The Downsizing Roadmap Podcast

16. Feeling Stuck? Try This 10-Day Downsizing Kickstart

• Jodi Rosko and Heather Fisher • Season 1 • Episode 16

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10 Days to Jumpstart Your Downsizing Journey

Feeling overwhelmed about where to start with downsizing? You’re not alone—and the good news is, you don’t have to do it all at once. In this episode, we walk you through a simple, 10-day plan to help you build real momentum without burnout.

Each day focuses on one small task that’s totally doable—and surprisingly effective. From clearing flat surfaces to facing stuck categories and making that first donation drop, this episode gives you the encouragement and strategy you need to finally get going.

You’ll learn:
 ✔️ How to identify your “why” and use it to stay motivated
 ✔️ The five-bin system to organize your stuff and your thoughts
 ✔️ Ways to involve others without feeling overwhelmed
 ✔️ How to celebrate progress and keep your momentum going

🎯 This episode is perfect for anyone who feels stuck, scattered, or unsure where to begin.

📝 Get the free printable checklist: email heather@theroskogroup.com or contact us through our website: www.downsizingroadmap.com

🎧 Listen now and take the first step toward a simpler, more intentional life.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to Follow our show so you never miss a new one. Have questions, topic suggestions, or need help with your own downsizing journey? We’d love to hear from you!

📧 Email us: heather@theroskogroup.com
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🌐 Learn more: www.downsizingroadmap.com

Let’s simplify, declutter, and create space for your next chapter—together!

Jodi Rosko:

Welcome back to another episode of the Downsizing Roadmap podcast with your hosts, Jodi Rosko and Heather Fisher. We're talking about all things downsizing from our own experiences with clients to guest experts. Let's make downsizing easier one conversation at a time. Hey everybody, welcome back to Downsizing Roadmap Podcast. We're so excited to be with you today. I'm Jodi Rosko. I'm Heather Fisher. And today we're going to talk about 10 days to jumpstart your downsizing journey.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, I think this will be just a quick short path if you're knowing you need to get started to just, it's not going to get everything done, but give a little taste of a few things to do each day to get the ball rolling.

Jodi Rosko:

Yeah, just kind of get yourself moving towards that process and kind of maybe start to get some habits formed,

Heather Fisher:

right? Yeah, and very specific, here's what to do. So I think sometimes that's the stopping point for people. Like, I hear you, and yes, but...

Jodi Rosko:

Like, I'm totally overwhelmed, and I need a plan, and so here's a 10-day plan to just do a little bit every day, In different areas.

Heather Fisher:

Step-by-step instructions on a few things that will really help you get started. So we can dive in and go day-by-day and get through 10 days.

Jodi Rosko:

Build the momentum.

Heather Fisher:

Build some momentum. Doesn't have to be perfect. Save this episode and listen each day. Do it over and over again. Well, yeah, and listen each day and get all 10 days done. So we'll go through it all, and then hopefully tomorrow we have lots of people starting day one. Get some motivation. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I think motivation is the perfect word to start. Let's look at day one, and it's what we always say to start with. Start with your big why and your motivation and what you are looking for. So day one, title of the day, get clear on your why. Yeah,

Jodi Rosko:

I think that a lot of times... When people start thinking about downsizing, it's because something in their life isn't working. And they might not even really be able to put their finger on it, or they might know exactly what the problem is, right? It might be, oh, this just feels like it's overwhelming and too much, or it might be like, hey, I can't get up those stairs anymore. So sometimes it's very clear what that is, and sometimes it's really not clear what that is. But no matter what, I think we need to really look towards the future and see what that can look like and get excited about the future. Um, because I think that's a step people miss a lot about what their mindset is. And it really, really, really helps you when you are, you know, sorting through all your stuff and you're like, why am I doing this?

Heather Fisher:

Yeah. And I think if, even if that why is a little further down the road, when you have that plan, you know, what you're doing it for, and it's okay if it's not the right now, but you're going to be enjoying the space you're in if you do some of this stuff. For sure.

