A letter from my heart, to my fellow Baby Boomers, about downsizing, decluttering, and creating your next best chapter.
Let’s be honest with each other. We’ve lived long enough to accumulate… well, far too much stuff.
- Closets that seem to multiply their contents overnight
- Basements that could qualify as architectural digs
- Garages that no longer fit cars because they’re too full of “just in case” boxes and bins
I get it because I’ve been there too!
This isn’t just about clutter. This is about memories, identity, and decades of living.
Each item has a story.
Each drawer feels like a page in our lives.
But here’s the thing: all that stuff that once served us?
It’s now quietly weighing us down.
The Weight of Too Much Stuff
I remember walking into my own attic several years ago, looking at the towers of boxes and thinking, where do I even start?
My first instinct was to close the door and walk away.
Maybe you’ve felt that way too.
It’s not necessarily that we don’t want to let go… it’s just that the sheer volume paralyzes us.
We think: This will take forever. I don’t have the time, energy, or desire. I’ll deal with it later.
But maybe you’ve noticed… later has a sneaky way of turning into years. And that stuff keeps multiplying while your energy does not—and the clock keeps ticking.
The Real Cost of Waiting
Let’s talk about what happens when we keep putting it off.
Financially: holding onto a house that’s too big, too expensive, and too much to maintain slowly chips away at our retirement nest egg.
Emotionally: the weight of unfinished decisions and putting it off to another day creates stress, guilt, and sometimes even shame.
Physically: let’s be real. The older we get, the less energy we have to climb ladders, haul boxes, and move heavy furniture.
One woman I worked with waited until her health forced the move. Downsizing became urgent, exhausting, and overwhelming for her and for her kids. She told me later, I wish I had done this years ago when I had the energy to enjoy the process—to look over all my things, reminisce, and choose what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to let go of.
The Big Question We All Ask
I hear this question all the time: Does downsizing really make life better, or will I regret it?
It’s a fair question because no one size fits all.
For much of our lives, we’ve been told bigger is better. More square footage and more storage equals more stuff. Downsizing can feel like you’re moving backwards.
But let me tell you a quick story about Jim and Carol.
They sold their family home after 35 years and moved into a sunny two-bedroom condo downtown. They worried they’d miss the space. But now?
They walk to coffee, shops, theater, and meet up with friends. They travel freely without worrying about lawn care or big house repairs.
Carol told me, I feel 10 years younger. I didn’t realize how heavy the house was on my shoulders until the weight was lifted.
And that’s just one example.
The Advantages of Living Smaller
Here’s the surprising truth: smaller living can actually make life bigger.
- Less to clean, repair, and manage
- More time and energy for travel, family, hobbies, and the little things that make life worthwhile
When you stop maintaining a house that doesn’t fit your life anymore, you gain the freedom to focus on what truly matters to you at this stage of your life.
Rightsizing, Not Just Downsizing
This isn’t just about shrinking your home. It’s about rightsizing your life.
This is such an important question to reflect on:
Does my current home and all of this stuff reflect the life I want right now… or the life I used to have?
Rightsizing means aligning your space with your values, your energy at this stage of life, and your dreams for this next chapter.
It’s not about loss.
It’s about living intentionally.
Facing the Hard Truth with Compassion
Now let’s name a few of the fears we all carry about downsizing and decluttering.
- What if I regret letting this go?
- What if my kids want my house one day?
- What if I lose part of myself?
I’ve had many of those same thoughts myself, but here’s what I’ve learned:
- You’re not your stuff
- Your identity isn’t in the attic
- Your memories aren’t in boxes
They’re in your heart, your stories, and the people you love.
And as for the kids?
Let me be blunt. Most of them don’t want our stuff.
What they do want is time with us and a future where they’re not sorting through decades of our things.
Decluttering now is one of the greatest acts of love you can give them.
And listen, I say this with true humility.
I was there once. I faced the exact same concerns and fears that you might be having.
But the more I got into decluttering, I can’t tell you how many times I said:
I can’t believe I bought this.
I can’t believe I kept this!
The more I let go, the more confident I became that I was doing the right thing by downsizing. And for those of you who know my story and have listened to my TED Talk, I have never regretted downsizing from my big home. I have all I want, all I need, and I’ve never been happier.
I have another example.
Dan and Linda were terrified to move out of their big house, but after letting go of the clutter, they started hosting Friday night dinners with friends again. Linda said, I thought downsizing would shrink our lives, but it actually made them bigger.
A New Sense of Urgency
Here’s the truth, my Baby Boomer friends: none of us are getting any younger.
If not now, when?
The longer we wait, the harder it gets—physically, emotionally, financially.
But the sooner we start, the sooner we can step into the freedom of a simpler, less cluttered life.
So What’s Next?
Decluttering and downsizing aren’t endings. They’re new beginnings.
- More peace of mind
- More energy and time for adventure
- More freedom to live the way we’ve said we wanted to
This isn’t about giving up. It’s about creating space for what’s next.
So let me leave you with this:
Don’t let the weight of too much stuff keep you from the joy that’s waiting for you on the other side.
Don’t let fear or procrastination rob you of the freedom you have worked hard for and deserve.
Decluttering isn’t about losing. It’s about gaining.
Gaining space, gaining peace, and gaining the ability to live fully in this next chapter of your life.
If not now, when?
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