downsizing
The Making Space Downsizing Project
Downsizing means you’re ready to get rid of stuff! I’ll help you reduce and recycle, and figure out where the heck all your extra things should go, whether they are in your house, your computer, or a storage locker. Together we will shepherd your beloved items to their next home. I promise you’ll feel lighter when we are done, and you’ll find even more joy in what’s around you. No judgement, no rushing, no shame. We will make decisions together.
The goal isn't simply to have less. It's to take the things you truly want and need into the next chapter of your life. I help you navigate the transition.
Includes:
- Initial consultation
- Home assessment (existing and future)
- Downsizing plan
- Sorting and decision-making sessions
- Keep/give/donate/sell/discard decisions
- Family-item strategy
- Donation coordination
- Vendor referrals
- Move preparation support
- Final organization of belongings going to your new home
Here's a list of problems and how we can solve them together. Take a look and see if these sound like you.
TOO MUCH STUFF: You've lived in this home for a lifetime. You have more belongings than you can manage and you're overwhelmed about where to start.
Solution: A customized program that will help you organize, declutter, and make space in your life for the things you want to focus on.
SMALLER SPACE: You are moving to a smaller home and can't take it all with you.
Solution: A moving plan that will help you to make decisions about what to keep and what to let go. You will know what you are taking with you-and feel good about what you are leaving behind.
INHERITANCE: Your children don't want your possessions. You have inherited family heirlooms that you can't use and don't have space for but have sentimental attachments to.
Solution: A plan to identify what to keep and what to let go of, and new homes for valued items.
STORAGE EXPENSES: You are paying monthly rent for a storage space that you rarely visit and that's filled with items that you are unsure about.
Solution: Together we will make an inventory of the storage space and decide how to organize it and dispose of the items that should be let go.
ALL THOSE BOXES: Your garage is a storehouse of boxes that haven't been opened in years, so you have no idea what they contain.
Solution: Open them up! And then we will create an inventory of the items and a plan for disposal or use.
organizing
Organizing is different than decluttering, though it’s related. If you can’t find your things, but you know you have them, then you need some help getting organized. While I support having a pile of books next to your bed, if the pile is high enough to endanger you, those books need a shelf. If it takes you too long to make dinner because you can't find the coriander you remember buying, well, maybe time to organize that pantry. I can help with that!
Organizing is about planning and arranging your items in ways that will work for you, making your space functional, and supporting your lifestyle and priorities.
Includes:
- Initial consultation
- Visioning exercise
- Creating practical, sustainable systems
- Decluttering and organizing
- Donation/disposal guidance
Here's a list of problems and how we can solve them together. Take a look and see if these sound like you.
DISTRACTION: Your living space is cluttered and you find it difficult to focus.
Solution: A system to identify what needs to be in your home and ways to organize it to create a calm and orderly living space.
CLOTHING: Your closets are overflowing and you can't find a thing to wear.
Solution: An inventory and curation so that your favorite clothes are all front and center, and a system that will let you find items easily.
INGREDIENTS: You love to cook but you can't always find the ingredient or tool that you need to just get dinner on the table.
Solution: An inventory and re-organization of your pantry so that when you're ready to cook, your tools are, too (and the coriander is right where you think it is).
EMAIL: You have a lot of email in your mailbox and you don't have a system for sorting or filing it, which means you can't always find what you need and you may not respond in a timely fashion, or at all.
Solution: A system for email where each incoming email is viewed, and then filed or acted upon once.
PAPER: Your office is full of piles of paper and you have difficulty finding what you need.
Solution: An organizational system that helps you sort papers into categories, discard what isn't needed, and convert to electronic statements to reduce incoming mail.
coaching
Sometimes all you need is a little support. Coaching is collaborative. That means we are in it together, and your goals are what we are working towards. My job is to inspire you. You might need some cajoling to get organized, or some reminders of why in the world you thought decluttering was a good idea, or just to talk through your deep attachment to your great-aunt Hortense’s teacup. We’ll do it together, and maybe find new ways of doing things that make life easier.
Decluttering is hard to do alone. Belongings have baggage. Having a collaborator to provide coaching and continued support can keep you on track.
Here are some of the topics we might address in a coaching program:
- Identify areas left to improve
- Learn and practice new behaviors and habits
- Manage time well
- Improve productivity
- Discuss progress against your goals
- Set up an ongoing maintenance plan
- Advise on additional decluttering or organization techniques
- Pep talks!