{"id":232,"date":"2015-11-01T00:00:09","date_gmt":"2015-11-01T00:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/?p=232"},"modified":"2015-11-01T00:00:09","modified_gmt":"2015-11-01T00:00:09","slug":"how-to-begin-downsizing-one-step-at-a-time","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/how-to-begin-downsizing-one-step-at-a-time\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Begin Downsizing: One Step At a Time"},"content":{"rendered":"
\u201cThe journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0?\u00a0Lao Tzu<\/a><\/div>\n
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\u201cThe journey of downsizing a whole house begins with a single drawer\u201d. \u2013 Maria Quinby<\/div>\n

When I first hear from someone inquiring about downsizing or decluttering, the conversation often goes like this: \u00a0\u201cI\u2019m moving. \u00a0How can I possibly sort through all of this? I’m completely overwhelmed. Where do I start?”\u00a0To which I respond: \u201cOne step at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

As obvious as that is, many people faced with the prospect of downsizing their home truly have no idea where to begin. If that sounds like someone you know, here are a few ideas:<\/p>\n

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  1. Use a timer.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Keep yourself focused and the mange the task by sorting for a short amount of time: 30 minutes is a great place to start; then work up to an hour or two. Set a timer, and don\u2019t allow anything to distract you while you\u2019re working. When the timer rings, you\u2019re done for the day.<\/p>\n

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    1. Start small.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Begin with a single shelf or drawer. Take everything off\/out and go through it piece by piece. \u00a0Put everything you\u2019re ready to let go of in a box, and everything you want to keep back on the shelf or in the drawer. If you have several of something and want to keep them all, tie or box them together.<\/p>\n

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      1. Gather similar items.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        When you\u2019ve started building your sorting skills (deciding what to keep is a skill!) the next step is to gather like items throughout the house. Think of it like a scavenger hunt:\u00a0 For example, look for all the glass vases, and put them together in one place. When you see them all sitting together, it will be easier to decide which one\/s you want to keep.<\/p>\n

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        1. Don\u2019t start more than you can finish.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Having things out in disarray can create a feeling of exhaustion and a sense of confusion. So even as you become a super-sorter, it\u2019s important to only sort through as much as you can complete at one time. Take one small bite at a time, and you\u2019ll make steady progress.<\/p>\n

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          1. Get help.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            For many people even little bit of downsizing seems like an overwhelming task. Or, it may be that you want to get done faster.In that case, getting assistance from a Senior Move Manager who is trained and can make a lot of sense.<\/p>\n

            If you know someone who needs ideas about how to get started on downsizing their home, call me for a complimentary 1-hour consultation. I\u2019m here, and I\u2019m happy to help!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            \u201cThe journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0?\u00a0Lao Tzu \u201cThe journey […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-232","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-all"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=232"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/232\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=232"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onthemovenow.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}