Jodi Rosko:

Yeah, you can, right. You might already be overwhelmed by the stuff that's around you and how heavy that feels, and even if you just lighten that load and then you know where you're going next. Absolutely. You don't have to actually do it all, but... What is that going to look like? Is that being closer to your family? Is that not mowing the lawn? Not taking care of the big house? Is it travel? What is it that is going to be super exciting for you to motivate you through this next 10 days and then beyond to really when you get where you want to go?

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, and I think we're talking about get out a piece of paper and a pencil. I mean, day one activity... write physically write a list what would you be looking for in your next place if it's not where you are now is it just a ranch home is it no stairs is it you know you need people meaning staff of various yeah do you need extra help abilities for that extra help what social things would you love to have what location and I mean I think it's when The same thing when someone's looking for their next home at any level, don't talk yourself out of the things that you want at this point. Right now, we're being dreamy. So make that list as long as it is. And then as you're going down and finding that next place, you might have to weed down and what are the top ones versus the, oh, that would be nice. You might not find every single thing, but I think our buyers in real estate are often surprised as to how many boxes that they can check off when they put it on paper and start looking specifically for that.

Jodi Rosko:

Right, right. Yep. So write down the reasons, write down the reasons why you're doing it, and then a little bit more about where you want to be.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, absolutely. I think that that is a great way to do it. And, you know, don't just think it in your head, write it on paper, get specific. Get dreamy and

Jodi Rosko:

have a list. And then use it as you're going along. Go back and look that. Post that up and be like. Put it on your fridge. Put it. This is emotionally why I'm going to do this.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, absolutely. So that's a pretty easy. You know, relaxing way to spend your afternoon on day one. We haven't even put anybody to hard work yet. Right, just writing.

Jodi Rosko:

Yeah. Thinking. The thinking is, you know, maybe a little bit hard to get yourself in a different mindset, that thinking. But that, yeah, we're not lifting anything heavy today. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe emotions.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah. Heavy emotions. Yeah. Well, that's always part of the process, but we'll get you through it and start day one, this 10 days to get jump-started. Just start with dreaming and getting clear on what it is, why you're thinking about downsizing, and what that perfect next step would look like so that you can move towards it.

Jodi Rosko:

Okay, so day two. We've realized why we're doing it and what we're going to be gaining, what all the pros are. Day two, choose one zone, just one small area that's not hard, not emotional. Don't pick pictures. Choose something easy. Junk drawer.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, and zone could sound like a big word, but we're talking one drawer, one small closet, one... desktop one thing and don't let yourself wander to the big list

Jodi Rosko:

pick the one that's been bugging you right is it is it that you can't get your clothes in your closet is it that that junk drawer doesn't open hardly anymore because you've crammed so many coupons in there like what's happening yeah that's really irritating you and this really is more about getting your momentum started so don't put put on this you know okay now I'm going to clean out my whole house for eight hours because that will stall you. So do something that's little that you can accomplish and you can feel really good about the end of day two and feel like, ah, okay.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah. And I love how you said, pick, pick what's bugging you the most. So get that momentum by doing something that will change your day in a small way. I think for me, I, you know, it's time to, to revisit my bathroom, um, you know, vanity drawers, little disorganized, little extras that I could Definitely clean out. But every day I'm in there to get ready for the day. And you're digging through

Jodi Rosko:

the stuff that you used to use, but now you didn't like that. So now you're going to use the new stuff, but then you didn't throw away the old stuff.

Heather Fisher:

Right, right. So we're talking picking something that... is something you come across every day, has gotten a little out of control, and just show yourself how easy it is to do one space at a time. And like Jodi said, don't pick... heirlooms and photos and paperwork. Probably don't even pick the desk if that's where your paperwork is. That's a little tougher. Pick something super simple. Other ideas of those simple places, Jodi?

