Hello Reader,

Oops! I totally messed up the countdown last week and apparently thought there was an extra week in there. 😂

Ugh!

So, from today it’s 4 days until we get the keys and 11 days until moving day.

What?!

Things are getting real around here.

This week we’ve been focused on what we’re actually bringing to the new place and, just as importantly, what needs to happen once we get there.

The buyers of our house had their walk-through this week, which meant we had to spend quite a bit of time getting our place presentable.

It didn’t have to be open-house perfect, but we wanted it to look nice.

So there has been more packing, more donations dropped off, and a few things put on Marketplace for sale.

And let me tell you…

Selling things online is an experience.

​Here is a link to a blog post I wrote on this topic.

"It is so hard to sell my stuff. Is it worth my time and energy?"

You might think that after all of this, I must have decluttered absolutely everything possible.

Nope. Not even close.

There are still some things I plan to go through once we move.

The things I find hardest to declutter are things like:

*Cards and letters
*Photos
*Some books
*Craft supplies
*Journals and personal notes
*Work notes and things connected to my past

These are the things that carry memories, meaning and pieces of my life.

The struggle is real, my friends.

I think sometimes we imagine that because we’re Professional Organizers, or because we’ve been decluttering for years, we should have this all figured out.

But we don’t.

We’re human.

And some things are simply harder to let go of.

That’s part of why I believe decluttering is about so much more than deciding what stays and what goes.

Sometimes it’s about deciding what still belongs in the life you’re creating.

Here ere some of my tips for you if you are thinking about moving:

Start early.​
As soon as you make the decision to move, start looking at what you have. You don’t want to be making all of those decisions while you’re trying to pack.

Gather your supplies.​
Boxes, tape, markers, packing paper, garbage bags, donation bags and boxes. I use clear bags for clothing and recycling.

Put like with like.​
This is especially helpful when you’re downsizing. Seeing all of something together can make it much easier to realize, “Oh… I really don’t need this many!”

Have a plan for the things that are leaving.​
Things that need to go somewhere specific - old paint and liquids, items belonging to other people, things you want to give away, donations, things you want to sell.

Do a little every day.
Whether its sorting, packing, donating, taking care of whats important for today, every little bit will make it easier when it gets closer to moving day.

The less you have sitting around waiting for a decision, the easier the whole process becomes.

You don’t have to do it all at once.

There will probably still be things you need to revisit.

There will be things you thought you could let go of that you suddenly aren’t ready to.

And that’s okay.

Sometimes decluttering is a process of coming back to something when you’re ready.

Are you thinking about downsizing?

Maybe a move to a smaller space is somewhere in your future.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by where to start, I’d love to help you make a plan.

We can look at what you have, what you really want to take with you, what might be ready to go and most importantly, break it down into manageable steps so you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.

You don’t have to wait until you’re ready to move to start.

In fact, starting early can make all the difference.

If this is something you’ve been thinking about, just reply to this email. Let’s talk about where you are and what you’d like to accomplish.

Until next time,

Happy Decluttering!

P.S. Visit ​Space For You​ today for more inspiration.