WEBVTT
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Welcome back to another episode of the Downsizing Roadmap Podcast with your hosts Jodi Rosko and Heather Fisher.
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We're talking about all things downsizing, from our own experiences with clients to guest experts.
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Let's make downsizing easier, one conversation at a time.
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Hi, welcome to the Downsizing Roadmap Podcast.
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Seven surprising ways your life gets better when you downsize.
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Yeah, I think that this falls right into our um our first step, dream it, right?
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And I think that sometimes we just are always thinking about the bad things that might happen or the problems that you know it we have to overcome to get there.
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And not do doing that dreamy part of, hey, like what's that gonna look like when we get on the other side?
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And we have always people are just so happy.
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Once they get to the other side, getting there does take some effort, but once they get to the other side, always so happy.
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And these are some of the reasons today.
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We'll talk about why.
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Yeah, I'm Heather Fisher.
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I'm Jodi Rosko.
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Yeah, downsizing, you know, when we say that word, people think that it's just like throwing away everything they own or all about loss and moving, you know, kind of in a backwards path.
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And it really can be um just moving forward and finding that freer, lighter life, not a life of nothing, but a life with so much more that you're gaining.
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So that's what we're gonna talk about today.
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Some of those big things that um you can start dreaming about to give you that motivation to get through it.
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Yeah, and to live that lighter life.
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And so we have some test stats that we talk about in our class.
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Um, and one of them is that the average American home has 300,000 items.
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Um, so no wonder it's heavy and feeling ominous to, you know, let go of some of those things.
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But there's no way that any of us use 300,000 items every day.
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So yes, this is just a staggering number when it's put into number form like that.
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But it that is not things that are serving us or that we love.
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It's just an accumulation number of life and time.
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And people find that when they're moving and they start getting moving boxes and they have to put all their things into boxes, and they're like, wait, I need way more boxes than I thought, because we do very efficiently pack things into closets and storage areas and all kinds of places in our home.
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And um, and that's where that number comes from because we're not using that stuff on a daily basis.
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And so um don't take it with you if you're if you're moving.
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So and then 25% of people with two-car garages can't park even one car inside, and I think it's like 30 some percent can only park one car, right?
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Yeah, yeah.
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We talk about that uh all the time.
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Because they're basically using their garage as a storage unit.
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Yes, or the quarter of Americans that have a storage unit on top of that.
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Correct.
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Correct.
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Also one of our stats.
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Right.
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So we aren't we aren't saying live live with less of the things that you're using already.
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Um, we're saying live lighter of the things that you aren't even using, that you're just holding on to because you have them.
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We've both experienced this.
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I know we've talked about it before, but during a move is when you realize, um, you know, back to an episode we did a couple episodes ago about that clean looking house.
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I mean, this is all of us, whether your house is clean or you're like, oh, no, I see, I have way too much, or whether it's, you know, precisely packed and uh behind those closed doors or cupboards, basements, attics.
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This is something we all can gain these benefits because even if it's organized, even if it doesn't feel like it, it's still weighing on us in different ways.
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Yeah.
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Okay, so let's talk about the seven ways that your life gets better when you downsize.
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Okay, number one is emotional bandwidth comes back.
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And so I'm gonna um geek out on some science-y things because I love it so much.
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So um, Princeton Neuroscience Institute did a study, and what they found was that um visual stimuli will overload your brain.
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And so the more things that you have to look at, the more visual stimuli you get into your brain, to where your brain is can't handle all the things that you have to look at, and it kind of overloads and causes anxiety.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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Um, and then on that same study, they found um that that visual noise that you get from all those things um turns into uh mental fatigue and it impacts your memory.
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Um so honestly, like it's just not good for you to have that many things out and um not just because um you know it might be uh unsafe.
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I mean, we've been in houses that are actually unsafe, they have so many things in them, um, or but it just might just be too much, too many things around, but it actually is scientifically like causing problems um with memory.
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And then um it's they talked about um if you remove the clutter, it directly decreases your distraction and increases your brain capacity to process information so you can be more productive and less irritable.
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So because you have better memory and because you're be able to use your, you know, more of your brain that's subtly being used by dealing with all of that visual stimuli all the time.
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You don't really realize it.
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You don't realize it until it goes away.
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And that's why people always say, Oh my gosh, I feel so much freer.
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Um, because they don't it's it ha it's uh it's this low grade happening all the time.
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Yeah, that low grade stress and those stats speak to me so much because as we're aging, um, so many of us are already worried about brain health and you know, potential um memory issues that may run in our families or that we've dealt with and we don't want for ourselves.
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And you know, what you're saying here is that there are fairly simple ways to just take some of the stressor off of our memory, off of our brains.
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For sure.
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And um, you know, do that.
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So amazing.
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Do your seduco and and clean up your place.
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Yes.
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Yeah.
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So get your daily wordle in.
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Right.
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Do your brain problems, you know, play the cards, do the things.
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But um, but yeah, actually scientifically cleaning things up.
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Environments playing into that as well.
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Your environment is and you don't even know it, honestly.
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Yeah.
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Um UCLA did a study too, um, a little bit different study, and it was it actually was ta showed how um in our bodies, especially women, um, too much stuff spikes um cortisol.
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It's it's literally they can measure more call cortisol in your body if there's too many things around.
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Um and it puts you into like a low-grade fight or flight um place, which is anxiety, um, which can ramp up into bigger anxiety, honestly.
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Um and so that that's something like that, well, like we're saying, that you can just live with all the time and not realize it.
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And what it does is it it tells your brain that you have open loops.
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So I don't know if you have ever heard about um like closing the loop of your chores.
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Have you heard about that?
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So um, like teaching your kids to close their loops, you know, like you don't just take your cereal bowl and set it on the counter, you rinse it and put it in the dishwasher, like right.
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So like it's a whole put the cereal box away.
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Yeah.
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And teaching their brains as kids, and you know, in this instance, teaching yourself by closing those loops, you're following the whole trail of finishing something completely, like setting the bowl still filled with milk is not closing the loop on finishing your cereal.
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It's that whole process.
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Putting the cereal box away, all of that, like so that it like it never even happened.
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So what happens is when we have clutter laying around, it's all open loops in our brain, right?
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All like that meal needs to hand be handled, and this, you know, whatever needs to be handled, and you didn't put that away, or there's no place for that, like you don't have a right place for it, or there's no system for things.
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Um, and so your brain is taken up thinking about the open loops and like feeling like you know, you have that like remember when you're a kid and you're like you had to write a paper and it just hung over you, even if you were out playing and you knew you should be doing it, you know, whatever, um, or doing something.
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So it's like that stuff just hanging over you, like you know you need to do it, and all those open loops take up your brain energy um and and work on your nervous system and prevent you from actually like fully relaxing and um you know being able to just transfer into like a calm you know mindset.
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Um, and so um that creates a vicious cycle because when you have a lot of anxiety, that saps your energy and then you don't want to clean up, and then that causes more stuff to be around and it turns into this cycle.
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So we talk a lot about you know, 15 minutes, like try to do some habits, like just try to start somewhere and get some habits in place that will help you.
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And closing the loop is a big, is a great habit to get into.
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Like you get out your toothbrush and your toothpaste, you put your toothbrush and your toothpaste away.
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You you I saw this thing the other day, and it was like it take it takes like six minutes to do or six seconds to do that, and sixteen seconds to put it all away.
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Like, and so the what was it like the mess was a choice or something like that, right?
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Yeah, that video you shared was great.
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And I think that that all of those open loops in your house, every item, whether you realize you're thinking about it or not, that's what we're talking about, that visual distraction is that your brain is remembering, oh, I haven't done that yet.
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I haven't done that yet.
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Um, so we do talk so often about not looking at this whole mountain of I need to downsize, but how can you break that down, get that momentum, and then you will over time get to that, you know, all the loops are closed.
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Yeah.
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And you don't have to close them all in one day.
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Right.
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So what that will do for you is less irritability, more mental clarity, better decision making, faster decision making, better sleep.
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So those are all things for our brain health that we can work on that you probably aren't even thinking that they relate to your brain health, right?
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Like you aren't thinking if I get my overstuffed clothes closet.
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Right, or that pile of paper my future health.
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Right.
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But it is.
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Yeah.
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It is.
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Yeah.
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So number, so our number one is emotional bandwidth comes back, which actually feels fantastic for people.
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They feel lighter and freer and happier.
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Yeah.
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Upgrade number two, after you've downsized your home becomes calmer, safer, and more functional.
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Um, that could be with or without a physical move, honestly.
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So um all of these upgrades can um be benefits, whether you're downsizing your belongings for now and staying in the house that you're in, or whether you're making uh an actual move to another location, another home, um, somewhere else, uh, but looking for um, you know, just finding that safety and calmness that it can bring.
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Which just falls right into the science we were just talking about, that it will become calmer if it's, you know, less, if there's less stuff around, if it's if it's less cluttered, um, because your that visual chaos will be not there, and then that lets your brain relax and be calm.
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Um, people will report, you know, I love my house again.
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I mean, we get this all the time, and I know I've said this before, but it when we tell people what to do to get their house ready to sell and for pictures, and then they do it, which is clean off all the surfaces and make sure, you know, all the things.
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And then that we come back for pictures and they're like, why don't I live like this?
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And um Maybe I shouldn't move.
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Yes, yes, yes.
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Because they love it.
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They're like, this feels amazing, right?
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Because it's it, yeah, you could they can breathe.
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So they have they they aren't embarrassed by their house.
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They feel like, oh, I can host or people can come over, you know, because there's some level of that sometimes where you just feel like, oh, I don't need them to see my mess, you know.
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I don't, I don't want that.
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So there's a low level anxiety about my gosh, what if somebody comes over?
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Um, you can you feel like you can rest, like you you just you have that peacefulness, um, so you'll get better sleep.
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Safety, we did I did touch on this a little bit earlier, but we have been in homes where there's just so much stuff that it safety is a problem.
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One in four adults over 65 falls every year.
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And you know, that can be clear walkways, um, you know, stuff that's sitting around that's you didn't you put somewhere that you didn't remember, you put it there and you can, you know, stumble over that or things like that.
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Um, but definitely clear walkways, easy, easy to get around.
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It definitely has a safety impact in your home.
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Yeah, especially if at some point you're adding in a walker or a cane, things like that, um, the easier it is to just transition right to that in the space that you're in most often and that you need to be the safest for you.
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Um, if you're ready for that, that is a huge leg up.
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And then functionality in your home, um, you don't have to move as much stuff to clean, right?
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You don't cleaning around as much stuff.
