I love my work as a Professional Organizer. I've learned from seminars offered through my membership with the Professional Organizers of Canada--a terrific organization https://www.organizersincanada.com/.
Mostly, I have used my skills to help individuals prepare their homes for sale. Having made big and small moves myself, I have quite a bit of practice.
Many home owners were open to suggestion and even hands-on help. Others, frankly, were put off. And I don't blame them. Our "stuff" is personal.
Downsizing Advice
One piece of advice I want to give you is to appreciate the stage or life phase you're in. It's okay to not be ready to get rid of things.
I moved baby stuff when we moved and my children were 3 and 5 because I wasn't emotionally ready to let it go. I did take a fair bit to a consignment store to get some money, but even that was difficult. So I neatly packed the keepsake items away in bins and my daughter's baby clothes in a hope chest her grandmother gave her.
Later, when we were about to finish our basement, I had to downsize a lot of items again. I could no longer "store" them in my basement.
Talk about grieving. It was emotionally hard. My kids were, by then, 12 and 14, but I was a preschool Sunday School teacher and still liked to use a lot of toys and learning tools with my students, so still had quite a supply still. Each item had emotional attachment. I could remember buying the items together, or giving them to my children on special occasions.
I won't go back and retrace what I did with it all, but somehow I was effective in downsizing quite a bit. I find it easier to be able to give items to someone I think will appreciate them rather than put them in a charity box.
I will say, I did donate toys to a church yard sale that I didn't attend, and I felt disappointed. Not only did I not get a thank you, I heard no reports about who bought what or how much money was earned. I was caught off guard because I had expectations attached to the process mostly because it WAS so hard for me to let these items go. I wished I'd heard about a mom who was so very thankful to get a cute farm set, or something or other.
When we moved again six years ago, I had to do another purge, but brought many children's items with me again--you know, one day I might have grandchildren. Nevertheless, we have a large home, so have managed to organize things quite well.
As I sorted out my storage room this week I saw that most of my attachment to "stuff" is related to my children because motherhood was my proudest achievement. When they move out, they will be given their items to sort through. On the bright side, I was fine giving away adult clothes and books that no longer served me. And being emotionally ready to do that was a good sign.
Mostly, I have used my skills to help individuals prepare their homes for sale. Having made big and small moves myself, I have quite a bit of practice.
Many home owners were open to suggestion and even hands-on help. Others, frankly, were put off. And I don't blame them. Our "stuff" is personal.
Downsizing Advice
One piece of advice I want to give you is to appreciate the stage or life phase you're in. It's okay to not be ready to get rid of things.
I moved baby stuff when we moved and my children were 3 and 5 because I wasn't emotionally ready to let it go. I did take a fair bit to a consignment store to get some money, but even that was difficult. So I neatly packed the keepsake items away in bins and my daughter's baby clothes in a hope chest her grandmother gave her.
Later, when we were about to finish our basement, I had to downsize a lot of items again. I could no longer "store" them in my basement.
Talk about grieving. It was emotionally hard. My kids were, by then, 12 and 14, but I was a preschool Sunday School teacher and still liked to use a lot of toys and learning tools with my students, so still had quite a supply still. Each item had emotional attachment. I could remember buying the items together, or giving them to my children on special occasions.
I won't go back and retrace what I did with it all, but somehow I was effective in downsizing quite a bit. I find it easier to be able to give items to someone I think will appreciate them rather than put them in a charity box.
I will say, I did donate toys to a church yard sale that I didn't attend, and I felt disappointed. Not only did I not get a thank you, I heard no reports about who bought what or how much money was earned. I was caught off guard because I had expectations attached to the process mostly because it WAS so hard for me to let these items go. I wished I'd heard about a mom who was so very thankful to get a cute farm set, or something or other.
When we moved again six years ago, I had to do another purge, but brought many children's items with me again--you know, one day I might have grandchildren. Nevertheless, we have a large home, so have managed to organize things quite well.
As I sorted out my storage room this week I saw that most of my attachment to "stuff" is related to my children because motherhood was my proudest achievement. When they move out, they will be given their items to sort through. On the bright side, I was fine giving away adult clothes and books that no longer served me. And being emotionally ready to do that was a good sign.
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