Advice for decluttering and downsizing

Downsizing often is associated with older people moving from larger homes to smaller residences and in the process having to rid themselves of excess belongings. 

However, a moving expert who works with families transitioning to a local senior living facility said it’s a good idea for people of any age to declutter and downsize their personal living spaces every six months or every season so as not to accumulate more things than they really need. 

Joey Adams, member move manager at Park Springs Life Plan Community in Stone Mountain, counsels people planning to move to Park Springs about how best to downsize their lifestyle that may involve having lived in a spacious home for decades and moving into a smaller residence. 

Adams said that everyone should be continuously re-evaluating their belongings—clothing, furniture, household items—and throwing away or giving away things that they haven’t been using and aren’t likely to use. 

“Over 50 percent of the stuff in our cabinets we don’t use,” said Adams, who’s been helping families declutter and downsize in preparation for moving for 10 years. 

“Your lifestyle is going to be different,” said Adams of those moving into senior living facilities. “If you didn’t use it then, you are not going to use it now.” 

He often suggests that people start using their “nice” things daily such as china and silverware instead of keeping them only for special occasions or using prized possessions as a focal point in their new living spaces.  

He advises those contemplating a change of lifestyle to go through their homes and think about what’s most important to them. 

“Some people have a hard time separating things they don’t need,” said Adams, who suggests those individuals take time to enjoy the memories associated with the items, “cry over it, grieve it, and give it away” and let other people create their own memories with those items. 

He also suggests scanning or digitalizing some items such as photographs and documents to reduce clutter. 

Adams offers the following tips for decluttering, downsizing, and preparing for a move: 

• Create a schedule that spreads tasks out over a month so you do not become overwhelmed. 

• Focus on one task a day: cleaning the junk drawer, organizing the linen closet, getting rid of shoes you no longer wear or decluttering two kitchen cabinets. 

• Don’t keep things because you used to do something. Think about your future lifestyle and the items that will be helpful to you pursuing your current interests.  

• Take your time, incorporate your family members, and relive the memories. Then decide if you will give that item to a family member or donate for another family to create memories.  

• Make room for what is important. If you cannot imagine giving up your book collection, consider having built-in bookcases installed in your new home. If you play the piano daily, perhaps the sunroom in your future home can become a music room. 

• Consider digitizing paperwork and old photos and videos, which can take up a lot of space. There are services that help with this process.  

• Do not get pulled into side projects. For example, if you take items you will be donating to the garage, do not start organizing the bins in the garage. Save the next task for another day. 

• Don’t forget to schedule days for stopping and starting utilities, changing your address on subscriptions, and getting your medical records transferred, if moving to a new city. 

• Pack a small suitcase with everything you need in the first day or two of moving into a new place—change of clothes, medications, toiletries, etc. so that you can easily locate these items. 

• Make a folder or binder of all essential moving documents with key contact information that you keep with you.  

Adams added that his daughters, ages 19 and 23, have adopted their father’s advice and purge unwanted and un-needed items from their homes several times throughout the year. 

“It’s never too early,” said Adams.