By looking at every area of your life and comparing who you were, who you are, and who you’d like to be, you can form a better picture of how to right-size for your future home. Will you be giving up yard work, maintenance and repair jobs, or cleaning tasks in your new home? Then perhaps you’ll want to cut back on the necessary tools, chemicals, and storage needed in closets, garages, sheds or the basement. Has your activity and mobility level increased or decreased and how does that affect your current situation and future lifestyle? You may have certain chairs or sofas that no longer offer you the back support you need or that are more difficult to get in and out of which could be downsized. If you’re giving up a sport or exchanging it for a new one, then you’ll want to make adjustments in what to keep or what will need storage space. Sometimes your interests haven’t changed, but the amount of work you’re willing to do yourself and the time you want to commit has changed. Perhaps instead of owning that kayak, boat, rv, sports car, beach house, etc., you’d rather opt for have a rental that is maintenance and storage free. Try to adequately evaluate the time you currently spend and anticipate spending in these areas and what items you will truly use in the future, then you’ll have a better idea of what stays and what goes. 

Imagine how you’d like to live in the future and discuss with your spouse or loved ones what it would mean to make that a reality. What is the root cause or desire that is prompting your dreams? Do you want more freedom? More space? Less work? Less clutter? More time with family or time spent doing what you love? Think through the types of decisions that you will face…For example, if you want to move into a smaller home, you’ll want to plan whether or not you will still have a guest room for visitors, children or grandchildren. You’ll want to think through how many and what kind of toys, bedding, linens, snacks, etc. you will keep on hand for your special guests. You’ll want to see if you’ll have the necessary closet and/or storage space available for these things. If your visitors are few and far between, you may want to create a flexible space with either a sleeper sofa, Murphy bed, or air mattress, so you can use the space as a craft, exercise, or reading room, or office the rest of the time. Evaluate and prioritize what is good, better and best for you.  Where can you make sacrifices or compromises? The local grandchildren could bring their own sleeping bags or store yours at their house until they need them. Guests from farther away may need a bed in your home. Or, you may discover that out-of-town guests prefer a hotel, AirBnB or to rent a room in your retirement community. Discussing these ideas with family and friends can help you to pinpoint the areas in which you can rightsize and even the number of rooms you may need in your future home. 

As you consider right sizing your home, think through your travel plans. If you want to travel more you may need to find a house sitter or pet sitter. Will you move to a place that offers lawn, snow and cleaning services or will you hire companies to help in these areas? You might choose a home based on proximity to airports, bus terminals or train stations. These questions may lead you to choose a home in a certain type of community where the costs and services are included. By traveling more, you will want to have storage available for suitcases and travel bags. Are you usually one who brings home souvenirs in the way of knick knacks or clothing? Consider how your travel plans will affect the home you choose, the amount of storage you’ll need, and the amount of downsizing you will need to do to accommodate your pursuits. 

Your personality may affect how you will right size your home. If you’re more outgoing and social in nature, you may find your days or evenings will be spent out of the home in the company of friends and neighbors. You’ll want to consider the location of your home or community and its proximity to shopping and entertainment, as well as what social events and excursions are offered within the community itself. How does an active social calendar impact what you will need or want to keep in your smaller home and does that change based on the seasons? A choice to spend more time in your home over the winter months versus snowbirding in another state can greatly modify what your wardrobe and entertainment needs will be. A person who is more introverted may desire to have more items related to their hobbies and entertainment located within their personal living space, rather than going outside of their home to engage in them. Look at how you and your spouse currently live in your home. Do you each need your own space for your desks, crafts, reading or tv watching? The introvert in the home may want a quieter space of their own, while the extrovert may desire a larger living room for entertaining friends. Can you share a room throughout the day or evening, or do you have different schedules and interests that require separate rooms? Sleep schedules, separate bedrooms and bathrooms, computer and tv usage, and social needs can all impact how many rooms you’ll want in your home and how you will rightsize for those spaces. 

When determining how to rightsize for your future home, you’ll want to evaluate your life history and how you typically surround yourself spatially. Do you like wide open spaces, or the shelter and comfort of a closer environment? Some people love having an open floor plan or the space and ability to rearrange their furniture for different seasons or events in the home. They may choose to highlight artwork or sculptures with their use of negative space, and may rotate their collections, thus needing space to store their extra art or decorations. Other people are accustomed to a cottage feel, where the furniture is grouped closer together and there is a feast for the eyes at every turn through artwork, displays, curios and the like. They may showcase their collections in unique ways to bring honor to them. What was your home like growing up? What type of spaces bring you joy? You may discover that you like both styles, but that it’s dependent on the individual room and its purpose. Think through the unspoken spatial needs you and your spouse have and discuss how this will impact your ability to rightsize. You may find that moving to a smaller home may require you to remove more furniture if you want to keep that open feel or that your smaller “cottage” may mean that you need to reduce the size of your collections. Artwork and photos tend to be a challenge when rightsizing before the move. It’s easier to part with the pieces you no longer like or want beforehand and then wait until after you move to downsize again. This way you can see which pieces you will actually hang and where you can let go of art based on available space. 

When looking to right-size for a smaller home, it’s important to ask yourself why you are keeping an item. For items that you use or need, it can be easy to identify the “why”, but for things that aren’t necessarily useful, you’ll want to evaluate the emotions behind the item. Treasures from loved ones who have passed away hold a special place in your heart and that’s understandable.  But what about the everyday items that you’ve been given? Why are they special to you? If your love language is receiving gifts, you may find it especially hard to let go of items you have received as presents. Each item is precious because it reminds you of the person who gave it to you and the love it represents. If this is a struggle for you, you may find that taking pictures of the items you no longer need, want, use or have space for in your home, will help you to “keep” the memory and love it brings, without keeping the item. You are then free to pass that gift onward to someone else who can put it to good use in their lives. Knowing how you receive love and thinking through why you may hold on to certain things, can help you to better evaluate how to right-size for your future home. 

Right-sizing is finding a way to live for today and to live a bigger lifestyle in a smaller home. To right-size your possessions you have to first take time to rediscover who you are and the motivation behind your desire to keep things. You have to understand your “whys” in order to move forward. You’ll want to dream about the future life you want to live and seek out a pathway to your goals. Discuss how the choices you want to make will impact your spouse or loved ones and see if there are any obstacles to tackle or compromises to be made. You’ll want to research the opportunities available to you in your new town or community, so you can better evaluate how to live beyond your doors. You’ll also want to think through your seasonal and travel needs, to be sure you have a plan in place for items that aren’t needed year-round. Consider the personalities in the home, how you like to spend your time, how you decorate and the spatial preferences you each have. By doing your mental homework and choosing the “why,” you’ll have an easier time figuring out the “how” and making decisions about each item you come across as you sort.