How to downsize and simplify your life

Many of us are guilty of holding on to things that clutter up our homes. From clothes we don’t wear anymore to unused tools that sit in the basement or garage to grandma’s hand-me-downs; it’s a normal reaction to develop emotional connections to “stuff.” While having a home filled with items you love or are connected to can be wonderful, there can also be a point where those things become too cluttered and can complicate your world.

As Marie Kondo popularized the concept of doing away with anything that didn’t “spark joy,” the idea of decluttering, minimalism, and the art of enjoying more with less has become more commonplace. More importantly, psychologists say removing clutter can improve a person’s mental health and actually reduce anxiety and stress. That includes downsizing your home and embracing a simpler way of life.

If you’re wondering how to give priority to a simpler way of life, consider the following ways to commit to it.

Start by asking yourself what you want your life to look like. From there, the key is to start putting your thoughts into action. If you’re interested in giving yourself a simpler life, you need to describe what that looks like. One of the smartest ways to start envisioning that life is to put pen or pencil to paper. Pick up a sketchbook to illustrate your perfect life, or create a Bullet Journal to put intention to your goals. Start dreaming, and then make it happen.

Once you know what your priorities are for streamlining your life, you can begin to make positive changes toward simplification. Maybe you want more peace in your home, and having your laptop and piles of bills laid out is what causes you the most stress, so you need simple organization. Perhaps you’d rather live on a sailboat and need to get rid of most of the things in your home, or maybe you want a smaller home to save money so you can travel more. Truly understanding your life’s priorities can help you set goals and subsequently make the choices that align with them.

Once you have your priorities in place, it’s time to start getting your clutter under control. Start by determining how much you need to get rid of, and how you want to make that happen. You can start by developing a sorting system, which includes:

From there, give yourself a realistic timeline for the process so it doesn’t become overwhelming. Make a plan to sort room by room, or follow a 30-day challenge, which offers step-by-step guides on how to declutter for less than 20 minutes a day over a month. Making the task of decluttering a quick, but daily task significantly reduces the stress involved and ensures it becomes a reality.

One of the best ways to downsize and simplify your life is to downsize your home and choose low-maintenance living. Multi-family homes like condominiums and townhomes are great options that offer numerous benefits like amenities, shared maintenance costs, and outstanding locations.

Because these types of living spaces are low maintenance, it means you won’t need to store tools like a lawn mower or weed eater. The cost of upkeep is typically covered in association fees that pay for the upkeep of shared spaces within multi-family home communities.

And since someone else will be caring for the exterior of your home, it frees you up to enjoy the simpler things, rather than spending your free time mowing or raking. Choosing condo or townhome life and downsizing the things around you results in a more relaxed way of life.

It’s never too early to start simplifying the spaces around you. If you’re interested in downsizing, our agents are here to guide you. Get in touch to get started.

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