Tips to simplify your life
Get rid of the clutter. That’s what Andrea Ruby, a downsizing expert, suggests when you’re considering moving to a smaller place, or even if you’re embarking on a deep spring cleaning.
“Consider what you’re actually using and what you really need in your everyday life. We live in homes that have ten or twelve rooms, but we really only use and live in three to four rooms,” said Ruby, founder and CEO of Living Forward, a move management business in Southport that helps people approach a major move with mental clarity and emotional surety. She recently presented Downsizing Simplified, a workshop at Meadow Ridge on how to face the oftentimes overwhelming task of downsizing, offering advice and tips on downsizing in a healthy, confident way. “In the kitchen, how many kitchen utensils do you need for what you cook? In the closet, how many pairs of shoes do you really wear? Play close attention to what you actually use.”
Ruby takes a holistic, heartfelt approach to downsizing, the process of focusing on what you actually use in your life and putting a plan in place for the things left behind. “A lot of people call it right sizing now, which is a more positive way to look at the process,” she said.
According to Ruby, more people are seeing the benefits of downsizing. “I’m a big advocate for making a transition while you still have choices,” she said. “By downsizing, you’re freeing yourself of your stuff and the commitments they bring so that you can focus on the things you enjoy doing. You can play with your grandchildren or a pick-up pickleball game when you’re not tied to the obligation of your stuff.”
Before downsizing, homeowners must commit to paring down their belongings. “You need to be in the mindset of simplifying your life,” said Ruby. She suggests starting in an unemotional area, like the pantry, junk drawer, Tupperware drawer, or linen closet. Our kitchens are places where things seem to reproduce, but there’s not a lot in there that’s too sentimental. And it’s not an overly huge project to tackle either. You need to start in the nonemotional areas so when you get to your children’s trophies, you’ve already realized how good it feels to live with less.”
The biggest roadblock is deciding what to do with all the stuff. “People become paralyzed by the process, and it gets delayed,” she explains. A priority for Ruby that she passes along to her clients is recycling or upcycling items, either by selling, freecycling on sites like Facebook’s Buy Nothing Redding page, or donating them. “The last resort is throwing out. By the time we get through these steps, very little goes in the landfill,” she said.
Downsizing may not be easy, but Ruby explained the point is to move toward a simpler, happier lifestyle. “It’s the best gift you can give your children, so you don’t leave it for them to take care of. It’s not the stuff that matters – it’s the stories behind it. The joy was the journey in finding and collecting these things. You don’t need one-hundred Hummels to tell the story of why you have them, so select a few that mean the most.”
“Start out small and set a timer — start with five minutes a day because it’s better than no time at all, and remember the goal is to simplify,” she said. “Have fun doing it. You’re moving on to a place where you’re going to live well. Don’t let your stuff hold you back!”
