“If I don’t do it this next year, I’ll never do it!” sighed a friend who wonders what happened to her 2021 resolution to get organized and downsize.

We all know what happened to our 2021 intentions. An ongoing pandemic that changed the world’s and our plans, and is having a significant impact on most of us for a variety of reasons.

I urged her to not be too hard on herself for tasks undone in another year that required her energy for coping, surviving, and thriving!

My friend has new resolve to ‘do great things' in the first three months of 2022.

She asked for some ideas that could help her accomplish some of her organizing and downsizing goals.

DECKING A DOWNSIZED HALL

In the midst of this holiday season, are you one who decorates inside and out creating a home festooned with garlands and lights from every doorframe and fencepost? Or are you a minimalist who gives your unique nod to the season with a small display? Or are you somewhere in between?

I love the decorations of this season! I am always glad to put them up and sad to take them down.

However, I recall a year where I hardly had the energy to drag the tubs and boxes upstairs let alone unpack them.

Finding a Gratitude Chair: Calm in the Midst of Chaos

Today is Thanksgiving Monday — a day that Canadians give Thanks and express Gratitude for the goodness in our lives. For most everyone I know, this has once again been a different Thanksgiving weekend than usual as we all name ways that the Covid Pandemic has affected us.

And, we continue to Give Thanks as we ponder what all 2020-2021 has meant in all our lives.

Expressing Gratitude can also be a significant part of downsizing, rightsizing and estate organizing.

Catherine BarnsleyOctober 10, 2021Calm in Chaos, Gratitude Chair, Thanksgiving and Covid

DIGITAL DOWNSIZING: TACKLING THE DIGITAL EYESORE

Is digital downsizing on your TO DO List? Are you like many of us who have not kept up with a manageable level of email, photographs, and documents on your digital devices? Do you feel like you are always playing catch-up to organize and delete?

One of my favourite books to tackle this issue head on is Declutter Your Data: Take Charge of Your Data and Organize Your Digital Life. Canadian Angela Crocker, a new favourite author of mine, has written an easy-to-read guide to help us downsize our digital lives and move forward with a manageable plan.

Catherine BarnsleyOctober 3, 2021decluttering email, organizing email, organizing photos

Taking Stock in September

Where did this summer go? These suddenly shorter September days remind us of the passing of another year. Another different summer where the pandemic has continued to affect most everyone in significant and varied ways.

For some of us, we intended to tackle an organizing or downsizing project this summer. That may or may not have happened. For others of us, that was the last thing on our minds with the demands of work and family. Or we may have spent every spare minute outside gulping in these precious days of summer.

And now it’s September. Have you once again considered tackling a house or garden project?

Catherine BarnsleySeptember 5, 2021fall organizing, Fall downsizing

YOUR DOWNSIZING CANNOT BE MY UPSIZING

I love this pithy line shared by an adult daughter who is helping her mother downsize. After selecting what she would take to her new smaller home, the older woman suggested that her daughter could take much of what was left. Her daughter’s response was “Mom, your downsizing cannot be my upsizing.”

THE SIMPLE CORRALS OF SUMMER

A friend dropped by for a deck visit to tell me about her summer plans to corral stuff. She is on a year-long project to rightsize her family home (with three teenagers) and to help downsize her parents from their 5-level split to a one-floor home. It’s been a heavy year of letting stuff go amid the pandemic, and she wants a break this summer. Yet she says her corralling of stuff will continue.

Her secret? Keep it SIMPLE.

While growing up on a mixed farm of cattle and grain, she was very familiar with the concept of corralling. To GATHER TOGETHER.

THEY LEFT US EVERYTHING

They Left Us Everything is a memoir by Canadian Plum Johnson about caring for her senior parents and the 16-month project of sorting and clearing their home. This contemporary story is set in her parents’ rambling 22-room house filled with decades of accumulation and memories. In sharp contrast to my recent blog posting, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, Johnson finds real value in waiting until after someone’s death to sort their stuff.

How many of us have faced the experience of setting out on an excavation to clear an older relative or friend’s home? Without knowing what we will discover, we can enter with resentment and weariness or anticipation and curiosity!

TWO PRACTICAL HINTS ON LETTING GO

Just two practical hints from THAT book — that’s all I need” wrote a friend after reading my blog posting: THE GENTLE ART OF SWEDISH DEATH CLEANING.

In her wise and humorous book about letting go of stuff in a way that uplifts and doesn't overwhelm, Margareta Magnusson offers two suggestions that appeal to me.

Begin letting go somewhere other than PHOTOS — or letters and personal papers. In fact, leave the sorting of photos until the end of your downsizing project. Start with the big items in your home (furniture you no longer need) and finish with the small (the personal stuff).

THE GENTLE ART OF SWEDISH DEATH-CLEANING

This Spring, I will be reviewing two books that have greatly helped me in my own downsizing before a move and rightsizing to enjoy my current home. The first is the international best seller The Gentle Art of Swedish Death-Cleaning: How to Free Yourself from a Lifetime of Clutter (2018) by Swedish author Margareta Magnusson.

I love the title! The phrase "Death-Cleaning” can be startling! Magnusson presents us with a stark reminder of the inevitable — that someone at sometime is going to have to go through our stuff! Magnusson describes the Swedish term döstädning which translates as death-cleaning, a common act among older Swedes to clear their own homes as much as possible throughout their later years and before death.

GRATITUDE: SOMETIMES WE JUST NEED TO SAY YES

"How do I find the balance of saying YES and NO to my parents as they downsize their home and ask me to take items?” This common question comes from adult children who are helping their parents right-size or downsize their homes.