Jodi Rosko:

I think you could pick an area of the garage. Maybe it's hard to open your car door out into some, if you've got a lot of stuff packed in the garage. Not the whole garage, just a small section. You could pick the coat closet. Some area where you either Either you use it every day, like you said, and it's annoying you, or you don't ever use it, so it's easy to let go of some of those things.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, yeah. And also, as we said, if that goes really well and it just takes a short amount of time in your day... Stop. Don't barrel forward and be like, that was easy, I'll do three more. Because

Jodi Rosko:

when you stop the first time, you've got that momentum and you're excited and you're like, oh my gosh, I have that accomplishment. I finished it. But if you keep going, then you'll be exhausted by it after that day and you won't have as much momentum.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, so learn that confidence in yourself that you can do a little bit each day without getting burnout and just starting to build that habit. We've talked about that on other episodes, that 10-minute challenge to do 10 minutes every day or to do a quick 100 and those different challenges. That's what this is, something small and manageable and checking that box and then moving on with your day.

Jodi Rosko:

Because you want it to be like, oh my gosh, that was so easy. I could do that every day and that wouldn't be a big deal. Yes.

Heather Fisher:

Yep.

Jodi Rosko:

So

Heather Fisher:

that's it. So days one and two done and not even tired yet.

Jodi Rosko:

Okay. So day three is to create your sorting system. So you're going to set up some basic downsizing zones where you're going to have things that you keep, things that you donate, things that are trash, things that you might want to sell, and then maybe a maybe box, right? An unsure thing. And the unsure thing is really, I think a lot of the problem is that we delay our decisions and we don't We procrastinate deciding what to do with things. And so don't make everything in the unshirt box. Really try to be brutally honest with yourself about what you're using and what you're not using. We've talked a lot about the 80-20 rule and that we really only use 20% of the things in our house. And so you should be able to let go of things in an area where you're working that you aren't actually using. So be honest about them. And So create those zones. Keep, donate, trash, sell, and then a maybe box. And so what goes into each pile?

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, so, I mean, keep... My suggestions would be, you know, if it's a keep, then by the end of that... project room drawer whatever that's what's back in there and so that is a pile while you're sorting but by the end of the day when you're finishing up that is back in your home it's there for use and you're you know you're done with that area and then the donate pile if at all possible if your space allows if you have a room that can be a room or a spot where the donate box can live and the maybe box can live while you're doing this. By the end of the day, you don't want to have every room end up with piles in the corner. Then you'll be frustrated and it will be harder to go back and address them. So move stuff straight to the maybe box little area and we'll talk about that a little further you know a bit later on what how to get through and make those decisions on that and that donate box keep it close while you're going through something and then you know move it closer to the car move it closer to you know the garage if if you're having a pickup done but move it out of the spaces so that as you accomplish each task or each area you're getting them back to being your living spaces with less and not living among all four of these piles. Trash if you know make it a pile or a bin while you're working and then get that out to your trash receptacle and get that out each week when the trash pickup is. Don't keep it piled in corners as, oh, well, I'm not done with the whole house yet. Because once you

Jodi Rosko:

clear the space, it just starts to feel so much better and it feels like you have accomplished something. So if all you've done is made piles and then you don't do anything with the piles, that's a problem because now you feel like it's almost messier than it was before you started.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah. And then you're like, do I move on to something else? Do I have to clean up this mess? And you start shoving the things that you've already sorted away. back into, oh, someone's coming for dinner. I've got to shove all this back in a closet and all of that. So try to work in a way where you're moving those piles appropriately either back into the house for the keep or into donator trash and out of the house as you can get them to where they need to go and not letting that maybe pile grow too big. I think there's ways with that maybe pile you can define it's going to be I'm not going to let myself have more than this one large box or I'm not going to let myself have more than these two shelves in the garage whatever that looks like if you're putting some parameters you find yourself wanting to put something else in that maybe pile and it's already full What are you going to make a decision on? So there's

