The Real Reason Letting Go Feels So Hard (It’s Not Just the House)
If you’re in the middle of downsizing and decluttering and wondering why letting go feels so emotional, you’re not alone. If you think it’s hard because of the house…It’s deeper than that. If you think it’s about the stuff…It’s deeper than that. And if you’ve ever said, “It’s just a ...
How Do You Know When It’s Time to Downsize? (If You’re Not 100% Sure)
By Rita Wilkins, The Downsizing Designer™ If you’re waiting for the moment when you suddenly feel 100% certain it’s time to downsize, rightsize, or age in place, this article may save you years of second-guessing. Because here’s the truth: Most people never get that lightbulb moment. What they get instead ...
What to Do in the In-Between Season After 50
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 ...
Designing the Next Chapter: Prototyping a Life You Love After 50
By Rita Wilkins, The Downsizing Designer™ How Women Can Experiment, Choose Themselves, and Create Purpose After the Empty Nest When you become an empty nester, you are handed a blank space—and that can feel terrifying or exhilarating, depending on how you see it. As a designer, I’ve learned something profound: ...
A Job Well Done: Honoring the Mother You’ve Been
By Rita Wilkins, The Downsizing Designer™ Finding Closure, Pride, and Identity After the Kids Leave Home No one gives mothers a moment to say, “I did a great job raising my kids.”And yet, becoming an empty nester deserves that pause. There is a moment after your children leave home that ...
When the House Got Quiet, I Finally Heard My Own Voice Again
By Rita Wilkins, The Downsizing Designer™ Empty nest transitions, identity shifts, and designing life after kids leave home. Several years ago, when I officially became an empty nester, I remember standing in my living room and realizing something significant had shifted. My two sons were grown and starting their own ...
What Children Learn From Uncluttered Homes
Why a Quieter Home Teaches Louder Lessons Than We Realize By Rita Wilkins, The Downsizing Designer™ The Lessons We Don’t Mean to Teach Children are always learning... not only from what we say, but from what surrounds them.The home is their first classroom. Long before children understand rules, routines, or ...
When It’s Time to Let Go
By Rita Wilkins, The Downsizing Designer™ Navigating Decluttering and Downsizing With Compassion, Dignity, and Care A guide for adult children and aging parents standing at a difficult crossroads When Love and Reality Meet There comes a moment—sometimes quietly, sometimes suddenly—when families realize that the way things have always been can ...
When You Know It’s Time to Downsize and Declutter
But You’re Still Afraid to Begin: Why Smart Women Get Stuck and How to Move Forward By Rita Wilkins, The Downsizing Designer™ There’s something I hear again and again from women who know they’re standing at a turning point in life. “I know I have to downsize, but I don’t ...