The adult child's question about a balance of YES and NO frequently follows a time of saying: “I can’t take any more of your stuff, Mom!” (Your Downsizing Can’t Be Be My Upsizing).

Although “upsizing” was not their goal, two friends offer their wisdom about taking more-than-less as they help their parents downsize.

Catherine BarnsleyMarch 21, 2021difficult downsizing, Downsizing Seniors, downsizing parents

CORRALLING SENTIMENTAL ITEMS

How do you keep on downsizing and not get stuck with YOUR OWN sentimental items such as photos, letters, greeting cards, and mementos? This question came from a client whom I will call Laurie who has read Downsizing INHERITED Sentimental Objects.

The Canadian prairies are coming out of a long cold spell in the midst of a pandemic that has provided (for some of us like Laurie) the opportunity to excavate closets and cupboards.

Laurie is rightsizing and organizing her own home, and at the same time is helping her parents downsize to a smaller home.

Catherine BarnsleyFebruary 14, 2021Downsizing Seniors, downsizing photos, downsizing old letters

DOWNSIZING SENTIMENTAL OBJECTS

How do you let go of inherited sentimental objects when there are just too many tools, teacups, kitchen utensils, ornaments, or (add your category)?

This question came from a client whom I will call Dave who had inherited 20 old tools from his father. He had vivid memories of his Dad using each of the tools around the farm or house. Every time that Dave saw the tools, he remembered his Dad with great affection. However, he was moving to a smaller space and had his own more up-to-date tools of which he needed very few. HIs Dad's beloved old tools had become a burden, yet he couldn’t bear to put the tools in a garage sale as he felt like he was ‘selling’ his father.

THE KEYS TO DOWNSIZING & ORGANIZING SUCCESS IN 2021!

“If I don’t do it this next year, I’ll never do it!” sighed a friend who wonders what happened to her 2020 resolution to get organized and downsize.

We all know what happened to our 2020 intentions. A pandemic that changed the world’s and our plans, and had a huge impact on most of us for a variety of reasons.

I urged her to not be too hard on herself for tasks undone in a year that required her energy for coping, surviving, and occasional thriving! And to simply be grateful for having survived 2020. Many did not.

My friend has new resolve to ‘do great things' in the first three months of 2021 while we shelter-in-place, waiting for a vaccine that could help us move towards some normalcy.

IF IT WAS MEANT TO, IT WILL COME AROUND AGAIN

Where did 2020 go? What a year it has been! Has it flown for you like it has for me despite how difficult it may have been? Or has it dragged on and on? Whatever the case, we are less than three weeks from bidding adieu to 2020.

Once again, my too grandiose plans for 2020 did not materialize. So much for that downsizing project in the basement. I need to put it off for another year.

Except for one project that I am doing today. Now!

Catherine BarnsleyDecember 13, 2020downsizing magazines, downsizing year end

YOUR DOWNSIZING CAN'T BE MY UPSIZING

I love this pithy line shared by an adult daughter who is helping her mother downsize in the midst of the pandemic. After selecting what she would take to her new smaller home, the older woman suggested that her daughter could take much of what was left. Her daughter’s response was “Mom, your downsizing cannot be my upsizing!"

In Mindful Compassion While Seniors Downsize, I shared some reasons why seniors struggle with downsizing. For many of these generous folk, an easy solution would be for their adult children to take everything that the senior no longer needs and incorporate the items into their own homes.

How many of us have been asked to do just that? And can’t or choose not to.

Here are some suggestions to help you:

GRATITUDE CHAIR: CALM IN THE MIDST OF CHAOS

Today is Thanksgiving Monday — a day that Canadians give Thanks and express Gratitude for the goodness in our lives. For most everyone I know, this has been a different Thanksgiving weekend than usual as we all name ways that the Covid Pandemic has affected us.

In the midst of change and uncertainty, we continue to give thanks as we ponder what all 2020 has meant in all lives.

Expressing Gratitude can also be a significant part of downsizing, rightsizing and estate organizing.

THE FIVE OR TEN GAME: MAKING DOWNSIZING FUN

Are you looking for a way to make your downsizing or decluttering more fun? How about the Five OR 10 Game?

If you are burdened with too many bowls or screwdrivers or garden rakes or ball caps, here is one way to decrease your numbers.

As your eye wanders over your collection, set yourself a number. Is it five or 10 or 12 (what’s your lucky number?). That number is your limit. Now choose which five or 10 or 12 items to keep.

Catherine BarnsleySeptember 20, 2020downsizing collections, downsizing seniors

TAKING STOCK IN SEPTEMBER

Where did this summer go? These suddenly crisp September days remind us of the passing of another year. A strange year where the pandemic has affected most everyone in significant and varied ways.

For some of us, we intended to tackle an organizing or downsizing project this summer. That may or may not have happened. For others of us, that was the last thing on our minds with the demands of work and family. Or we may have spent every spare minute outside gulping in these precious days of summer with safe outside visiting.

And now it’s September. Have you once again considered tackling a house or garden project?

Catherine BarnsleySeptember 6, 2020Downsizing, downsizing, fall organizing, Downsizing Seniors

BE KIND ~ CUT YOURSELF SOME SLACK

As we experience our third month of physical distancing because of the pandemic, the reality of this long marathon is slowly sinking in. Many of us are experiencing quarantine-fatigue. We rose to the immediate crisis that presented itself in March and found ways to cope with dramatic changes in our lives. But we are tired ~ physically, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually ~ and we still live in a traumatic situation.

We are all in stormy seas. But we are not in the same boat.

Call me today 306.270.6394