Are you up to your eyeballs in stuff? Even if you are not a candidate for the show ‘Hoarders”, we all need to de-clutter occasionally. Stuff, it seems, just creeps in and multiplies without conscious effort on our part.

Spring is around the corner and it is the perfect time for a clean sweep.

If you are getting ready to sell or preparing to downsize, there is no better time than now to start editing your possessions. Need help? There are professionals who special in organizing and in liquidating if you don’t have the time or inclination take on the task yourself, but only you can decide what is really important to you. Editing down to just the best of the best is difficult and often emotional, but if you are planning to downsize it is critical. De-cluttering and downsizing is often very freeing.

Conventional wisdom on de-cluttering advocates the box or pile method: go through each space and sort into 4 piles: throw away, donate (or pass along to family members), sell, and keep. When you are preparing to move to smaller square footage, the "keep" pile requires a great deal of thought.

Having a cohesive plan for what will make the move is essential. Planning not only from a ‘will it fit?’ space perspective, but also from a ‘will it WORK?’ design and scale perspective will save time and regret later on. For example, suppose you have a favorite hand-painted armoire you are currently using for storage. It looks terrific in your home with the scale of things around it and in the room, but will it look good with different things? Or in a smaller room? Or with lower ceilings? Will the bulk of it make the whole room feel uncomfortably lopsided? Does it need to be balanced with furnishings or artwork on an opposite wall? Will it fit through the doors or up a staircase to get to it's new destination? Just because it fits on the floor plan (and yes, you should measure everything and yes, you should have a floor plan!), doesn't mean it will be just fine as is. It might, or it might not. It may need re-thinking. Can the doors be re-used on built-in storage in the new space or re-purposed as artwork so you can enjoy your favorite things about the piece without the bulk? Creative solutions are often necessary.

For help with strategic planning and creative solutions for your move, check out our ReNesting services.

What is the most difficult part of deciding what to take to your next house?