Jodi Rosko:

a couple of things about what we were talking about before. If it's the 10 minute, you know, or just a quick one thing, one area, one small area. Decision fatigue is a real thing. And so if you find yourself putting everything in the maybe box or not being able to make decisions about it, then it's time to stop for the day. So that's number one. But the maybe box, really what it should be, is things that you are pretty sure you don't want anymore, but you still have in your little nagging part of your mind going, what if I need this? What if I'm going to use this? What if I whatever? And so the idea of the Maybe Box is that you've pretty much already made the decisions about it. So if you don't need something from that box after six months, you can donate it without looking again. Because the idea is you've really already made the decisions. You see Seal up the maybe box and put it wherever the donations are and mark the date six months from now. And it's time for it to just donate then. You don't need to open it up and look at it again because then you're, you know, re-deciding. So you don't need to re-decide. You only need to open the maybe box if in that six months you know specifically something that is in that maybe box that you're like, oh my gosh, I need that thing.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah.

Jodi Rosko:

And you can go get it. But it's like a holding place for you. But what you'll realize is most of the time you won't even remember it's in that box.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah.

Jodi Rosko:

You just won't remember.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah. And don't force yourself to make all those decisions again by opening it. Right. Yeah. That's just.

Jodi Rosko:

The idea is you've pretty much made the decision. 90%, you just are a little worried about it.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, push yourself over that cliff.

Jodi Rosko:

So you're going to label those boxes, clear bags, you know, to avoid the confusion and whatever goes to donate, whatever's trash, we're going to just handle it. So that's day three.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, you're really just setting up a zone that you're ready to dive in. And I mean, it's like when you go to paint a room, painting... the room itself doesn't take that long. But you wake up, I'm going to paint this room today on the weekend. And then you're like, oh, I have to go to the store and buy the brushes. And I have to tape it all off. And I have to pick out the paint color. And it's two or three hours before you're actually painting. So that's what day three is. You're just getting set. You have trash bags. You have boxes. You have them labeled. You've decided where those zones are. And you don't have to do anything that day except set up.

Jodi Rosko:

Get yourself ready.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah.

Jodi Rosko:

Okay, day four, tackle sentimental. Choose a category with low... Emotional weight. So sentimental light. So not tackle, sentimental, tackle.

Heather Fisher:

This is like a little dipping your toes in the water day.

Jodi Rosko:

Okay.

Heather Fisher:

So we're going to just pick something that is bordering on sentimental, but it's not your hardest. Sentimental light. Yeah. Got it. We got to dive

Jodi Rosko:

in a little bit. So maybe holiday decorations.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, that's a good one.

Jodi Rosko:

Or, you know. I

Heather Fisher:

think holiday decorations are a great thing to go through. Mm-hmm. and you unpack, you're not going to remember if you gave stuff away and you're not feeling that, oh, I could just, you know, nudge this little last snowman, you know, out and tuck it here or tuck it there. I think that you maybe have a different mindset when it's not the season of whatever you're going through for holiday. I

Jodi Rosko:

agree. So it's just kind of has a different look and you kind of bring it out and you're like, oh, I don't know about that. Yeah. Or another good time is if it is after the season right and so you have your bins or boxes or whatever of your holiday stuff and you realize there's stuff in there that you haven't put out in a couple years it just leaves it's the bottom of the bin stuff that just never ends up coming out that stuff needs to go

Heather Fisher:

yeah absolutely and especially if your space is changing yeah you're just not going to put you won't have the space to

Jodi Rosko:

put right exactly yeah so yeah so choose something You're just going to practice letting go of something that has a little bit higher stakes without having it be... the highest stake

Heather Fisher:

ones. Yeah, just getting our feet wet and practicing, making some decisions. There is a difference. It is harder on the things that define those sentimental items like holiday decorations or whatever. Those come with the feelings of those things that you celebrate with your family or friends or yourself. They are harder than your junk drawer and your kitchen, but don't tackle the hardest. This is just day four And we just want to tackle one thing. And again, don't bite off more than you can chew for one day. If you have 10 bins of Christmas decor, you know, let's set a goal. You know, I'll do two bins today and then you're done. Define it before you get started so that you can be done, whether that's a time limit or... a certain number of boxes, a certain area, always make sure you're defining for yourself when you can be done for the day before you get started and just get fed up. Yeah.

