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Category: Downsizing – Intentionally

Start Your Retirement Journey by Decluttering Your Closet in 7 simple steps

Entering retirement is one of life’s biggest transitions.

After years of working, managing responsibilities, and keeping a structured routine, the shift into this new chapter can feel overwhelming. It’s not just about adjusting your daily schedule—it’s about redefining your identity, your purpose, and the way you live your life.

One of the hardest parts of this transition is letting go of the past.

We naturally hold onto belongings, routines, and even mindsets that served us well in our working lives. These things all served us well, but they can weigh us down as we step into retirement.

That’s where practical decluttering projects come in.

By letting go of physical items tied to your past, you not only create physical space in your home but also mental clarity and emotional freedom.

One powerful place to start is with your work-related clothes.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Decluttering Your Work Clothes

You can follow this simple step-by-step process in one day.

However, if you take the time to do it over a few days, you will get more insights from it.

Step 1: Take Inventory

    • Start by removing all your work-related clothes from the wardrobe – suits, shirts, blazers, dresses, shoes, etc.
    • Lay everything out where you can see it and sort your clothes into categories (e.g., all shirts in one pile, all jackets in another).
    • Write down how many items you have in each category.
    • While sorting, take a moment to write down any thoughts or emotions that come up. Do you (still) feel attached to these clothes? Do they (still) feel like parts of your identity?

Step 2: Assess Future Needs

    • Review the list you made. 
    • Ask yourself how many items from each category you realistically need to keep for future occasions. This could be for personal events, volunteering, or other post-retirement activities.
    • Write down your chosen numbers for each category – how many suits, shirts, or pairs of shoes do you want to keep? 

Step 3: Pick Your Favorites

    • Now, sort through the piles/categories again and pick only the favourite pieces that fit your chosen numbers. These should be clothes you feel confident about keeping.
    • Gather them all together in one area of your wardrobe.
    • Notice how you feel as you select these pieces. Do they still feel relevant to who you are now? Do they align with the person you want to be in retirement? Do you look forward to wearing them again? How do you feel about keeping these clothes and giving the rest away?

Step 4: Let Go

    • Take all the clothes and shoes you’ve decided not to keep and place them in donation bags or boxes. Put these in your car, ready to be donated to a charity or someone who could use them.
    • Observe how it feels to remove these items from your home physically. (You’re not just clearing space – you’re releasing old versions of yourself that no longer serve your future!)
    • How do you feel about letting go of these clothes? Are you excited, nostalgic, or maybe a bit relieved?

Step 5: Organise What’s Left

    • Now that your wardrobe is pared down, take out the items you’ve chosen to keep.
    • Clean the wardrobe, put your clothes on nice hangers, and arrange them neatly.
    • This is a symbolic act of creating space for your new life. Enjoy the process of organising your wardrobe with fewer, carefully selected pieces.
    • How do you feel seeing your simplified, organised wardrobe? Does it give you a sense of clarity and calm?

Step 6: Drop Off Your Donations

    • Drive the bags of clothes to a charity shop or donation centre. Completing this step reinforces your commitment to moving forward.
    • The act of giving away your work clothes can be both a letting-go process and an act of generosity, helping others who need these items.
    • How does it feel to finally say goodbye to your old work clothes? What does this symbolise for your new stage of life?

Step 7: Celebrate

    • Take a moment to celebrate. Whether you share a photo of your now clutterfree wardrobe with friends or treat yourself to something special, acknowledge the work you’ve done.
    • This exercise is about more than decluttering—it’s about creating space for the future.
    • Reflect on the whole process. What have you learned about yourself? What new opportunities or possibilities do you feel are now open to you?

Final Thoughts:

Decluttering your work clothes is just one step, but it’s an important one.

Letting go of items tied to your old identity creates room for a new version of yourself. Every piece of clothing you release is a symbolic gesture, showing you are ready to embrace your new life in retirement.

Remember, decluttering doesn’t have to be done all at once. Take your time, reflect as you go, and appreciate the mental and emotional space you’re creating for your future.