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Um, it's easier to get around, you know, all of that stuff.
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So um especially your routines can be easier if you if you have less stuff.
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And you can find things easier like your glasses and your phone and all of those things that you, you know, if you put down with a bunch of other things, it's harder to see them.
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Yeah, working so hard the last few years to downsize myself as far as my belongings.
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Um, I had my mom coming to visit, and I remember phases in my life where that would have been a monumental, like, oh, mom's coming.
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And I think we all experienced this.
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You want your house to be, you know, just ready for that.
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And, you know, had a very busy week getting ready for that with other things going on.
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And I was like, wow, this is nice because, you know, the night before she was coming, did a few, you know, couple minute things to just wipe some things down and and whatever.
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And we were ready to go because we've gone through this process and the daily momentum has been built and we do those habits.
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So people could drop by anytime at your house and you feel good.
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Yes.
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Yes.
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And it is a very freeing feeling.
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Um, you know, knowing if there is that rare afternoon to just relax, I can do that in that environment.
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So uh it does make a difference.
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I love it.
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See what our clients feel.
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Well, and then you're just living in that peacefulness all the time, which I love.
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I love that too.
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So, okay, um, upgrade number three, your relationships get easier.
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Um so clutter creates a hidden emotional friction in families.
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Um, you know, there are people who are cleaner and people who are not as clean and all of, you know, not even clean, but like have a level of um of I think all of our brains work differently.
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Yeah.
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And I do think, I mean, we've done um episodes on different personality types around downsizing and things like that.
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And all of our brains work differently, and so systems and organization come more strongly to some people.
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You know, some people thrive in the creative mindset, which can tend to have everything be a little more go with the flow and uh loose, and and so it's not we don't want to say like clean or not clean, but it there's different ways of living.
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And what we've also said in many episodes, opposites attract, yeah, and family dynamics between kids, parents, all of that.
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There's so many personalities at work.
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So definitely the clutter can cause tensions.
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Yeah, yeah.
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We're seeing that with our, you know, kids living in, you know, roommate situations or whatever where everyone's different.
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And so then there have to be, you know, ways that they can communicate around what that looks like.
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Um, and so it when that happens, adult children are gonna worry less if it if it feels less chaotic.
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And handled, yeah.
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It it feels um safer.
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It feels like and it yeah, and it feels like things are being handled.
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I think um I think when you walk into a place where maybe there's a lot of dishes and a lot of, you know, things around, and maybe the laundry's not done, and all of those things, um, it feels like, oh my gosh, you know, maybe I need to be worried about this person.
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Yeah.
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And maybe that's not it.
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Maybe that's just their system, you know, or quote unquote system of how they handle things.
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But it does always feel when that calmness that you walk in, then also makes you feel like everything is okay.
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Yeah.
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Versus things that being a little bit more chaotic.
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Um, spouses will argue less about household tasks.
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Um, siblings feel more unified when they're helping their parents because everybody knows what the plan is and what that looks like and we're all on the same page, right?
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Yeah, I think that family conversations can shift from that what feels like a crisis, like there's so much to do, and when are we gonna do this and handle this to just connection type conversations?
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When are we all getting together for dinner?
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When are we doing this?
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Because it's been handled and not everybody has all those thoughts pinging around of what needs done, what needs handled.
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Um, it's just back to how can we spend time together either here in this environment or go off and find adventures?
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Right.
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You're not talking about any kind of crisis situation or things that are happening.
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Yeah.
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You're just enjoying the time.
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Yeah.
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When are we gonna clean out the basement, Mom?
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And when are we gonna fill in the basement garage, this whatever things that all the families worry about?
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Um, that has happened and now you're just living in the connection phase.
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Yeah.
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And so, you know, that helps kids who are long distance who feel like they can't come help, like they don't have to, like they're they're good, things are okay.
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Um, it helps if if if you're in a caregiver position or if you have somebody who's helping you as a caregiver, it helps them feel calm and you know, like things are under control and you know, caregiving is hard.
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And so that is a helpful, a helpful situation for them.
00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:52.000
Um and adult kids, if if they're feeling um worried, then they have to voice that, and that's hard sometimes for them to feels like they have to have a difficult conversation that they don't want to have.
00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:52.480
Yeah.
00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:53.039
Yeah.
00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:57.839
So um, so your relationships can uh really benefit from this as well.
00:18:57.839 --> 00:18:59.039
So yeah.
00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:03.119
Upgrade number four, um, your health quietly improves.
00:19:03.119 --> 00:19:09.279
We touched on this a bit earlier, but um, this is such an important one.
00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:16.880
Um Jodi mentioned, you know, higher household clutter equals higher cortisol levels, especially in women.
00:19:16.880 --> 00:19:22.000
And um, you know, all of these little things, our health is so interrelated.
00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:36.640
So that cortisol affects our gut health, which in turn affects our brain health, our sleep, our sleep, all of the things our level of anxiety about and which are which in that's our moods, like yeah, all of it.
00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:54.880
Yeah, all of the things that if you are having other health issues, you know, doctors will tell you to address all of, you know, reduce your stress and you know, maybe potentially lose some weight, or you're you know, here's where this is stemming from.
00:19:54.880 --> 00:20:02.640
So you can see when you backtrack to the very beginning of that path how it can all snowball into bigger problems.
00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:05.279
And that's that cycle that goes, you know, back.
00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:08.079
And then if you gain more weight, then it's harder to get around.
00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:10.799
All of a sudden, less all of it, yes.
00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:16.960
Um, and and cortisol uh helps or or makes you gain weight and causes inflammation.
00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:21.680
And inflammation is a whole nother thing that does very bad things for your body.
00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:25.279
So um you want the inflammation to not be a thing.
00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:29.359
Um and if you can do that by cleaning up your area, that's crazy, right?
00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:31.920
Like that's not even that's no medication.
00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:36.640
That's that's just you know, things that you are fully in your control.
00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:38.400
Yeah, absolutely.
00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:51.839
Um, so some other things that we've touched on, that mobility and safety upgrades, um, avoiding those falls, um, which can also snowball into bigger um health problems.
00:20:51.839 --> 00:21:06.559
Um, you know, leading cause of problems uh for adult 65 plus are falls, and usually those are within the household just from um, you know, obstacles that are in the way.
00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:07.680
Right.
00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:11.359
And then if things are organized, um, your daily living improves.
00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:19.039
We were talking about your tours and whatnot, but you're you're you might cook more often because it's easier to, there's less stuff in the kitchen or on the countertops.
00:21:19.039 --> 00:21:24.720
Um Mark's Mark's mom had we we went, she just had lots of stuff on her countertop.
00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:27.359
That's just how she lived, and and also on her table.
00:21:27.359 --> 00:21:32.799
And so we would go over there for the holidays and have like this little piece of counter to, you know, cook on.
00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:34.240
And she was just used to it.
00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:36.960
But for us, we were just like, what is happening here?
00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:41.759
You know, and that was it was stressful to us because we didn't live in that environment all the time.
00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:43.920
And probably to her, but she didn't realize it.
00:21:44.240 --> 00:22:12.160
I think there's a lot of people that are used to that and they're they've not seen what it would be like to not have so much stuff on all of those flat surfaces, but the difference on how inviting the kitchen can feel or how Um, much less of a hurdle it would be to cook a simple meal if it was already, you know, bright and cleaned off and all this space to do something simple.
00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:18.400
Um, you will have better nutrition when that's an inviting space instead of like, oh, that feels like a lot.
00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:23.680
I'll just, you know, eat some cheese and crackers or whatever and and substitute that.
00:22:23.839 --> 00:22:24.079
Yeah.
00:22:24.079 --> 00:22:29.599
And I think what happens is it gets like that in our homes, all of us.
00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:31.119
It gets like that.
00:22:31.119 --> 00:22:36.480
And then you you uh just uh ignore that that's happening.
00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:45.440
Like you just live with it, you're just so used to it that you don't even think to yourself, hey, I should clean off that countertop and then I'll have more space.
00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:52.000
It's just like that's what it is, and you stop thinking about options, like you stop thinking about that.
00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:54.240
It could be different, it could be different.
00:22:54.240 --> 00:23:06.559
And so um, you know, if that's the case, take a little section, a little section at a time, move through it, um, and you'll just be shocked at like, wow, this is this is just so much better.
00:23:06.559 --> 00:23:10.960
And it's it's because we just we just stop seeing the areas that we live in.
00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:15.039
We just stop seeing things that are broken or, you know, cluttered.
00:24:03.220 --> 00:24:03.460
Yeah.
00:24:03.460 --> 00:24:22.500
I mean, I think we have a running theme, you know, through all of our episodes that what feels like such a big mountain can be addressed with just those simple clear off one space and feel how that makes that one little area better and then move to the next one and the next one.
00:24:22.500 --> 00:24:31.220
And, you know, don't stop living with that huge thought and just what's the one thing today I could do to move this forward?
00:24:31.539 --> 00:24:31.779
Yeah.
00:24:31.779 --> 00:24:38.339
So your health, I mean, basically it's stress, and stress then floats out to all kinds of other things.
00:24:38.339 --> 00:24:43.940
Um, so it will make your life more your life in your your health in your house more simple.
00:24:43.940 --> 00:24:46.259
So that would that's number four.
00:24:46.259 --> 00:24:50.339
Number five, um, your finances get clearer and lighter.
00:24:50.339 --> 00:24:57.139
So um downsizing, we spend a lot of money on things that we don't need.
00:24:57.379 --> 00:24:57.940
Yeah.
00:24:57.940 --> 00:24:58.420
Yeah.
00:24:58.420 --> 00:24:59.220
What is it?
00:24:59.220 --> 00:25:02.980
$1.2 trillion that Americans spend.
00:25:02.980 --> 00:25:05.700
Um, it's another stat we have in our classes.
00:25:05.700 --> 00:25:09.940
$1.2 trillion on goods we don't need, non-essential.
00:25:09.940 --> 00:25:10.740
Non-essential.
00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:14.420
This isn't, you know, our daily things we need for a living.
00:25:14.579 --> 00:25:17.220
This is just food or, you know, toilet paper.
00:25:17.220 --> 00:25:18.019
It's not that stuff.
00:25:18.019 --> 00:25:26.899
It's stuff that, you know, we buy like because we got it on Amazon or saw it on, you know, TV or bought it at Target, you know, as we walked by or whatever those things are.
00:25:26.899 --> 00:25:38.180
And um so if you are thinking in a in a mindset of do I actually really need this, or you know, I mean, you've you have done that now, right?