Jodi Rosko:

Okay. So sentimental light, we're going to tackle something that is a little bit sentimental, but not something that's going to just totally bog you down.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah.

Jodi Rosko:

Day five, do a home walkthrough. So with a pen and a notebook, walk through your house like you're a buyer or a stager and say, you know, would I move this? Is this room look too cluttered? You know, real estate agents can always come and do this walkthrough with you too. They're excellent at, you know, if you're, you know, thinking you're going to sell it, you know, somewhere down the road, they're excellent at helping you, you know, tell you if there's too much stuff in the room. But think model home, right? When you're looking through. So if you're looking at it with fresh eyes and going oh if I was buying this house like what would that feel like to me and it might feel like oh gosh that's crowded I need to get rid of some of this furniture know that you can always call for a donation you don't have to be done when you when you're going to donate things so if you're feeling like oh my gosh we just have If I could just get some of this stuff out of the way, it would be easier to work on the other stuff. And you know you're not going to keep it. Call and get a donation pickup for just that certain amount of stuff and just kind of get that out of your way so that you can start to breathe in your space. Yeah,

Heather Fisher:

I think that that walkthrough is going to be writing that list for– you know after this 10 days we're giving some little tasks and samples on things you can do each day to get in those habits but that list you you make is really going to help as you need to go through your whole house if you're again on paper and you know paper and pencil make it so much easier to let it out of your brain and know you have it and you're just kind of defining the projects that you need to tackle on future days or pieces of those projects and instead of that vague, I need to downsize my whole house.

Jodi Rosko:

Right. Or I need to fix certain things or whatever. Yeah. Um, you know, yeah. Make notes of areas that you are going to, as you do, as you create that habit of cleaning out, like you can say, Oh, let's make a little list of these areas and then you can check them off day by day in your 10 minute of cleaning.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah.

Jodi Rosko:

The other thing is we just live with stuff. Um, that we wouldn't you know when you go to sell your house you wouldn't let that be right so for example Mark had to change the shower head out on our old house on the shower and so he did that and then he had to patch the drywall a little bit and sand it so it was left with this white sanded around our darker walls in the bathroom for seven years y'all seven years because I just didn't look like look at it anymore like it I don't I didn't see it like when you are living up in a house you just are like ah i'll get to that or oh that's fine or oh whatever but if you are walking through with fresh eyes you're like oh yeah that totally needs to be painted

Heather Fisher:

yeah or

Jodi Rosko:

that needs to happen and and then the part that's going to really irritate you is that it will take you know 15 or 20 or 30 minutes to do you know one of those jobs that has been that like that for seven years and you've just lived with it and you didn't even know how irritating it was to you all those little things until you get them done and then you're like,

Heather Fisher:

why did I not just do that? To not have a big white patch of drywall. And I mean, Oh, my gosh. I had that in my old house, an area. And, you know, when did I get it fixed and painted? Like right before I sold. So I didn't enjoy it for 10 years. I had that. It irritated you. Yes. So not only is it, you know, establishing your project list, but it is making that list of, you know, a whole list that you might need just a handyman for that can tackle that. And having it all on one list, honestly, will make it easier to find someone to come out and do all of it at once and more cost effective if you've got these 10 little things that all need handled and you know you can get that person to come out and do all of it and not be paying a trip charge and this and piecemealing it yeah you're just kind of doing that and you know if a move is on the horizon you know on on day five that is a great time to have us out And do that walkthrough with you.

