Thank you! I'm finding these downsizing posts so helpful and encouraging. I need to downsize too and at the outset it all just feels so overwhelming. I think the hardest decisions for me to make are with the objects that have sentimental value. No one wants to get rid of a good memory.
One of the helpful tips I've found about sentimental objects is to go through the following analysis:
1. Do you love the object itself, or just the sentiment/memories attached to it? (If there is guilt or negative emotion attached to it, I find it best to feng shui it on out the door, even if the guilt is of the "I wish I'd liked this" or "I wish I used this" sort.)
2. Do you USE the object?
If the answer is that you don't really love it or use it, then you can take a photo of it to remember it by, and give the object itself a chance to find a forever home where someone else really loves it. If you love it AND use it, it's probably a keeper (as long as you have space to keep it). If you love it and don't use it, it probably should go in the "take a photo" category, unless you'll have room to store it at your new place.
I'll probably boost this idea for a separate post, come to think of it, because I can think of lots to say about it, so THANKS!
Yes, these are helpful steps to consider with each object . . . but what if the reason you want to get rid of some things is so that you can make room for other new things? :D I guess that's not really downsizing at all.
Taking photos is a great idea, and I do like the thought that someone else may find the item useful. Clothes are easy to sift through -- it doesn't fit, out it goes. I've stopped hoping I will lose enough weight to wear the size I used to wear. No guilt over brand new, unworn clothes.
I suppose you've heard of the "one in, one out" rule? It's used by a lot of people for things like clothes and shoes, but it can apply to sets of dishes, too. (Um, I know you collect dishware, but also? I happen to have at this moment six full sets of dishes in my house - and that's after sending two sets to college with Sara. Just didn't want you to think I was singling out a particular item in your house.)
Funny, but true: I typed the words "decision fatigue" into my post in an effort to label it, then thought "huh, that sounds like it might be real", and in googling, I found that it WAS the real term for it. And then I recollected the Vanity Fair article, so I googled "decision fatigue obama" and came up with these interesting pieces on the President's productivity tactics: Lifehacker.com article and 99u.com article. And there's this more scientific piece from Huffington Post.
Isn't it great to know that it's a for-real thing with actual, explainable basis in fact and neuroscience?
You forgot the "maybe" pile. That's the pile I make when I'm not sure I want to keep it or not. You have to save that one for dead last--because after going through EVERYTHING, they're more likely to end up in the "go" pile. :)
I am so ready to downsize. So ready. You've seen my house, the size of it--and you didn't get a glimpse at the full basement and finished rooms over the garage. All I want now is a tiny house in the woods, a kitchen, sitting room, office/library/loft, a master bedroom, a spare room for visitors and a couple of bathrooms. 1500 squares, tops. I could do with less, I swear.
Your house is entirely charming. But less to clean would be nice, right?
And I didn't really forget the maybe pile, although I can see why you'd think so. I try really hard not to make one, actually, since it's just making a decision now to make the decision later, which isn't really solving anything. So I usually opt for keep or get rid of, with an occasional pull-back from the get rid of before it goes out, and a few "never minds, this can go" moments that work the other way. However, if I've hit the point of decision fatigue (isn't it great to know what to call it?), I sometimes opt for a "maybe" pile because I simply can't go on. And, like you, it usually goes later.
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1. Do you love the object itself, or just the sentiment/memories attached to it? (If there is guilt or negative emotion attached to it, I find it best to feng shui it on out the door, even if the guilt is of the "I wish I'd liked this" or "I wish I used this" sort.)
2. Do you USE the object?
If the answer is that you don't really love it or use it, then you can take a photo of it to remember it by, and give the object itself a chance to find a forever home where someone else really loves it. If you love it AND use it, it's probably a keeper (as long as you have space to keep it). If you love it and don't use it, it probably should go in the "take a photo" category, unless you'll have room to store it at your new place.
I'll probably boost this idea for a separate post, come to think of it, because I can think of lots to say about it, so THANKS!
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Taking photos is a great idea, and I do like the thought that someone else may find the item useful. Clothes are easy to sift through -- it doesn't fit, out it goes. I've stopped hoping I will lose enough weight to wear the size I used to wear. No guilt over brand new, unworn clothes.
Looking forward to more of these posts, Kelly :).
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Isn't it great to know that it's a for-real thing with actual, explainable basis in fact and neuroscience?
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I am so ready to downsize. So ready. You've seen my house, the size of it--and you didn't get a glimpse at the full basement and finished rooms over the garage. All I want now is a tiny house in the woods, a kitchen, sitting room, office/library/loft, a master bedroom, a spare room for visitors and a couple of bathrooms. 1500 squares, tops. I could do with less, I swear.
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And I didn't really forget the maybe pile, although I can see why you'd think so. I try really hard not to make one, actually, since it's just making a decision now to make the decision later, which isn't really solving anything. So I usually opt for keep or get rid of, with an occasional pull-back from the get rid of before it goes out, and a few "never minds, this can go" moments that work the other way. However, if I've hit the point of decision fatigue (isn't it great to know what to call it?), I sometimes opt for a "maybe" pile because I simply can't go on. And, like you, it usually goes later.
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