00:25:38.180 --> 00:25:44.339
You've downsized your things, but I think you also have a different mindset around the things that you buy or bring into your house.
00:25:44.500 --> 00:25:50.019
Am I I think it's one of those what comes first, the chicken or the egg, and that will never be solved.
00:25:50.019 --> 00:25:58.500
So just do it and downsize, and then you get both the benefit of I have downsized, so now I don't want to go back.
00:25:58.500 --> 00:26:05.619
So I'm more aware of you know, what that that is not gonna be important.
00:26:05.619 --> 00:26:07.539
I'm more aware of what comes in.
00:26:07.539 --> 00:26:17.139
But before I downsized my stuff so much, I had to trust that I just needed to not bring in more and handle what I had.
00:26:17.139 --> 00:26:26.180
So it's it's like you have to jump in and start, but then that is that benefit of once you've done it, you're like, no, I do not want that.
00:26:26.180 --> 00:26:27.700
Do not pile that up there.
00:26:27.940 --> 00:26:37.779
I enjoy my clean surfaces and yeah, I feel like I've seen your mindset around it change since you've kind of gotten really intentional about it.
00:26:37.779 --> 00:26:40.579
And it's like, oh nope, I don't need that.
00:26:40.579 --> 00:26:47.220
Or you know, I've just seen you say some things here and there, like, nope, we don't need to put bring that into the house or whatever that is.
00:26:47.220 --> 00:26:51.299
And so um, that is something I think that will just come along.
00:26:51.299 --> 00:26:54.659
Like you said, you'd have to trust that it'll come along as you do it.
00:26:54.899 --> 00:27:06.579
Yeah, yeah, because it is a it can be a cycle that you could be bringing in more faster than you are taking the small chunks of getting stuff out and you won't feel that progress.
00:27:06.579 --> 00:27:15.700
So you have to kind of put a stop to that and trust the process a little bit, but it definitely does change your mindset over time.
00:27:15.940 --> 00:27:16.180
Yeah.
00:27:16.180 --> 00:27:20.980
So people will find when they're downsizing, they'll find they have duplicates or triplicates of things.
00:27:20.980 --> 00:27:29.619
Like a lot of times people will buy something because they know they have it somewhere, but they don't know where it is, and so they just go buy it again because trying to find it is too hard.
00:27:29.619 --> 00:27:32.659
Um, and so you're gonna save money in all of those instances.
00:27:32.659 --> 00:27:41.299
If you know what you have and where it is located, um, then you're gonna save money not but not double buying it and all of that.
00:27:41.299 --> 00:27:48.899
And you may, if you're one of those people that has the storage unit, that's you know, $90, $150 a month, whatever that is.
00:27:48.899 --> 00:27:54.019
Um, so that's straight up money right there in your pocket if uh if you have that.
00:27:54.019 --> 00:28:02.180
Um, but even if you don't, um you you're definitely saving on the things that you're not double buying or whatever.
00:28:02.180 --> 00:28:11.539
And then if you actually downsize into a smaller space, you can be saving on utilities and property taxes and maintenance and all of that of a smaller property.
00:28:11.859 --> 00:28:23.379
Yeah, as you um go through your paperwork and you're organizing that, you can find um gaps in things you might be paying for that you're not using anymore, subscriptions, things like that.
00:28:23.379 --> 00:28:32.819
Um, you know, as you start rolling with that mindset of um getting through everything, either hidden savings in those type of places as well.
00:28:32.819 --> 00:28:33.299
Yeah.
00:28:33.379 --> 00:28:51.539
And if you're not paying attention fully to where you're spending your money and you're buying duplicates of things or whatever, um, maybe you're, you know, feel like, oh, I don't have the money to go on a trip or I don't have the money to do this hobby or give this, you know, give to this charity or share with my family or whatever.
00:28:51.539 --> 00:28:53.859
And maybe you'll find that you do have that money.
00:28:53.859 --> 00:28:57.859
You've just been spending it on things and not even realizing that that's what you're doing.
00:28:58.339 --> 00:29:05.619
Yeah, you can shift um that priority to what you want to what you want for your life, back to that dream it.
00:29:05.619 --> 00:29:05.859
Yeah.
00:29:05.859 --> 00:29:06.819
Is that travel?
00:29:06.819 --> 00:29:12.019
Is that being near your family more times during the year, whatever that looks like.
00:29:12.339 --> 00:29:12.740
Exactly.
00:29:12.740 --> 00:29:19.619
So, okay, so number seven, or no, number six, um, you get back the time that you didn't realize you'd lost, right?
00:29:19.619 --> 00:29:23.940
We spend two and a half days a year looking for stuff we can't find.
00:29:23.940 --> 00:29:25.139
Um Yeah.
00:29:25.299 --> 00:29:29.940
Well, was that 143 days over our lifetime when you add that up?
00:29:30.259 --> 00:29:31.460
And usually they're the same things.
00:29:31.460 --> 00:29:40.659
It's it's like your phone, your glasses, your wallet, your paperwork, you know, certain things that you just end up actually looking for over and over and over again.
00:29:40.659 --> 00:29:42.899
So it's not like you're trying to find new things all the time.
00:29:42.899 --> 00:29:57.460
It's the same things that we either don't have a system where we put them in a specific place, or there's too much stuff to look for, um, or we're looking for things like, oh, I know I have that somewhere, you know, then go by and because you can't find it, those kind of things.
00:29:57.539 --> 00:30:15.220
So yeah, when you think about your phone, if you're setting it down somewhere and that room has piles on every table and stacks in the corner and all of that visual clutter that we've been talking through, then you're like, Where did I set my phone down?
00:30:15.220 --> 00:30:18.740
Is like a treasure hunt of give me 10 minutes.
00:30:18.740 --> 00:30:20.819
I need to dig through everything.
00:30:20.819 --> 00:30:35.700
Um, but if those flat surfaces are already, you know, clear or or almost completely clear and um you don't have all those other things to look through, it's just a quick scan around the room, like, oh, there it is on the table.
00:30:35.940 --> 00:30:36.500
Yeah.
00:30:36.500 --> 00:30:42.740
And, you know, it if you're searching for paperwork, you've piles of paperwork, then it's like, wait, where's that one bill?
00:30:42.740 --> 00:30:43.859
You know, where's whatever?
00:30:43.859 --> 00:30:49.859
And you're filing through it, and then you just leave it, then you're just gonna do that again and again and again, right?
00:30:49.859 --> 00:30:55.460
So um touch it once, put it where it needs to go, shred it, whatever that needs to happen.
00:30:55.460 --> 00:31:02.339
Um, and then you can get in in good habits of not having all that stuff that you're shuffling around or sorting or cleaning around.
00:31:02.339 --> 00:31:04.899
Um, people clean 55 minutes a day.
00:31:04.899 --> 00:31:14.339
Uh, they spend 55 minutes a day on cleaning related tasks that might be dishes and you know, things that are all the time laundry, those kind of things, but also cleaning around the house.
00:31:14.339 --> 00:31:18.099
And clutter increases our cleaning time by 40%.
00:31:19.139 --> 00:31:19.299
Yeah.
00:31:19.539 --> 00:31:23.379
Well, that's a lot more that you don't might even want to spend that time doing.
00:31:23.379 --> 00:31:24.500
What could you do instead?
00:31:24.740 --> 00:31:25.059
Yeah.
00:31:25.059 --> 00:31:34.019
Honestly, I think that that increase in in time comes from things not having that home or a routine around that thing.
00:31:34.019 --> 00:31:41.619
And so you're doing a lot of shuffling of things before you're actually cleaning.
00:31:41.619 --> 00:31:44.180
You're cleaning to clean.
00:31:44.500 --> 00:31:45.539
Yep, you're right.
00:31:45.539 --> 00:31:46.659
So you're right.
00:31:46.659 --> 00:31:47.299
Yep.
00:31:47.299 --> 00:31:51.379
Um, and so time is is one of the most emotional upgrades, right?
00:31:51.379 --> 00:31:54.500
So because time makes you feel present in your life.
00:31:54.500 --> 00:32:03.700
You can, you know, do a hobby with that time or spend time with your kids or your grandkids or travel, or you can do like actual things with the time that you buy back.
00:32:04.019 --> 00:32:08.659
I mean, it's the only thing in life that we can't make more of, get more of.
00:32:08.659 --> 00:32:09.859
We have what we have.
00:32:09.859 --> 00:32:23.220
And so, you know, for all of us, I think we would much rather choose those meaningful ways to spend time than um, you know, extra cleaning or extra shuffling of stuff.
00:32:23.220 --> 00:32:27.139
Um, you know, when we think we're probably only using 20% of it.
00:32:27.139 --> 00:32:27.940
Right.
00:32:27.940 --> 00:32:28.819
Anyway.
00:32:28.819 --> 00:32:29.539
Right.
00:32:29.700 --> 00:32:40.579
So even even it it takes time, even to like leaf through the clothes that you aren't wearing to find the clothes that you do wear that you shoved in between those clothes you don't wear when you put your laundry back.
00:32:40.579 --> 00:32:47.059
Like it still takes that time to like and and time if it's five minutes here, it's ten minutes there.
00:32:47.059 --> 00:32:51.220
It's you know, it's not like, oh, it's taking you an extra hour all in one place.
00:32:51.220 --> 00:32:58.099
It's it's little areas all day, all through the day, that it's just adding up eating your time away.
00:32:58.339 --> 00:32:58.500
Yeah.
00:32:58.659 --> 00:32:59.700
Yeah, absolutely.
00:32:59.700 --> 00:33:04.899
Okay, last one, uh, number seven, a renewed sense of identity and purpose.
00:33:04.899 --> 00:33:12.180
So your identity, you know, I feel like myself again.
00:33:12.180 --> 00:33:15.460
Um I feel caught up, right?
00:33:15.460 --> 00:33:26.579
That's that closing the loop, all of those kind of feelings where you are you don't even realize you're kind of beating yourself up about it a little bit, right?
00:33:26.579 --> 00:33:37.059
And so um that's that low level fight or flight anxiety that's happening where you're like, oh my gosh, there's things I need to do, I should be handling, I should be handling.
00:33:37.139 --> 00:34:09.139
And you might be sitting on the couch watching your favorite show, thinking you're curled up fine, but you're not, because underneath it all is that little stuff that then when you lay in bed, it comes up and it's like all those little things, I should do this, I should do this, that cause you to not, you know, have that peace of mind and that, you know, sense of when you can't finish the day with that feeling of I accomplished exactly what I needed to do, I made progress, I closed the loops I could close for today, that does affect so much.