Jodi Rosko:

Because we can also talk about what might need to be addressed and what might not need to be addressed. Don't start making big changes to the house without talking to somebody about if you're moving soon, whether you're going to get your return on investment or you even need to do that.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, or that resource of who to call. We have that for you. Right, for sure. So day five, again, you're really just walking through and really looking at your house. I think all of us live in our houses every day, but it's a long time before you really walk through and think. That

Jodi Rosko:

blind's

Heather Fisher:

broken. You know, whatever. The littlest silly things. So, okay. So that's day five. Day six, we're going to focus on the flat surfaces. So that would be. kitchen countertops, bathroom countertops, desks, coffee tables, side tables, nightstands, all of those flat surfaces that it differs for different people. If yours are already 99% clear of things, then take the day off. But most of us live in a combination of Too much knickknacks and decor that could be streamlined and downsized. And also just the piles.

Jodi Rosko:

Yeah, paperwork often gets so out of hand for this, especially kitchen countertops and your kitchen table, you know. yeah, we've seen lots of, of houses where you barely, you can't, you have to move things into the kitchen table to even, you know, put your papers down to talk to somebody or eat. They're just kind of Mark's parents were like that. It was just like, you kind of had to shove a little area. Um, and that stuff just accumulates and we get that. And there's other podcasts you need to listen to about paper and how to handle it. So we can not have that all over, um, your, your surfaces. But yeah, a lot of it, I think what happens is you even with knickknacks and shelves and all of that stuff is you just, again, you add and add and add and you just never really take away. So when you look at it with a fresh eye, it looks crowded. And when you, you know, first put those shelves together they didn't look crowded because you didn't have as much stuff but then you got some more things and you put them in there and you put them in there and you put them in there and same with nightstands stuff really can accumulate on your nightstands or your bathroom counters you know maybe you have so much stuff that you you know medicines and lotions and whatever that you don't put it in underneath or put it away and maybe if you cleaned out all the ones underneath that you don't use, then you could put the ones that you do use away.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah. It's a whole different mental state going through your day in the house if there's a lot more clean surfaces. It's just mentally. We've talked about that distraction study. Yeah. life will feel easier and lighter and freer and you'll get more done on other things if those surfaces are not Well, and think

Jodi Rosko:

about how much easier it is to wipe down the counters or wipe down the bathroom sink or clean the kitchen table if there's not all kinds of stuff on it that you're trying to clean around or move around

Heather Fisher:

and all of that. Closets are full. Everything behind closed doors are still full. If you've made an impact on your flat surfaces, it will feel so great at the end of day six to go through and have done a sweep and reduced that back to the 80-20 rule. You could probably get rid of 80% of what's there and not miss it, not need it. Right. So even if you got rid of

Jodi Rosko:

30 or 40 or 50% of it, it's going to be...

Heather Fisher:

Yes. Great. Yes. It will also make, let's say, like the next steps of pulling stuff out of a closet or a cupboard or whatever. If you're not pulling it into a room that's cluttered, it actually gives you that mental space to work. to work and to sort something as you're going through it.

Jodi Rosko:

Right. If you're cleaning out your kitchen cabinets and what you need to do one cabinet at a time is take everything out and put it on the counter and look at it and be like, oh, I haven't used that in 10 years. You know, if the counter is already full of stuff, it's really hard to do that.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah. I think in general, We keep so much on our kitchen counters that we use infrequently. If you take just a glance around your kitchen, if you're using something daily, then maybe that is the best place for it. But if it's an appliance that you're using once a month, once every two weeks for something daily, try your hardest to find a cupboard to put that in or think about do I really need it at all and can I get rid of it because it's hard to cook if there's just appliance after appliance taking up that depth on the counter yeah so okay flat

Jodi Rosko:

surfaces clean yes day six done day seven involve a buddy So invite somebody to help you declutter or just talk to you about the process. It could be your kids. It could be a friend. It could be a downsizing person. It could be an

Heather Fisher:

organizer.

