4 Rightsizing Practices To Learn Now for Peace of Mind
At different times in our lives, different items are useful to us.
At all times in our lives, only useful items should inhabit our spaces.
Those things that aren’t useful might include…
- just in case things;
- I might need it someday, but I haven’t used it in years.
- maybe my child, friend, aunt, or uncle might want this someday.
- my child will move out someday and will need this stuff.
- because they are special things;
- so and so gave this to me and they would be upset if I didn’t keep it.
- my kids worked hard on this artwork and schoolwork for 12 whole years.
- there’s just not time to deal with it now things.
These are the unnecessary items we carry around with us throughout our lives. I get it. I struggle with every one of those thoughts. Not as much as I used to, but I still do. Maybe over a decade of helping others go through piles of stuff has tamed that thought, at least a little bit.
Today let’s talk about rightsizing. I would love for it to become your new best habit.
rightsize
right·size | \ ˈrīt-ˌsīz \
rightsized; rightsizing; rightsizes
Definition of rightsize
: to reduce (something, such as a workforce) to an optimal size
: to undergo a reduction to an optimal size
Rightsizing is not a one-and-done project.
It’s the active habit of keeping only the number of belongings that are right for us at the stage of life we are in and letting go of the rest. It’s a good habit to have, to learn, and to teach our children.
Things are quite a bit different now than when I was a young child.
We owned very little. One reason was that they weren’t making things as they do now. The other reason is that my mom didn’t believe in buying everything under the sun.
Consequently, we didn’t have playrooms overflowing with toys or electronics. Three girls shared a bedroom, and that included our clothing and our toys.
Owning stuff isn’t just about buying things either. It’s about keeping everything we buy.
My parents bought very little, but they still had a lot of stuff. I don’t remember all that they owned, but I do know a lot of it was things they kept “just in case” or because it might be useful someday.
I know that if my parents had kept only the things that were being used in their current life, aka, rightsized, moving them out of their home would have been so much easier.
I know the act of rightsizing will also make our move to a smaller home easier. When it comes time for the girls to go through our things, I think of how helpful it will be for them to not have to make a bunch of decisions about the stuff that we owned.
It’s my hope you will learn from my personal experience, as well as the experiences of some of my clients. Here are a few things to think about when it comes to your just-in-case thoughts.
- The kids will be able to find furnishings for their first apartment at just about any second-hand store.
- The kids don’t want everything we kept for them from their childhood. Just ask them!
- People oftentimes take things you give them because they don’t want to hurt your feelings. Go ahead and ask and let them know there is no obligation to take it.
Then, be ok with their answer.
Here are four 4 simple steps you can take to get headed down the rightsizing path.
Rightsizing Step 1 — Quit buying more stuff.
Until you know what you have, don’t buy anything new. If you must, at least think long and hard before you purchase something.
Are you thinking of taking up a new sport or hobby? Maybe a friend has some things you can borrow until you are sure it’s for you, or you could even rent equipment for the season
Rightsizing Step 2 — Let go of things we no longer need.
What we need is so open to interpretation. Consider a need vs a want.
- Need: something you have to have (e.g., shelter, food, water, clothing)
- Want: something you would like to have but could realistically live without (e.g., a mansion, caviar, bottled water, name brand clothing)
To do some of the things we want to do, we will need things to do them with. If I play volleyball, I am going to need 1 volleyball and protective gear. I don’t need 4 volleyballs and 3 sets of safety gear. I may want them, but I don’t need them.
Rightsizing Step 3 — Let go of things that are no longer used (or maybe never got used).
I decide to quit volleyball. I no longer need either a volleyball or protective gear. I can pass it on to someone else that is taking up volleyball or is showing an interest in it.
Maybe for you, it’s woodworking tools, or maybe kitchen gadgets. As you go through the reduction process, ask yourself this question. “When is the last time I used this”? If it’s been several years, let it go. I know it might be easier said than done.
When we find that piece of fabric we were going to make something with or the yogurt maker that has never been used, we might think “now I have time to do this”. Think again, chances are you won’t do it. Give yourself a month. If it still hasn’t been used, it’s not right for you at this time.
Let it go.
Rightsizing Step 4 — Let go of things that aren’t loved (or maybe never loved).
Through each stage of our lives, our priorities and thought processes change. Something we loved once may now be a burden and just taking up space. Or, the things we loved no longer bring good vibes. Or maybe we never really loved them at all. We were keeping them out of a sense of guilt.
These are the things we need to let go of.
As I was going through some photos that had been my dad’s, I realized I didn’t even know the people in the photos. They were photos from his years in the military.
I didn’t love the photos. I loved that they had belonged to my dad.
They were a part of his history, not our history as father and daughter, and they were meaningful to him, but not to me. I was keeping them more from a feeling of guilt than of love.
I imagined what he would say to me, and I am 100% positive he would have said, “Cindy, just get rid of the dang things”.
So, I did. That’s an entire bin of things I no longer need to store, one less bin my kids need to go through when I am gone, and way fewer decisions anyone has to make.
Remember, rightsizing isn’t a one-and-done event. Go through this process each time you go through a room. It actually makes sense to set up a schedule to go through one space a year to keep it rightsized.
I am so excited to live a life of “just right”.
Over the years I have owned many things, and I still own too many. However, I am so much better than I used to be.
After all, I am a recovering packrat!
Give yourself grace through this process and allow rightsizing become a habit.
Action Step:
Begin your rightsizing journey in just one space.
Let me know in the comments below how it goes, and how you feel?