Downsizing means different things to different people. For some folks it’s about retirement and moving to a smaller, more manageable home. For others it’s about taking control over their lives. And for some it’s just a cleansing ritual that strips away the accumulated cruft of a busy life.
Whatever your reasons for downsizing, one thing is universal: It’s not easy. People have adopted many different strategies to streamline their lives and clear out their crowded homes, but for everyone who emerges from a downsizing movement with a crisp, newly minimalist life, there’s someone else who gets overwhelmed and gives up. If that’s you, there’s one more move you should consider: Hire a downsizing consultant.
A downsizing consultant is a professional organizer who helps you organize and implement a plan to declutter and reclaim your space or transition to a smaller home (consultants who specialize in helping seniors move into smaller homes or even assisted-living facilities are called "move managers"). The process is pretty straightforward, and typically involves:
An initial consultation and walkthrough, separating stuff into what can be trashed, what can be donated, and what needs to be kept
Coordinating with vendors to haul away stuff for donation or disposal
Cleaning and organizing, either at your current home or your new, smaller place
Aside from the logistical support that a downsizing consultant brings to your efforts to shrink your life, they also offer emotional support by taking away the burden of decision-making. By letting an objective professional make decisions about a tightly packed garage or bursting closets, you can spare yourself a lot of stress.
Here's how to know if you need a professional to help you with downsizing.
Moving into a smaller home is often pitched in financial terms—you pull equity from your larger house, and you’ll have lower taxes and maintenance costs. But this doesn’t take into account the fact that you’ve lived a certain lifestyle for years or even decades, and a smaller space means mastering a whole new way of organizing your life. Every aspect of your lifestyle, from the location of appliances to the way you navigate your kitchen, will be different in some way.
If you’re immediately overwhelmed by the long list of tasks—if the sheer number of decisions makes you panic, or you don’t even know what your first move ought to be—a downsizing consultant can help you make a plan.
If you’re fighting with family and friends over what to get rid of and who gets what, a downsizing consultant can be an impartial judge who isn’t burdened with the same emotional baggage. They can act as a buffer between all the involved parties, keeping lines of communication open and offering some much-needed perspective that can lower the emotional temperature around distributing stuff.
Sometimes downsizing has to happen immediately. A new job that starts right away in a different city, a house sale that closed much faster than expected, a sudden change in health that necessitates a shift into a more manageable home—sometimes you need to declutter and reorganize right away. In situations like this, handing a downsizing consultant the keys to the house and letting them manage the experience on your behalf can mean getting it all done as quickly and efficiently as possible.
If you’ve tried to downsize and declutter your life before and never got very far, a professional might be the extra resource you need to make it happen. That’s because they will treat the project like their job—because it is their job—instead of a vague goal. Plus, they won’t be sidetracked by busy days or tempted to postpone closet excavations, so the project will proceed according to schedule even if you get busy and distracted.
You can find move managers to help with older folks trying to downsize by contacting the National Association of Senior & Specialty Move Managers (NASMM). If you just need help decluttering and downsizing, your best bet is to look for a professional organizer in your area who offers downsizing services.