Jodi Rosko:

Yep. Yep. So third parties have different lenses around what's going on. And sometimes that can be very helpful sometimes. Your kids, sometimes that can be helpful and sometimes it cannot. It just depends on the kids and your relationship with them. So if your kids are going to be supportive and, you know, that's good, then them. If not, maybe you need a third party friend or family. organizer that can help you with

Heather Fisher:

that. Yeah. I think we're on day seven now. So if you have just been like, Oh, I am feeling so good. This is awesome. I'm ready. What's next? What's next? What's next? Then maybe that is just inviting a friend over to do it with you or, you know, your adult kids and, and that's going great. If you are like, wow, it's day seven and I'm struggling to do these things each day. And I don't, I still don't have an idea where to start or I'm struggling with the task, then that may be a big hint that a professional is someone that can help you move along because you know all of this once you're through this 10-day jump start it's repeating a lot of this so if it's a struggle there are resources out there that are great and can give you that perspective and that physical help and you know talk through some of the emotions around it as well

Jodi Rosko:

well and I think I mean everything everything in our house has a story but not all the stories are important to tell right yeah I mean if I just have you know shirts in my closet that I need to get get rid of. There's not a lot of things that I need to tell somebody about. But if I'm dealing with things that are a little bit more sentimental or emotional, then sometimes I just need to tell the story around that thing to someone who will listen to that story. And it's easier to let go of that thing once you've told the story around it. And so that's kind of part of what involving somebody, a buddy is. They can help you get through the things that are a little bit more emotional or that you just want to share. You know, you want to share your stories, photo If you're doing photos, that's a great time to have somebody else there to talk about the people in the photos and the experiences that you were having and things like that. So some of this stuff, when you go through it, will not be emotional. Some of this stuff will be like, I should have gotten rid of this years ago and I still feel great about it. And some of this stuff is going to be like, oh, this is really hard. Yeah. That's what the buddy person is there for.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, and sometimes it's just nice to help the time pass. Yeah. And you're just getting, you know, it might be the junk drawer or the kitchen cabinets or whatever. I know you had a friend help you with your kitchen, and it just goes quicker and easier. You're chatting. You're chatting. You're not necessarily about the stuff. It's just an enjoyable way to spend time with people that you care about.

Jodi Rosko:

Well, and if you get that person, have that person be somebody who's like, honestly, you don't use that, do you? Don't have that person be like the saver of everything.

Heather Fisher:

Oh, I'll take that. If you don't want it anymore, then you're going to be at their house next week doing the same thing. Yeah, so. Jerry Seinfeld say, eBay, we're just mailing our trash back and forth to each other don't do that with your buddy you don't press it back and forth

Jodi Rosko:

right right so you want somebody who's gonna help you with the process and understand the process that you're trying to to do

Heather Fisher:

yeah yeah okay so day seven I hope you all had lots of fun with your friend over because we're diving into day eight we're back to another harder a stuck category

Jodi Rosko:

yeah

Heather Fisher:

so we you know you'll notice in this little jump start plan um which i think is a good strategy all the way through When something gets hard, bounce out to something that's a little easier. Take a day that's a little less involved emotionally or physically. So we've done that a few times. Now we're going to choose one category that we're stuck on. It could be clothing. It could be books. It could be your family heirlooms. It could be boxes and boxes from somebody else's house that or in your garage or your attic your basement you know let's talk a little bit about some of those tips for sorting through those things quickly and making decisions

Jodi Rosko:

yeah so I think I think we we have had a lot of people who have gotten things from their family and things that they don't necessarily want i'm not even sure their family wanted them but then they had them and felt guilty and passed them down because they couldn't make those decisions um and so that's a place where you could handle a stuck category and just honestly give yourself the permission to not have to keep it if you don't want it um so you ask your family if they want it if there's Ask, though. Don't then just give it to them as the next hand down of guilt. Because guilt's not a gift, right? And then if not, if you love it and you are displaying it and you are using it, great. If it's in a box in the basement or the attic and you just have it because you have it, it's time to let it go to somebody else who wants it. So if that's family, fantastic. If that's not family, then great. We have a lot of resources for donation on our website at downsizingroadmap.com. Or if you're in a different area, you can find some really great places to donate things.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, where it can be impactful and meaningful to the recipient. So I guess

Jodi Rosko:

when we're doing that stuck stuff, it's just are you going to use it? Are you going to love it? Those are the questions that you need to be asking yourself. Are you displaying it, you know?

