload

Every single item in your home will be attached to a decision. Some are easy and quick to make, such as the toothbrushes you stocked up on last week and others will require some contemplation. Do you really need all of your quilting supplies? This is when it is best to look at the big picture. Decide what you want your new home to feel like, and be realistic about what you want to do there. Focus first on which items bring back good memories that offer comfort or which ones matter most. When sorting and taking stock ok early on it’s ok to have 3 categories to list your items; ‘keep’ ‘keep only if it fits’ and ‘let go’. Employ help when letting things go and trust others to disperse items as appropriate. You don’t need to control everything.

Overwhelm and Fatigue

Even if you have help and someone else is doing the physical work of moving furniture, boxes, and possessions, the mental weight of emotions and decisions is valid and tiring. Allow yourself to take breaks and don’t expect all of it to be done in a day.

Freedom

I have yet to help a client who hasn’t claimed that they wish they had never downsized. It’s ok to miss your old life and the way things were, but ultimately where you are now and how you feel this moment is most important. Decluttering is not just about purging excess items, it’s also about clearing the weight of the emotional baggage that ‘stuff’ creates. Downsizing is almost the perfect way to free yourself of physical and mental clutter and start fresh.

How to approach your upcoming downsize using the five W’s and an H!

A large and complicated project such as downsizing runs more smoothly if it’s handled systematically. Think back to grade 5 elementary school when you learned about information gathering and storytelling. The lesson on five’s w’s and an H, (who, what, where, why, when, and how), made so much sense that I remember it distinctly and have regularly applied it to life ever since. I just change the order of the letters according to the task at hand. When downsizing a client the order is: who, why, when, where, what, and how. Thinking about it in this order creates a system that leads to more efficient decluttering which also leads to a smoother move.

Who

This is you! It is also a family member or friend, for whom you are a caretaker and required to help move or relocate.

Why

What is the reason for the downsize? Maybe it’s because you want less work when it comes to home maintenance. You’re ready to let someone else shovel the driveway and tinker with that broken faucet. If this is your ‘why’ you may look at condo living or renting when as opposed to owning. Do you want to be closer to family? A home near your grandchildren will allow you to see them more, and it may also mean you don’t require an extra set of things that you’re holding on to for when they come to visit. Retirement residences offer lots of opportunities for socializing and many are known for great meals. This is a realistic option if you want to enjoy life more with more company nearby. Determining and paying attention to the ‘why’ is an important factor in deciding which new home you choose, and the contents you will bring with you.

When

Now that you’ve decided to downsize and have determined your why, the ‘when’ is where the nitty gritty work begins. It’s the nucleus that everything else will revolve around and the labour will start. When do you have access to your new home? When will you need to vacate your old home? Will there be an overlap of dates? Is there a date that all the ‘stuff’ needs to be removed from the old home and is it the same date, before or after the date you will be sleeping in the home.

Where

Not where you are moving to, but where in your new home will things be placed. You will want to gather as much information as you can to determine which items you’ll take with you and which ones will be rehomed. How many rooms will it have and and what are their functions? Does it have a balcony? How many closets and in which rooms are they located? Is there a specific area for storage? Does it have a kitchen or kitchenette? If so, realistically will you be cooking there? Take measurements of every room and area, including doorways and windows, and draw a layout. You can do this by hand, or there are plenty of websites and online applications that offer this tool.

What

Figuring out exactly ‘what’ to take will be much more efficient if you know the other 4 W’s (who, why, when, and where). Planning furniture placement before you move is a must if you are downsizing. You may own a library full of books, but if you can only fit one bookshelf in your new home, you will need to be very selective to ensure they fit. Measure the furniture and compare it to the layout. You can draw it by hand, or the app you used to map out your layout will likely also handle furniture placement. The last thing you want is to bring the desk only to find out it’s two inches larger than the designated spot and juts out into the room creating a hazard. The furniture you plan on taking with you will determine which belongings ‘make the cut’ so to speak. If you love your sewing machine but have no space for it. Are you realistically going to use it? If yes, by all means, prioritize, but then you may need to compromise on something else.

How

It is most efficient when planning how you will get your belongings from A to B if you know exactly what is coming with you. If you have paired down your belongings enough, you likely won’t need that large moving company that moved you into your current home. A small moving truck and a couple of family members or friends may be sufficient. It is possible to rent moving equipment at fairly reasonable rates. If you still have some heavy furniture or are going into a reasonable size home, moving companies have the ability and means to get larger pieces of furniture downstairs and it may be the way to go.

Tips and things to remember:

1. It’s never too early to declutter.

2. The less you own, the less you have to manage.

3. Accept help.

4. Take photographs of items you want to remember, but can’t keep.

5. Items don’t have feelings.

6. Prioritize the items that mean the most.

7. If you are unsure if you need or want an item, you most likely don’t.

Resources:

Donation Centers

https://www.thriftstore.ca/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=mybusiness&utm_campaign=google_my_business&utm_id=Google%20MyBusiness

https://missionthriftstore.com/stores/mission-thrift-store-hamilton/