00:34:09.139 --> 00:34:20.659
Um, and so we do often have people living with a lower energy than they're used to, uh just a drain, an overwhelm.
00:34:20.659 --> 00:34:33.940
And so the benefit of just tackling this and getting through the hard part of of doing the downsizing of your stuff or your home and then getting to the other side is like, wow.
00:34:34.180 --> 00:34:34.500
Yeah.
00:34:34.740 --> 00:34:37.220
This is how I, this is how I wanted to get back to.
00:34:37.220 --> 00:34:38.340
This is the feeling I wanted to.
00:34:38.340 --> 00:34:40.099
This is who I am.
00:34:40.099 --> 00:34:40.420
Right.
00:34:40.500 --> 00:34:42.579
I'm not buried under all that stuff anymore.
00:34:42.579 --> 00:34:52.900
And honestly, in in that 300,000 items that we have in the house, a lot of that stuff is um we anchor our identity to certain things.
00:34:52.900 --> 00:34:58.019
And some of the stuff in the house is an identity anchor to somebody we aren't anymore.
00:34:58.019 --> 00:34:58.739
Right?
00:34:58.739 --> 00:35:07.779
Things that we used to do, um, hobbies we used to have, you know, time we used to spend the kids' stuff, like whatever it is.
00:35:07.779 --> 00:35:14.739
Like um, you might not cook as much as you used to anymore, all of those things, but they're anchoring you to um people that you used to be.
00:35:14.739 --> 00:35:25.619
And so you you don't get to grow and be somebody new because all of that stuff is anchoring you into who you were, and you're not using it, but you're also not free from it.
00:35:25.619 --> 00:35:34.659
And so that is part of how if you you can renew your sense of identity by letting some of that stuff go to make room for the new, the new stuff.
00:35:35.059 --> 00:35:42.340
We see a lot of people in our classes and and hear their questions and their comments when we're talking to them in in the workshop.
00:35:42.340 --> 00:36:02.099
And I think there's such a difference between those items that you've kept either being an honor and a memory of something that you did and you love, like, oh, there's, you know, a picture of the prize fish I caught.
00:36:02.500 --> 00:36:03.300
Legacy stuff.
00:36:03.539 --> 00:36:09.300
Yeah, legacy things, or there's all my fishing gear in the basement.
00:36:09.300 --> 00:36:24.820
And there's either a a guilt at yourself for not doing something anymore, or a sadness if you're, you know, if physically you can't, or you know, other changes mean you can't do it the way you used to.
00:36:24.820 --> 00:36:29.619
And so people struggle a lot to see that difference, I think.
00:36:29.619 --> 00:36:35.059
And there's so many ways where you can not say, oh, I have to never think about that.
00:36:35.059 --> 00:36:44.259
I used to go out fishing every weekend or whatnot, but also um, is what emotion is all of that stuff bringing on you?
00:36:44.259 --> 00:36:57.460
Because it's another thing that can just eat at you in those little um, you know, pings that you're not noticing of guilt that you're not doing something or sadness that you're not, instead of being like, oh my gosh, that's a great memory.
00:36:57.460 --> 00:36:58.179
Right.
00:36:58.340 --> 00:37:02.659
And you can remember it and enjoy it and then be somebody different now.
00:37:02.980 --> 00:37:04.820
Be open to new memories of new things.
00:37:04.820 --> 00:37:05.219
Yeah.
00:37:05.300 --> 00:37:06.500
So who do you want to become?
00:37:06.500 --> 00:37:06.739
Right.
00:37:06.739 --> 00:37:08.420
And that's back to that.
00:37:08.420 --> 00:37:14.259
Our first step is getting dreamy about what, you know, what do you what you want that future to look like.
00:37:14.259 --> 00:37:20.659
But don't let yourself be anchored in the past by the stuff that's in your house to not allow that future to come forward.
00:37:20.659 --> 00:37:21.860
Absolutely.
00:37:21.860 --> 00:37:24.820
So um, so yeah, so how do we get there?
00:37:24.820 --> 00:37:26.659
How do we get from here to there, right?
00:37:26.659 --> 00:37:28.579
We have plenty of other podcasts, listen to them all.
00:37:28.579 --> 00:37:28.820
Yes.
00:37:30.420 --> 00:37:38.099
We have lots of plans, lots of ways to approach it, but I think they all come down to, you know, start with the most manageable step for where you are now.
00:37:38.099 --> 00:37:45.779
If that is a quick move that you need, we have a plan that can get you where you need to be or want to be quickly.
00:37:45.779 --> 00:37:51.699
If you've got more time or you're not quite sure yet, we've got um, you know, slower plans.
00:37:51.699 --> 00:38:03.699
But no matter what it is, it's dreaming about who you want to be in the next phase, what that looks like, what you want to be easier, what you want to eliminate that's hard.
00:38:03.699 --> 00:38:09.059
And then how do we get there and how do we make progress to that every day?
00:38:09.300 --> 00:38:09.779
Yep.
00:38:09.779 --> 00:38:13.699
And start with the manageable stuff like a drawer, uh, you know, a closet.
00:38:13.699 --> 00:38:19.539
Like I said, there's t we have tons of other podcasts to listen to about physically, you know, physically how to do it.
00:38:19.539 --> 00:38:29.860
But while you're doing it, take take uh take note of what your moods are and what your stress level is and do one room, like just do a whole one room.
00:38:29.860 --> 00:38:35.699
And then when you walk into that room, how does that room make you feel versus the other rooms in your house?
00:38:35.699 --> 00:38:39.139
And maybe journal that a little bit, but you know, how are you sleeping better?
00:38:39.300 --> 00:38:49.699
Like, I love that so much when we see our clients or people that have come to our classes and they're so excited to tell us about small things sometimes.
00:38:49.699 --> 00:38:56.019
Like, oh my gosh, I I finally tackled my you know closet, I tackled this, I got this done.
00:38:56.019 --> 00:39:07.699
And that that excitement and joy, you guys, it's there and and that momentum just becomes bigger and bigger until what everyone says is I can't believe I didn't do this sooner.
00:39:07.860 --> 00:39:08.179
Yeah.
00:39:08.179 --> 00:39:11.380
We have a Facebook page where people tell us these things all the time too.
00:39:11.380 --> 00:39:16.019
So if you want to join that and get some motivation from those, go to downsizingroadmap.com.
00:39:16.019 --> 00:39:17.860
Our Facebook uh page is on there.
00:39:17.860 --> 00:39:19.059
You can join that.
00:39:19.059 --> 00:39:25.380
Um, we have a free guide with the the dream it, decide it, um, you know, our five-step process to get you started.
00:39:25.380 --> 00:39:26.579
We have some great things there.
00:39:26.579 --> 00:39:30.259
So check out check out uh downsizingroadmap.com for those kind of things.
00:39:30.259 --> 00:39:36.179
And I love hearing when people put on there like I got 13 bags out of my closet, or you know, whatever they're saying.
00:39:36.179 --> 00:39:44.420
And you know, you can just feel how excited they are and how much freer they feel already just from that one, you know, moment that they did, not even the whole house.
00:39:44.500 --> 00:39:47.860
So yeah, if you guys are listening, your better life is waiting.
00:39:47.860 --> 00:39:52.099
So just get started and check out downsizingroadmap.com.
00:39:52.099 --> 00:39:53.219
All right, talk to you soon.
00:39:53.219 --> 00:39:56.579
Thanks for joining us on the Downsizing Roadmap Podcast.
00:39:56.579 --> 00:40:05.059
If you found this episode helpful, be sure to subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with someone who might need a little downsizing inspiration.
00:40:05.059 --> 00:40:08.099
Have questions or ideas for future episodes?
00:40:08.099 --> 00:40:14.019
Reach out to us on our website, www.downsizingroadmap.com.
00:40:14.019 --> 00:40:17.860
Until next time, let's keep simplifying and moving forward.
00:00:01.199 --> 00:00:07.919
Welcome back to another episode of the Downsizing Roadmap Podcast with your hosts Jodi Rosko and Heather Fisher.
00:00:07.919 --> 00:00:13.519
We're talking about all things downsizing, from our own experiences with clients to guest experts.
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Let's make downsizing easier, one conversation at a time.
00:00:17.280 --> 00:00:21.039
Hi, welcome to the Downsizing Roadmap Podcast.
00:00:21.039 --> 00:00:25.839
Seven surprising ways your life gets better when you downsize.
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Yeah, I think that this falls right into our um our first step, dream it, right?
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And I think that sometimes we just are always thinking about the bad things that might happen or the problems that you know it we have to overcome to get there.
00:00:40.399 --> 00:00:45.920
And not do doing that dreamy part of, hey, like what's that gonna look like when we get on the other side?
00:00:45.920 --> 00:00:48.960
And we have always people are just so happy.
00:00:48.960 --> 00:00:54.479
Once they get to the other side, getting there does take some effort, but once they get to the other side, always so happy.
00:00:54.479 --> 00:00:55.920
And these are some of the reasons today.
00:00:55.920 --> 00:00:56.799
We'll talk about why.
00:00:57.039 --> 00:00:58.159
Yeah, I'm Heather Fisher.
00:00:58.320 --> 00:00:59.200
I'm Jodi Rosko.
00:00:59.359 --> 00:01:12.400
Yeah, downsizing, you know, when we say that word, people think that it's just like throwing away everything they own or all about loss and moving, you know, kind of in a backwards path.
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And it really can be um just moving forward and finding that freer, lighter life, not a life of nothing, but a life with so much more that you're gaining.
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So that's what we're gonna talk about today.
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Some of those big things that um you can start dreaming about to give you that motivation to get through it.
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Yeah, and to live that lighter life.
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And so we have some test stats that we talk about in our class.
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Um, and one of them is that the average American home has 300,000 items.
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Um, so no wonder it's heavy and feeling ominous to, you know, let go of some of those things.
00:01:51.280 --> 00:01:55.280
But there's no way that any of us use 300,000 items every day.
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So yes, this is just a staggering number when it's put into number form like that.
00:02:00.959 --> 00:02:06.560
But it that is not things that are serving us or that we love.
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It's just an accumulation number of life and time.
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And people find that when they're moving and they start getting moving boxes and they have to put all their things into boxes, and they're like, wait, I need way more boxes than I thought, because we do very efficiently pack things into closets and storage areas and all kinds of places in our home.
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And um, and that's where that number comes from because we're not using that stuff on a daily basis.
00:02:31.680 --> 00:02:34.639
And so um don't take it with you if you're if you're moving.
00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:43.439
So and then 25% of people with two-car garages can't park even one car inside, and I think it's like 30 some percent can only park one car, right?
