By Rita Wilkins, The Downsizing Designer™

When Time Feels Faster but Clarity Isn’t There Yet

There’s a moment many women begin to notice after 50—and it rarely gets talked about.

Time feels different.

Not in a dramatic or panicky way.
Not in a “what am I doing with my life” spiral.
But in a quieter, more persistent way.

Years feel closer together. Life moves faster.
And there’s a subtle impatience that wasn’t there before.

Not because you’re behind—but because you’re more aware.

More aware that this season matters.
More aware that your energy is precious.
More aware that you don’t want to drift into the next chapter by default.

And yet… clarity hasn’t arrived.

The In-Between Season No One Prepares You For

You may not be ready to join anything.
You may not know where you’d go or what comes next.
You may not even want to make a big decision yet.

So what do you do in this in-between season—when something is stirring, but nothing is settled?

First, let’s name this season for what it actually is.

This Is Not Procrastination

This season is not avoidance.
It’s not indecision.
And it’s not failure.

This is a pre-decision season, and it’s one of the most important phases of any meaningful life transition.

I hear it all the time:

“I feel like I should be doing something… but I don’t know what yet.”

That feeling isn’t confusion.

It’s readiness without a roadmap.

Why Impatience Shows Up After 50

Impatience in this season doesn’t mean you want to rush.
It means you’ve stopped wanting to waste energy.

You’ve spent decades managing and maintaining:

Homes
Schedules
Roles
Expectations
Traditions that once fit—but may not anymore

So when time feels faster, it’s not because life is slipping away.

It’s because your tolerance for the unnecessary is shrinking.

That’s not fear.
That’s wisdom.

What Progress Actually Looks Like Before Downsizing

Here’s the part no one says clearly enough:

You don’t start moving forward by deciding where you’ll live.
You start by noticing what you’re no longer willing to carry.

Before homes change, lives quietly edit themselves.

Real progress in this season looks like:

Pausing before saying yes
Questioning routines you once ran on autopilot
Feeling resistance to maintaining things simply because you always have

This isn’t regression.

This is discernment.

The Three Most Important Things to Do in the In-Between Stage

If clarity hasn’t arrived yet, here’s where your energy actually belongs.

1. Edit Your Life Before You Edit Your Home

Downsizing isn’t just about square footage.
It’s about bandwidth.

Start noticing:

What drains you?
What feels heavy to maintain?
What no longer reflects who you are now?

You don’t need to eliminate everything.
You just need to be honest about what serves your life now—and what doesn’t.

2. Pay Attention to What You’re No Longer Willing to Maintain

This is one of the clearest signals of future change.

It might be:

A room that never gets used
Belongings that feel more like responsibility than joy
Traditions that feel obligatory instead of meaningful

These aren’t problems to solve yet.

They’re information—quiet data points your future self is already collecting.

3. Create Space for Clarity, Not Decisions

This is where many women get stuck.

They try to force answers:

Should we downsize?
Should we move?
Should I do something now?

But this season asks for something gentler.

Fewer opinions.
Fewer “shoulds.”
More noticing.

Clarity doesn’t arrive under pressure.
It arrives in space.

When Letting Go Begins Before Action

A woman once said to me:

“I thought downsizing started when you sell the house.
But for me, it started when I realized I was tired of managing a life that no longer fit.”

That realization didn’t push her into action.
It gave her permission to repair.

And that’s where real transformation begins.

If This Feels Familiar, You’re Right on Time

If time feels faster…
If impatience is quietly tapping your shoulder…
If you sense change coming but don’t want to rush it…

You’re not behind.

You’re in between.

If this resonates, you may enjoy my next video on this topic (insert link).

And this season deserves care, intention, and compassion—not pressure.

If you’re starting to notice what feels heavy, complicated, or emotionally hard to let go of, I created something to support you.

The Letting Go Workbook (downloadable and printable PDF and not a hard copy), along with the free Companion Guide, is designed to help you:

Untangle emotional attachments
Release without regret
Move forward without forcing decisions

It’s not about decluttering faster.
It’s about letting go with clarity and compassion.

You can explore the workbook and download the free companion guide here (insert link).

You Don’t Have to Do This Alone

If you’re craving ongoing conversations with women navigating the same in-between season—gently, thoughtfully, without pressure—I’d love to invite you to my Simplicity Circle Membership.

It’s a space for reflection, guidance, and shared wisdom as you design what comes next.

You don’t need to decide everything today.

You just need to begin listening.

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