Ready to start your decluttering journey?

Downsizing: Start your preparation by knocking your ‘Clutter Champions’ off their pedestals

Downsizing to a smaller place is impossible without rigorously ‘downsizing’ your furniture and belongings.

The best—and probably easiest—way to start preparing for your downsizing project is to identify and tackle your ‘clutter champions’.

What Are Clutter Champions?

Clutter champions are the areas and belongings that accumulate over time, serving no real purpose and cluttering your space.

They are the items and areas in your home that:

    • Are ignored and unused
    • Get hidden away (under the bed, in a garage corner)
    • Collect dust or rust

Examples of Clutter Champions

    • Overcrowded spaces like a garage with no room for the car
    • Unused furniture, such as an inherited armchair
    • Books you no longer read or recipe books you never open
    • Piles of untouched papers
    • Old school or work materials
    • Kitchen appliances that don’t match your current habits
    • Dressers filled with out-of-fashion clothes
    • Wardrobes full of clothes that don’t fit or are rarely worn
    • Unused 24-piece cutlery sets from long-ago weddings
    • Etc. 
    • (Can you think of one of your Clutter Champions right away?)

Clutter champions occupy space and weigh us down mentally. They remind us of unfinished tasks and make us feel guilty for not dealing with them.

And, of course, –

Clutter champions don’t deserve a space in your new home!

You must confront your clutter champions and move them out of your home – before you move out.

Action Plan to Defeat Your Clutter Champions

Step 1: Identify Your Clutter Champions

Walk through your home: Open every door and look around each room.

Ask yourself:

    • Are there any clutter champions here?
    • What’s here that doesn’t serve me anymore?
    • What have I not used for ages?
    • What makes me feel ashamed or frustrated?

Be thorough: Look under beds, into cupboards, drawers, and bags. Take photos if that helps to get a clearer picture.

Step 2: List Your Clutter Champions

Create a comprehensive list of all your clutter champions.

Your list might look something like this:

    • Bookshelves in the guest room
    • Storage unit
    • Garden tools in the shed
    • Boxes with Aunt Angie’s dishes in the attic
    • Box with paperwork inherited from Grandpa
    • Lucy’s artwork (under the bed in the guest room)

Step 3: Reflect on Your Clutter Champions

Spend some time understanding each item:

    • What’s the story behind this item?
    • Why did I keep it after it lost its usefulness?
    • How do I feel about having it?
    • How would I feel if it were gone?
    • Am I ready to let it go? Now?

Step 4: Make a Decision

Choose one clutter champion to start with:

‘This is the clutter champion I will clear up first: ……’

Step 5: Take Action

Estimate the time needed: Determine how long it will take to tackle your first clutter champion.

Schedule decluttering sessions: Mark them in your calendar and commit to them.

Do the work: Follow through and create space by letting go of what no longer serves you.

Celebrate the wins: Appreciate and enjoy the space and peace of mind you gained.

By eliminating your clutter champions, you’ll create more physical space and free up mental space.

You will feel more capable and ready to tackle other areas of your home and categories of belongings that need some ‘downsizing’ before you move.

Start tackling your clutter champions today – and transform the beginning of your downsizing project into a positive, empowering experience!

Another important downsizing task:

Your Radical Paperwork Optimisation Project.

The goal is to reduce the physical and digital paperwork you have accumulated over the years by 50% and organise the remaining 50% efficiently and simply. 

The Optimised Paperwork Newsletter will teach you all you need to know about the Radical Paperwork Optimisation approach. 

Join the Optimised paperwork newsletter here

Downsizing – 9 Questions to make the move easier.

Why can it be so hard to get a house ready for downsizing?

There are many reasons – these three are the most relevant for most people:

1. – Downsizing is a major life change.

When we decide to downsize, we are not just changing our physical location.

We are also leaving behind a larger home that holds memories of our past and present lives. The smaller space we move into will initially be unfamiliar – and it will shape our future.

Downsizing is, in essence, a significant life transition.

Continue reading Downsizing – 9 Questions to make the move easier.