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Yeah, yeah.
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We talk about that uh all the time.
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Because they're basically using their garage as a storage unit.
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Yes, or the quarter of Americans that have a storage unit on top of that.
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Correct.
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Correct.
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Also one of our stats.
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Right.
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So we aren't we aren't saying live live with less of the things that you're using already.
00:03:02.960 --> 00:03:08.879
Um, we're saying live lighter of the things that you aren't even using, that you're just holding on to because you have them.
00:03:09.280 --> 00:03:10.639
We've both experienced this.
00:03:10.639 --> 00:03:23.199
I know we've talked about it before, but during a move is when you realize, um, you know, back to an episode we did a couple episodes ago about that clean looking house.
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I mean, this is all of us, whether your house is clean or you're like, oh, no, I see, I have way too much, or whether it's, you know, precisely packed and uh behind those closed doors or cupboards, basements, attics.
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This is something we all can gain these benefits because even if it's organized, even if it doesn't feel like it, it's still weighing on us in different ways.
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Yeah.
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Okay, so let's talk about the seven ways that your life gets better when you downsize.
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Okay, number one is emotional bandwidth comes back.
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And so I'm gonna um geek out on some science-y things because I love it so much.
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So um, Princeton Neuroscience Institute did a study, and what they found was that um visual stimuli will overload your brain.
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And so the more things that you have to look at, the more visual stimuli you get into your brain, to where your brain is can't handle all the things that you have to look at, and it kind of overloads and causes anxiety.
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Yeah, absolutely.
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Um, and then on that same study, they found um that that visual noise that you get from all those things um turns into uh mental fatigue and it impacts your memory.
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Um so honestly, like it's just not good for you to have that many things out and um not just because um you know it might be uh unsafe.
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I mean, we've been in houses that are actually unsafe, they have so many things in them, um, or but it just might just be too much, too many things around, but it actually is scientifically like causing problems um with memory.
00:05:03.839 --> 00:05:18.720
And then um it's they talked about um if you remove the clutter, it directly decreases your distraction and increases your brain capacity to process information so you can be more productive and less irritable.
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So because you have better memory and because you're be able to use your, you know, more of your brain that's subtly being used by dealing with all of that visual stimuli all the time.
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You don't really realize it.
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You don't realize it until it goes away.
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And that's why people always say, Oh my gosh, I feel so much freer.
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Um, because they don't it's it ha it's uh it's this low grade happening all the time.
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Yeah, that low grade stress and those stats speak to me so much because as we're aging, um, so many of us are already worried about brain health and you know, potential um memory issues that may run in our families or that we've dealt with and we don't want for ourselves.
00:06:01.920 --> 00:06:13.519
And you know, what you're saying here is that there are fairly simple ways to just take some of the stressor off of our memory, off of our brains.
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For sure.
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And um, you know, do that.
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So amazing.
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Do your seduco and and clean up your place.
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Yes.
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Yeah.
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So get your daily wordle in.
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Right.
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Do your brain problems, you know, play the cards, do the things.
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But um, but yeah, actually scientifically cleaning things up.
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Environments playing into that as well.
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Your environment is and you don't even know it, honestly.
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Yeah.
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Um UCLA did a study too, um, a little bit different study, and it was it actually was ta showed how um in our bodies, especially women, um, too much stuff spikes um cortisol.
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It's it's literally they can measure more call cortisol in your body if there's too many things around.
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Um and it puts you into like a low-grade fight or flight um place, which is anxiety, um, which can ramp up into bigger anxiety, honestly.
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Um and so that that's something like that, well, like we're saying, that you can just live with all the time and not realize it.
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And what it does is it it tells your brain that you have open loops.
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So I don't know if you have ever heard about um like closing the loop of your chores.
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Have you heard about that?
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So um, like teaching your kids to close their loops, you know, like you don't just take your cereal bowl and set it on the counter, you rinse it and put it in the dishwasher, like right.
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So like it's a whole put the cereal box away.
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Yeah.
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And teaching their brains as kids, and you know, in this instance, teaching yourself by closing those loops, you're following the whole trail of finishing something completely, like setting the bowl still filled with milk is not closing the loop on finishing your cereal.
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It's that whole process.
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Putting the cereal box away, all of that, like so that it like it never even happened.
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So what happens is when we have clutter laying around, it's all open loops in our brain, right?
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All like that meal needs to hand be handled, and this, you know, whatever needs to be handled, and you didn't put that away, or there's no place for that, like you don't have a right place for it, or there's no system for things.
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Um, and so your brain is taken up thinking about the open loops and like feeling like you know, you have that like remember when you're a kid and you're like you had to write a paper and it just hung over you, even if you were out playing and you knew you should be doing it, you know, whatever, um, or doing something.
00:08:30.240 --> 00:08:51.360
So it's like that stuff just hanging over you, like you know you need to do it, and all those open loops take up your brain energy um and and work on your nervous system and prevent you from actually like fully relaxing and um you know being able to just transfer into like a calm you know mindset.
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Um, and so um that creates a vicious cycle because when you have a lot of anxiety, that saps your energy and then you don't want to clean up, and then that causes more stuff to be around and it turns into this cycle.
00:09:05.039 --> 00:09:14.159
So we talk a lot about you know, 15 minutes, like try to do some habits, like just try to start somewhere and get some habits in place that will help you.
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And closing the loop is a big, is a great habit to get into.
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Like you get out your toothbrush and your toothpaste, you put your toothbrush and your toothpaste away.
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You you I saw this thing the other day, and it was like it take it takes like six minutes to do or six seconds to do that, and sixteen seconds to put it all away.
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Like, and so the what was it like the mess was a choice or something like that, right?
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Yeah, that video you shared was great.
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And I think that that all of those open loops in your house, every item, whether you realize you're thinking about it or not, that's what we're talking about, that visual distraction is that your brain is remembering, oh, I haven't done that yet.
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I haven't done that yet.
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Um, so we do talk so often about not looking at this whole mountain of I need to downsize, but how can you break that down, get that momentum, and then you will over time get to that, you know, all the loops are closed.
00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:10.240
Yeah.
00:10:10.240 --> 00:10:12.399
And you don't have to close them all in one day.
00:10:12.799 --> 00:10:13.039
Right.
00:10:13.039 --> 00:10:21.600
So what that will do for you is less irritability, more mental clarity, better decision making, faster decision making, better sleep.
00:10:21.600 --> 00:10:30.639
So those are all things for our brain health that we can work on that you probably aren't even thinking that they relate to your brain health, right?
00:10:30.639 --> 00:10:33.759
Like you aren't thinking if I get my overstuffed clothes closet.
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Right, or that pile of paper my future health.
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Right.
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But it is.
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Yeah.
00:10:38.080 --> 00:10:38.639
It is.
00:10:38.639 --> 00:10:38.960
Yeah.
00:10:38.960 --> 00:10:44.480
So number, so our number one is emotional bandwidth comes back, which actually feels fantastic for people.
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They feel lighter and freer and happier.
00:10:47.279 --> 00:10:47.440
Yeah.
00:10:47.440 --> 00:10:53.759
Upgrade number two, after you've downsized your home becomes calmer, safer, and more functional.
00:10:53.759 --> 00:10:58.000
Um, that could be with or without a physical move, honestly.
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So um all of these upgrades can um be benefits, whether you're downsizing your belongings for now and staying in the house that you're in, or whether you're making uh an actual move to another location, another home, um, somewhere else, uh, but looking for um, you know, just finding that safety and calmness that it can bring.
00:11:21.600 --> 00:11:38.320
Which just falls right into the science we were just talking about, that it will become calmer if it's, you know, less, if there's less stuff around, if it's if it's less cluttered, um, because your that visual chaos will be not there, and then that lets your brain relax and be calm.
00:11:38.320 --> 00:11:41.840
Um, people will report, you know, I love my house again.
00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:54.159
I mean, we get this all the time, and I know I've said this before, but it when we tell people what to do to get their house ready to sell and for pictures, and then they do it, which is clean off all the surfaces and make sure, you know, all the things.
00:11:54.159 --> 00:11:57.679
And then that we come back for pictures and they're like, why don't I live like this?
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And um Maybe I shouldn't move.
00:11:59.600 --> 00:12:00.879
Yes, yes, yes.
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Because they love it.
00:12:01.919 --> 00:12:04.000
They're like, this feels amazing, right?
00:12:04.000 --> 00:12:06.480
Because it's it, yeah, you could they can breathe.
00:12:06.480 --> 00:12:09.120
So they have they they aren't embarrassed by their house.
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They feel like, oh, I can host or people can come over, you know, because there's some level of that sometimes where you just feel like, oh, I don't need them to see my mess, you know.
00:12:16.720 --> 00:12:17.919
I don't, I don't want that.
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So there's a low level anxiety about my gosh, what if somebody comes over?
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Um, you can you feel like you can rest, like you you just you have that peacefulness, um, so you'll get better sleep.
00:12:29.440 --> 00:12:36.000
Safety, we did I did touch on this a little bit earlier, but we have been in homes where there's just so much stuff that it safety is a problem.
00:12:36.000 --> 00:12:38.960
One in four adults over 65 falls every year.
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And you know, that can be clear walkways, um, you know, stuff that's sitting around that's you didn't you put somewhere that you didn't remember, you put it there and you can, you know, stumble over that or things like that.
00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:55.120
Um, but definitely clear walkways, easy, easy to get around.
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It definitely has a safety impact in your home.
00:12:58.320 --> 00:13:13.039
Yeah, especially if at some point you're adding in a walker or a cane, things like that, um, the easier it is to just transition right to that in the space that you're in most often and that you need to be the safest for you.
00:13:13.039 --> 00:13:16.000
Um, if you're ready for that, that is a huge leg up.
00:13:16.559 --> 00:13:22.320
And then functionality in your home, um, you don't have to move as much stuff to clean, right?
00:13:22.320 --> 00:13:24.399
You don't cleaning around as much stuff.
00:13:24.399 --> 00:13:27.840
Um, it's easier to get around, you know, all of that stuff.
00:13:27.840 --> 00:13:33.360
So um especially your routines can be easier if you if you have less stuff.
00:13:33.360 --> 00:13:40.879
And you can find things easier like your glasses and your phone and all of those things that you, you know, if you put down with a bunch of other things, it's harder to see them.
00:13:41.440 --> 00:13:47.519
Yeah, working so hard the last few years to downsize myself as far as my belongings.
00:13:47.519 --> 00:13:55.039
Um, I had my mom coming to visit, and I remember phases in my life where that would have been a monumental, like, oh, mom's coming.
00:13:55.039 --> 00:13:56.799
And I think we all experienced this.
00:13:56.799 --> 00:14:01.200
You want your house to be, you know, just ready for that.
00:14:01.200 --> 00:14:06.639
And, you know, had a very busy week getting ready for that with other things going on.
00:14:06.639 --> 00:14:18.480
And I was like, wow, this is nice because, you know, the night before she was coming, did a few, you know, couple minute things to just wipe some things down and and whatever.
00:14:18.480 --> 00:14:28.559
And we were ready to go because we've gone through this process and the daily momentum has been built and we do those habits.
00:14:29.039 --> 00:14:31.759
So people could drop by anytime at your house and you feel good.
00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:32.240
Yes.
00:14:32.240 --> 00:14:32.559
Yes.
00:14:32.559 --> 00:14:35.679
And it is a very freeing feeling.
00:14:35.679 --> 00:14:42.559
Um, you know, knowing if there is that rare afternoon to just relax, I can do that in that environment.
00:14:42.559 --> 00:14:44.159
So uh it does make a difference.
00:14:44.159 --> 00:14:44.879
I love it.
00:14:44.879 --> 00:14:46.559
See what our clients feel.
00:14:47.039 --> 00:14:50.240
Well, and then you're just living in that peacefulness all the time, which I love.
00:14:50.240 --> 00:14:51.279
I love that too.
00:14:51.279 --> 00:14:55.840
So, okay, um, upgrade number three, your relationships get easier.
00:14:55.840 --> 00:15:01.360
Um so clutter creates a hidden emotional friction in families.
00:15:01.360 --> 00:15:12.639
Um, you know, there are people who are cleaner and people who are not as clean and all of, you know, not even clean, but like have a level of um of I think all of our brains work differently.
00:15:12.879 --> 00:15:13.120
Yeah.
00:15:13.120 --> 00:15:21.279
And I do think, I mean, we've done um episodes on different personality types around downsizing and things like that.
00:15:21.279 --> 00:15:29.440
And all of our brains work differently, and so systems and organization come more strongly to some people.
00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:46.559
You know, some people thrive in the creative mindset, which can tend to have everything be a little more go with the flow and uh loose, and and so it's not we don't want to say like clean or not clean, but it there's different ways of living.
00:15:46.559 --> 00:15:54.879
And what we've also said in many episodes, opposites attract, yeah, and family dynamics between kids, parents, all of that.
00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:57.600
There's so many personalities at work.
00:15:57.600 --> 00:16:01.279
So definitely the clutter can cause tensions.
00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:02.159
Yeah, yeah.
00:16:02.159 --> 00:16:09.200
We're seeing that with our, you know, kids living in, you know, roommate situations or whatever where everyone's different.
00:16:09.200 --> 00:16:14.960
And so then there have to be, you know, ways that they can communicate around what that looks like.
00:16:14.960 --> 00:16:22.080
Um, and so it when that happens, adult children are gonna worry less if it if it feels less chaotic.
00:16:22.480 --> 00:16:23.279
And handled, yeah.
00:16:23.600 --> 00:16:26.159
It it feels um safer.
00:16:26.159 --> 00:16:30.480
It feels like and it yeah, and it feels like things are being handled.
00:16:30.480 --> 00:16:44.639
I think um I think when you walk into a place where maybe there's a lot of dishes and a lot of, you know, things around, and maybe the laundry's not done, and all of those things, um, it feels like, oh my gosh, you know, maybe I need to be worried about this person.
00:16:44.639 --> 00:16:45.200
Yeah.
00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:46.399
And maybe that's not it.
00:16:46.399 --> 00:16:51.519
Maybe that's just their system, you know, or quote unquote system of how they handle things.
00:16:51.519 --> 00:16:58.960
But it does always feel when that calmness that you walk in, then also makes you feel like everything is okay.
00:16:58.960 --> 00:16:59.440
Yeah.
00:16:59.440 --> 00:17:02.720
Versus things that being a little bit more chaotic.
00:17:02.720 --> 00:17:06.319
Um, spouses will argue less about household tasks.
00:17:06.319 --> 00:17:16.400
Um, siblings feel more unified when they're helping their parents because everybody knows what the plan is and what that looks like and we're all on the same page, right?
00:17:16.720 --> 00:17:28.799
Yeah, I think that family conversations can shift from that what feels like a crisis, like there's so much to do, and when are we gonna do this and handle this to just connection type conversations?
00:17:28.799 --> 00:17:31.200
When are we all getting together for dinner?
00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:33.200
When are we doing this?
00:17:33.200 --> 00:17:41.279
Because it's been handled and not everybody has all those thoughts pinging around of what needs done, what needs handled.
00:17:41.279 --> 00:17:50.079
Um, it's just back to how can we spend time together either here in this environment or go off and find adventures?
00:17:50.079 --> 00:17:50.559
Right.
00:17:50.640 --> 00:17:54.720
You're not talking about any kind of crisis situation or things that are happening.
00:17:54.960 --> 00:17:55.200
Yeah.
00:17:55.519 --> 00:17:57.119
You're just enjoying the time.
00:17:57.440 --> 00:17:57.680
Yeah.
00:17:57.680 --> 00:17:59.839
When are we gonna clean out the basement, Mom?
00:17:59.839 --> 00:18:06.160
And when are we gonna fill in the basement garage, this whatever things that all the families worry about?
00:18:06.160 --> 00:18:11.839
Um, that has happened and now you're just living in the connection phase.
00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:12.400
Yeah.
00:18:12.400 --> 00:18:20.559
And so, you know, that helps kids who are long distance who feel like they can't come help, like they don't have to, like they're they're good, things are okay.
00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:34.000
Um, it helps if if if you're in a caregiver position or if you have somebody who's helping you as a caregiver, it helps them feel calm and you know, like things are under control and you know, caregiving is hard.
00:18:34.000 --> 00:18:37.839
And so that is a helpful, a helpful situation for them.
00:18:37.839 --> 00:18:52.000
Um and adult kids, if if they're feeling um worried, then they have to voice that, and that's hard sometimes for them to feels like they have to have a difficult conversation that they don't want to have.
00:18:52.319 --> 00:18:52.480
Yeah.
00:18:52.799 --> 00:18:53.039
Yeah.
00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:57.839
So um, so your relationships can uh really benefit from this as well.
00:18:57.839 --> 00:18:59.039
So yeah.
00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:03.119
Upgrade number four, um, your health quietly improves.
00:19:03.119 --> 00:19:09.279
We touched on this a bit earlier, but um, this is such an important one.
00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:16.880
Um Jodi mentioned, you know, higher household clutter equals higher cortisol levels, especially in women.
00:19:16.880 --> 00:19:22.000
And um, you know, all of these little things, our health is so interrelated.
00:19:22.000 --> 00:19:36.640
So that cortisol affects our gut health, which in turn affects our brain health, our sleep, our sleep, all of the things our level of anxiety about and which are which in that's our moods, like yeah, all of it.
00:19:36.640 --> 00:19:54.880
Yeah, all of the things that if you are having other health issues, you know, doctors will tell you to address all of, you know, reduce your stress and you know, maybe potentially lose some weight, or you're you know, here's where this is stemming from.
00:19:54.880 --> 00:20:02.640
So you can see when you backtrack to the very beginning of that path how it can all snowball into bigger problems.
00:20:03.039 --> 00:20:05.279
And that's that cycle that goes, you know, back.
00:20:05.279 --> 00:20:08.079
And then if you gain more weight, then it's harder to get around.
00:20:08.079 --> 00:20:10.799
All of a sudden, less all of it, yes.
00:20:10.799 --> 00:20:16.960
Um, and and cortisol uh helps or or makes you gain weight and causes inflammation.
00:20:16.960 --> 00:20:21.680
And inflammation is a whole nother thing that does very bad things for your body.
00:20:21.680 --> 00:20:25.279
So um you want the inflammation to not be a thing.
00:20:25.279 --> 00:20:29.359
Um and if you can do that by cleaning up your area, that's crazy, right?
00:20:29.359 --> 00:20:31.920
Like that's not even that's no medication.
00:20:31.920 --> 00:20:36.640
That's that's just you know, things that you are fully in your control.
00:20:36.960 --> 00:20:38.400
Yeah, absolutely.
00:20:38.400 --> 00:20:51.839
Um, so some other things that we've touched on, that mobility and safety upgrades, um, avoiding those falls, um, which can also snowball into bigger um health problems.
00:20:51.839 --> 00:21:06.559
Um, you know, leading cause of problems uh for adult 65 plus are falls, and usually those are within the household just from um, you know, obstacles that are in the way.
00:21:07.200 --> 00:21:07.680
Right.
00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:11.359
And then if things are organized, um, your daily living improves.
00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:19.039
We were talking about your tours and whatnot, but you're you're you might cook more often because it's easier to, there's less stuff in the kitchen or on the countertops.
00:21:19.039 --> 00:21:24.720
Um Mark's Mark's mom had we we went, she just had lots of stuff on her countertop.
00:21:24.720 --> 00:21:27.359
That's just how she lived, and and also on her table.
00:21:27.359 --> 00:21:32.799
And so we would go over there for the holidays and have like this little piece of counter to, you know, cook on.
00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:34.240
And she was just used to it.
00:21:34.240 --> 00:21:36.960
But for us, we were just like, what is happening here?
00:21:36.960 --> 00:21:41.759
You know, and that was it was stressful to us because we didn't live in that environment all the time.
00:21:41.759 --> 00:21:43.920
And probably to her, but she didn't realize it.
00:21:44.240 --> 00:22:12.160
I think there's a lot of people that are used to that and they're they've not seen what it would be like to not have so much stuff on all of those flat surfaces, but the difference on how inviting the kitchen can feel or how Um, much less of a hurdle it would be to cook a simple meal if it was already, you know, bright and cleaned off and all this space to do something simple.
00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:18.400
Um, you will have better nutrition when that's an inviting space instead of like, oh, that feels like a lot.
00:22:18.400 --> 00:22:23.680
I'll just, you know, eat some cheese and crackers or whatever and and substitute that.
00:22:23.839 --> 00:22:24.079
Yeah.
00:22:24.079 --> 00:22:29.599
And I think what happens is it gets like that in our homes, all of us.
00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:31.119
It gets like that.
00:22:31.119 --> 00:22:36.480
And then you you uh just uh ignore that that's happening.
00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:45.440
Like you just live with it, you're just so used to it that you don't even think to yourself, hey, I should clean off that countertop and then I'll have more space.
00:22:45.440 --> 00:22:52.000
It's just like that's what it is, and you stop thinking about options, like you stop thinking about that.
00:22:52.000 --> 00:22:54.240
It could be different, it could be different.
00:22:54.240 --> 00:23:06.559
And so um, you know, if that's the case, take a little section, a little section at a time, move through it, um, and you'll just be shocked at like, wow, this is this is just so much better.
00:23:06.559 --> 00:23:10.960
And it's it's because we just we just stop seeing the areas that we live in.
00:23:10.960 --> 00:23:15.039
We just stop seeing things that are broken or, you know, cluttered.
00:24:03.220 --> 00:24:03.460
Yeah.
00:24:03.460 --> 00:24:22.500
I mean, I think we have a running theme, you know, through all of our episodes that what feels like such a big mountain can be addressed with just those simple clear off one space and feel how that makes that one little area better and then move to the next one and the next one.
00:24:22.500 --> 00:24:31.220
And, you know, don't stop living with that huge thought and just what's the one thing today I could do to move this forward?
00:24:31.539 --> 00:24:31.779
Yeah.
00:24:31.779 --> 00:24:38.339
So your health, I mean, basically it's stress, and stress then floats out to all kinds of other things.
00:24:38.339 --> 00:24:43.940
Um, so it will make your life more your life in your your health in your house more simple.
00:24:43.940 --> 00:24:46.259
So that would that's number four.
00:24:46.259 --> 00:24:50.339
Number five, um, your finances get clearer and lighter.
00:24:50.339 --> 00:24:57.139
So um downsizing, we spend a lot of money on things that we don't need.
00:24:57.379 --> 00:24:57.940
Yeah.
00:24:57.940 --> 00:24:58.420
Yeah.
00:24:58.420 --> 00:24:59.220
What is it?
00:24:59.220 --> 00:25:02.980
$1.2 trillion that Americans spend.
00:25:02.980 --> 00:25:05.700
Um, it's another stat we have in our classes.
00:25:05.700 --> 00:25:09.940
$1.2 trillion on goods we don't need, non-essential.
00:25:09.940 --> 00:25:10.740
Non-essential.
00:25:10.740 --> 00:25:14.420
This isn't, you know, our daily things we need for a living.
00:25:14.579 --> 00:25:17.220
This is just food or, you know, toilet paper.
00:25:17.220 --> 00:25:18.019
It's not that stuff.
00:25:18.019 --> 00:25:26.899
It's stuff that, you know, we buy like because we got it on Amazon or saw it on, you know, TV or bought it at Target, you know, as we walked by or whatever those things are.
00:25:26.899 --> 00:25:38.180
And um so if you are thinking in a in a mindset of do I actually really need this, or you know, I mean, you've you have done that now, right?
00:25:38.180 --> 00:25:44.339
You've downsized your things, but I think you also have a different mindset around the things that you buy or bring into your house.
00:25:44.500 --> 00:25:50.019
Am I I think it's one of those what comes first, the chicken or the egg, and that will never be solved.
00:25:50.019 --> 00:25:58.500
So just do it and downsize, and then you get both the benefit of I have downsized, so now I don't want to go back.
00:25:58.500 --> 00:26:05.619
So I'm more aware of you know, what that that is not gonna be important.
00:26:05.619 --> 00:26:07.539
I'm more aware of what comes in.
00:26:07.539 --> 00:26:17.139
But before I downsized my stuff so much, I had to trust that I just needed to not bring in more and handle what I had.
00:26:17.139 --> 00:26:26.180
So it's it's like you have to jump in and start, but then that is that benefit of once you've done it, you're like, no, I do not want that.
00:26:26.180 --> 00:26:27.700
Do not pile that up there.
00:26:27.940 --> 00:26:37.779
I enjoy my clean surfaces and yeah, I feel like I've seen your mindset around it change since you've kind of gotten really intentional about it.
00:26:37.779 --> 00:26:40.579
And it's like, oh nope, I don't need that.
00:26:40.579 --> 00:26:47.220
Or you know, I've just seen you say some things here and there, like, nope, we don't need to put bring that into the house or whatever that is.
00:26:47.220 --> 00:26:51.299
And so um, that is something I think that will just come along.
00:26:51.299 --> 00:26:54.659
Like you said, you'd have to trust that it'll come along as you do it.
00:26:54.899 --> 00:27:06.579
Yeah, yeah, because it is a it can be a cycle that you could be bringing in more faster than you are taking the small chunks of getting stuff out and you won't feel that progress.
00:27:06.579 --> 00:27:15.700
So you have to kind of put a stop to that and trust the process a little bit, but it definitely does change your mindset over time.
00:27:15.940 --> 00:27:16.180
Yeah.
00:27:16.180 --> 00:27:20.980
So people will find when they're downsizing, they'll find they have duplicates or triplicates of things.
00:27:20.980 --> 00:27:29.619
Like a lot of times people will buy something because they know they have it somewhere, but they don't know where it is, and so they just go buy it again because trying to find it is too hard.
00:27:29.619 --> 00:27:32.659
Um, and so you're gonna save money in all of those instances.
00:27:32.659 --> 00:27:41.299
If you know what you have and where it is located, um, then you're gonna save money not but not double buying it and all of that.
00:27:41.299 --> 00:27:48.899
And you may, if you're one of those people that has the storage unit, that's you know, $90, $150 a month, whatever that is.
00:27:48.899 --> 00:27:54.019
Um, so that's straight up money right there in your pocket if uh if you have that.
00:27:54.019 --> 00:28:02.180
Um, but even if you don't, um you you're definitely saving on the things that you're not double buying or whatever.
00:28:02.180 --> 00:28:11.539
And then if you actually downsize into a smaller space, you can be saving on utilities and property taxes and maintenance and all of that of a smaller property.
00:28:11.859 --> 00:28:23.379
Yeah, as you um go through your paperwork and you're organizing that, you can find um gaps in things you might be paying for that you're not using anymore, subscriptions, things like that.
00:28:23.379 --> 00:28:32.819
Um, you know, as you start rolling with that mindset of um getting through everything, either hidden savings in those type of places as well.
00:28:32.819 --> 00:28:33.299
Yeah.
00:28:33.379 --> 00:28:51.539
And if you're not paying attention fully to where you're spending your money and you're buying duplicates of things or whatever, um, maybe you're, you know, feel like, oh, I don't have the money to go on a trip or I don't have the money to do this hobby or give this, you know, give to this charity or share with my family or whatever.
00:28:51.539 --> 00:28:53.859
And maybe you'll find that you do have that money.
00:28:53.859 --> 00:28:57.859
You've just been spending it on things and not even realizing that that's what you're doing.
00:28:58.339 --> 00:29:05.619
Yeah, you can shift um that priority to what you want to what you want for your life, back to that dream it.
00:29:05.619 --> 00:29:05.859
Yeah.
00:29:05.859 --> 00:29:06.819
Is that travel?
00:29:06.819 --> 00:29:12.019
Is that being near your family more times during the year, whatever that looks like.
00:29:12.339 --> 00:29:12.740
Exactly.
00:29:12.740 --> 00:29:19.619
So, okay, so number seven, or no, number six, um, you get back the time that you didn't realize you'd lost, right?
00:29:19.619 --> 00:29:23.940
We spend two and a half days a year looking for stuff we can't find.
00:29:23.940 --> 00:29:25.139
Um Yeah.
00:29:25.299 --> 00:29:29.940
Well, was that 143 days over our lifetime when you add that up?
00:29:30.259 --> 00:29:31.460
And usually they're the same things.
00:29:31.460 --> 00:29:40.659
It's it's like your phone, your glasses, your wallet, your paperwork, you know, certain things that you just end up actually looking for over and over and over again.
00:29:40.659 --> 00:29:42.899
So it's not like you're trying to find new things all the time.
00:29:42.899 --> 00:29:57.460
It's the same things that we either don't have a system where we put them in a specific place, or there's too much stuff to look for, um, or we're looking for things like, oh, I know I have that somewhere, you know, then go by and because you can't find it, those kind of things.
00:29:57.539 --> 00:30:15.220
So yeah, when you think about your phone, if you're setting it down somewhere and that room has piles on every table and stacks in the corner and all of that visual clutter that we've been talking through, then you're like, Where did I set my phone down?
00:30:15.220 --> 00:30:18.740
Is like a treasure hunt of give me 10 minutes.
00:30:18.740 --> 00:30:20.819
I need to dig through everything.
00:30:20.819 --> 00:30:35.700
Um, but if those flat surfaces are already, you know, clear or or almost completely clear and um you don't have all those other things to look through, it's just a quick scan around the room, like, oh, there it is on the table.
00:30:35.940 --> 00:30:36.500
Yeah.
00:30:36.500 --> 00:30:42.740
And, you know, it if you're searching for paperwork, you've piles of paperwork, then it's like, wait, where's that one bill?
00:30:42.740 --> 00:30:43.859
You know, where's whatever?
00:30:43.859 --> 00:30:49.859
And you're filing through it, and then you just leave it, then you're just gonna do that again and again and again, right?
00:30:49.859 --> 00:30:55.460
So um touch it once, put it where it needs to go, shred it, whatever that needs to happen.
00:30:55.460 --> 00:31:02.339
Um, and then you can get in in good habits of not having all that stuff that you're shuffling around or sorting or cleaning around.
00:31:02.339 --> 00:31:04.899
Um, people clean 55 minutes a day.
00:31:04.899 --> 00:31:14.339
Uh, they spend 55 minutes a day on cleaning related tasks that might be dishes and you know, things that are all the time laundry, those kind of things, but also cleaning around the house.
00:31:14.339 --> 00:31:18.099
And clutter increases our cleaning time by 40%.
00:31:19.139 --> 00:31:19.299
Yeah.
00:31:19.539 --> 00:31:23.379
Well, that's a lot more that you don't might even want to spend that time doing.
00:31:23.379 --> 00:31:24.500
What could you do instead?
00:31:24.740 --> 00:31:25.059
Yeah.
00:31:25.059 --> 00:31:34.019
Honestly, I think that that increase in in time comes from things not having that home or a routine around that thing.
00:31:34.019 --> 00:31:41.619
And so you're doing a lot of shuffling of things before you're actually cleaning.
00:31:41.619 --> 00:31:44.180
You're cleaning to clean.
00:31:44.500 --> 00:31:45.539
Yep, you're right.
00:31:45.539 --> 00:31:46.659
So you're right.
00:31:46.659 --> 00:31:47.299
Yep.
00:31:47.299 --> 00:31:51.379
Um, and so time is is one of the most emotional upgrades, right?
00:31:51.379 --> 00:31:54.500
So because time makes you feel present in your life.
00:31:54.500 --> 00:32:03.700
You can, you know, do a hobby with that time or spend time with your kids or your grandkids or travel, or you can do like actual things with the time that you buy back.
00:32:04.019 --> 00:32:08.659
I mean, it's the only thing in life that we can't make more of, get more of.
00:32:08.659 --> 00:32:09.859
We have what we have.
00:32:09.859 --> 00:32:23.220
And so, you know, for all of us, I think we would much rather choose those meaningful ways to spend time than um, you know, extra cleaning or extra shuffling of stuff.
00:32:23.220 --> 00:32:27.139
Um, you know, when we think we're probably only using 20% of it.
00:32:27.139 --> 00:32:27.940
Right.
00:32:27.940 --> 00:32:28.819
Anyway.
00:32:28.819 --> 00:32:29.539
Right.
00:32:29.700 --> 00:32:40.579
So even even it it takes time, even to like leaf through the clothes that you aren't wearing to find the clothes that you do wear that you shoved in between those clothes you don't wear when you put your laundry back.
00:32:40.579 --> 00:32:47.059
Like it still takes that time to like and and time if it's five minutes here, it's ten minutes there.
00:32:47.059 --> 00:32:51.220
It's you know, it's not like, oh, it's taking you an extra hour all in one place.
00:32:51.220 --> 00:32:58.099
It's it's little areas all day, all through the day, that it's just adding up eating your time away.
00:32:58.339 --> 00:32:58.500
Yeah.
00:32:58.659 --> 00:32:59.700
Yeah, absolutely.
00:32:59.700 --> 00:33:04.899
Okay, last one, uh, number seven, a renewed sense of identity and purpose.
00:33:04.899 --> 00:33:12.180
So your identity, you know, I feel like myself again.
00:33:12.180 --> 00:33:15.460
Um I feel caught up, right?
00:33:15.460 --> 00:33:26.579
That's that closing the loop, all of those kind of feelings where you are you don't even realize you're kind of beating yourself up about it a little bit, right?
00:33:26.579 --> 00:33:37.059
And so um that's that low level fight or flight anxiety that's happening where you're like, oh my gosh, there's things I need to do, I should be handling, I should be handling.
00:33:37.139 --> 00:34:09.139
And you might be sitting on the couch watching your favorite show, thinking you're curled up fine, but you're not, because underneath it all is that little stuff that then when you lay in bed, it comes up and it's like all those little things, I should do this, I should do this, that cause you to not, you know, have that peace of mind and that, you know, sense of when you can't finish the day with that feeling of I accomplished exactly what I needed to do, I made progress, I closed the loops I could close for today, that does affect so much.
00:34:09.139 --> 00:34:20.659
Um, and so we do often have people living with a lower energy than they're used to, uh just a drain, an overwhelm.
00:34:20.659 --> 00:34:33.940
And so the benefit of just tackling this and getting through the hard part of of doing the downsizing of your stuff or your home and then getting to the other side is like, wow.
00:34:34.180 --> 00:34:34.500
Yeah.
00:34:34.740 --> 00:34:37.220
This is how I, this is how I wanted to get back to.
00:34:37.220 --> 00:34:38.340
This is the feeling I wanted to.
00:34:38.340 --> 00:34:40.099
This is who I am.
00:34:40.099 --> 00:34:40.420
Right.
00:34:40.500 --> 00:34:42.579
I'm not buried under all that stuff anymore.
00:34:42.579 --> 00:34:52.900
And honestly, in in that 300,000 items that we have in the house, a lot of that stuff is um we anchor our identity to certain things.
00:34:52.900 --> 00:34:58.019
And some of the stuff in the house is an identity anchor to somebody we aren't anymore.
00:34:58.019 --> 00:34:58.739
Right?
00:34:58.739 --> 00:35:07.779
Things that we used to do, um, hobbies we used to have, you know, time we used to spend the kids' stuff, like whatever it is.
00:35:07.779 --> 00:35:14.739
Like um, you might not cook as much as you used to anymore, all of those things, but they're anchoring you to um people that you used to be.
00:35:14.739 --> 00:35:25.619
And so you you don't get to grow and be somebody new because all of that stuff is anchoring you into who you were, and you're not using it, but you're also not free from it.
00:35:25.619 --> 00:35:34.659
And so that is part of how if you you can renew your sense of identity by letting some of that stuff go to make room for the new, the new stuff.
00:35:35.059 --> 00:35:42.340
We see a lot of people in our classes and and hear their questions and their comments when we're talking to them in in the workshop.
00:35:42.340 --> 00:36:02.099
And I think there's such a difference between those items that you've kept either being an honor and a memory of something that you did and you love, like, oh, there's, you know, a picture of the prize fish I caught.
00:36:02.500 --> 00:36:03.300
Legacy stuff.
00:36:03.539 --> 00:36:09.300
Yeah, legacy things, or there's all my fishing gear in the basement.
00:36:09.300 --> 00:36:24.820
And there's either a a guilt at yourself for not doing something anymore, or a sadness if you're, you know, if physically you can't, or you know, other changes mean you can't do it the way you used to.
00:36:24.820 --> 00:36:29.619
And so people struggle a lot to see that difference, I think.
00:36:29.619 --> 00:36:35.059
And there's so many ways where you can not say, oh, I have to never think about that.
00:36:35.059 --> 00:36:44.259
I used to go out fishing every weekend or whatnot, but also um, is what emotion is all of that stuff bringing on you?
00:36:44.259 --> 00:36:57.460
Because it's another thing that can just eat at you in those little um, you know, pings that you're not noticing of guilt that you're not doing something or sadness that you're not, instead of being like, oh my gosh, that's a great memory.
00:36:57.460 --> 00:36:58.179
Right.
00:36:58.340 --> 00:37:02.659
And you can remember it and enjoy it and then be somebody different now.
00:37:02.980 --> 00:37:04.820
Be open to new memories of new things.
00:37:04.820 --> 00:37:05.219
Yeah.
00:37:05.300 --> 00:37:06.500
So who do you want to become?
00:37:06.500 --> 00:37:06.739
Right.
00:37:06.739 --> 00:37:08.420
And that's back to that.
00:37:08.420 --> 00:37:14.259
Our first step is getting dreamy about what, you know, what do you what you want that future to look like.
00:37:14.259 --> 00:37:20.659
But don't let yourself be anchored in the past by the stuff that's in your house to not allow that future to come forward.
00:37:20.659 --> 00:37:21.860
Absolutely.
00:37:21.860 --> 00:37:24.820
So um, so yeah, so how do we get there?
00:37:24.820 --> 00:37:26.659
How do we get from here to there, right?
00:37:26.659 --> 00:37:28.579
We have plenty of other podcasts, listen to them all.
00:37:28.579 --> 00:37:28.820
Yes.
00:37:30.420 --> 00:37:38.099
We have lots of plans, lots of ways to approach it, but I think they all come down to, you know, start with the most manageable step for where you are now.
00:37:38.099 --> 00:37:45.779
If that is a quick move that you need, we have a plan that can get you where you need to be or want to be quickly.
00:37:45.779 --> 00:37:51.699
If you've got more time or you're not quite sure yet, we've got um, you know, slower plans.
00:37:51.699 --> 00:38:03.699
But no matter what it is, it's dreaming about who you want to be in the next phase, what that looks like, what you want to be easier, what you want to eliminate that's hard.
00:38:03.699 --> 00:38:09.059
And then how do we get there and how do we make progress to that every day?
00:38:09.300 --> 00:38:09.779
Yep.
00:38:09.779 --> 00:38:13.699
And start with the manageable stuff like a drawer, uh, you know, a closet.
00:38:13.699 --> 00:38:19.539
Like I said, there's t we have tons of other podcasts to listen to about physically, you know, physically how to do it.
00:38:19.539 --> 00:38:29.860
But while you're doing it, take take uh take note of what your moods are and what your stress level is and do one room, like just do a whole one room.
00:38:29.860 --> 00:38:35.699
And then when you walk into that room, how does that room make you feel versus the other rooms in your house?
00:38:35.699 --> 00:38:39.139
And maybe journal that a little bit, but you know, how are you sleeping better?
00:38:39.300 --> 00:38:49.699
Like, I love that so much when we see our clients or people that have come to our classes and they're so excited to tell us about small things sometimes.
00:38:49.699 --> 00:38:56.019
Like, oh my gosh, I I finally tackled my you know closet, I tackled this, I got this done.
00:38:56.019 --> 00:39:07.699
And that that excitement and joy, you guys, it's there and and that momentum just becomes bigger and bigger until what everyone says is I can't believe I didn't do this sooner.
00:39:07.860 --> 00:39:08.179
Yeah.
00:39:08.179 --> 00:39:11.380
We have a Facebook page where people tell us these things all the time too.
00:39:11.380 --> 00:39:16.019
So if you want to join that and get some motivation from those, go to downsizingroadmap.com.
00:39:16.019 --> 00:39:17.860
Our Facebook uh page is on there.
00:39:17.860 --> 00:39:19.059
You can join that.
00:39:19.059 --> 00:39:25.380
Um, we have a free guide with the the dream it, decide it, um, you know, our five-step process to get you started.
00:39:25.380 --> 00:39:26.579
We have some great things there.
00:39:26.579 --> 00:39:30.259
So check out check out uh downsizingroadmap.com for those kind of things.
00:39:30.259 --> 00:39:36.179
And I love hearing when people put on there like I got 13 bags out of my closet, or you know, whatever they're saying.
00:39:36.179 --> 00:39:44.420
And you know, you can just feel how excited they are and how much freer they feel already just from that one, you know, moment that they did, not even the whole house.
00:39:44.500 --> 00:39:47.860
So yeah, if you guys are listening, your better life is waiting.
00:39:47.860 --> 00:39:52.099
So just get started and check out downsizingroadmap.com.
00:39:52.099 --> 00:39:53.219
All right, talk to you soon.
00:39:53.219 --> 00:39:56.579
Thanks for joining us on the Downsizing Roadmap Podcast.
00:39:56.579 --> 00:40:05.059
If you found this episode helpful, be sure to subscribe, leave us a review, and share it with someone who might need a little downsizing inspiration.
00:40:05.059 --> 00:40:08.099
Have questions or ideas for future episodes?
00:40:08.099 --> 00:40:14.019
Reach out to us on our website, www.downsizingroadmap.com.
00:40:14.019 --> 00:40:17.860
Until next time, let's keep simplifying and moving forward.