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, and what's it keeping you from? That's a great day to pull out that dreamy list from day one that is holding on to all of this, keeping me from the things on this list. Yeah, because it's not going to fit. Yeah, you honestly can't get from here to there without going through all of these. And in what way could I take a piece of why this category is important to me Yeah. Yeah. There are ways, just like how you took just the salad plates from your mom's extensive china collection. I saw it all laid out at the house. I mean, every serving bowl and platter and teacup and saucer, but you honor it so much by enjoying and loving the salad plates from that collection every year and so much less to store. Right, and it

Jodi Rosko:

still feels the same to me.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah, and it brings back all of the memories of the Christmases where you had that full set at your mom's and your grandma's house so look for ways to do that to move past those categories and feel good about them not feel like oh those ladies on the podcast told me to throw away everything I love right no

Jodi Rosko:

throw away all the things you don't love yeah keep the things you

Heather Fisher:

do love keep what you love and honor them yeah so that you're keeping the memories that you love and enjoying them every day instead of dusty boxes so yeah so that's day eight And almost done. We're getting to the end of 10 days. Day nine, this is an important one. So way back on, I think, day two, maybe, or day three, when we set up those zones, hopefully you've put things in the trash box and the donation box and the keep box should be put back into the house every day and the maybe box. But it's time to make a donation drop soon. get it out of the house so if you haven't started yet and you want to you know schedule that nine days from now if you're starting tomorrow you know schedule that and and someone can come pick it up if not you know pack up that car and drive it to wherever you're wanting to donate. Like Jody said, we've got a lot of places that are great, but get it out of the house. Move it out of the space before it creeps back in, before it gets pushed further into a corner of the garage and becomes... more stuff that you have to go through again in a few years.

Jodi Rosko:

Yeah, you don't want it to be, you don't want it to sit around long enough that you don't remember what it is, and then you have to go through it again. Like, it's like one and done. You touched it, it's done, moving on. So... Back when I was having some garage sales, because Mark thought that was a great idea, and I actually don't love garage sales, but when that was happening, he would make sure that we had boxes so that whatever didn't sell at the garage sale was absolutely not coming back in the house. And so he would literally pack it up as soon as the garage sale was done and take it straight to Goodwill or whatever donation place that you were looking at, and it would be out of the house and never... come back in the house because that's an easy thing to do to rethink it

Heather Fisher:

yeah

Jodi Rosko:

over and over

Heather Fisher:

yeah and I think that that that's a great spot where people that want to help you through this process if if that's hard for you physically if it's boxes if it's a lot if you've done a great job and there's lots to move out call in those resources a friend a neighbor your adult kids and you know say hey let's have some coffee and can you help me get all of this to the donation center and you know everybody would be thrilled to help with that you've already made the decisions and you know there's help to do that and it's so freeing once it's moved out of the house and it's done

Jodi Rosko:

yep for sure and then it gives you room to do more work right so yeah make the donation drop or call for call for it and get a pickup and have them pick up some you know things and yeah clear it out a little bit day 10

Heather Fisher:

Day 10 is a celebration. Yeah. So not a lot of work here. Just reflecting on how it went, where your challenges were, where you might need to pull in some outside help and where, you know, you're confident to continue on that path and then choosing your next plan, whether that's laying out your next 10 days, whether it's starting, you know, back at day one and picking, you other zones to go through, just laying out that weekly habit, that daily habit of what are you going to tackle in what order and then celebrating that you accomplish things. There's less in your house because you've been to the donation center, you know, a couple cupboards and doors or drawers and, you know, a couple hard things. categories are started or all the way finished. So that's awesome. And decide how you're going to celebrate yourself. Yeah. Whether that's flowers for your nice clear countertops. Ice cream. Some ice cream. That would be my choice. Coffee, you know, just a rest day and, you know, sit with a good book and look around your nice uncluttered space and celebrate.

Jodi Rosko:

Love that.

Heather Fisher:

So that's it. I think we've hit all 10 days. Perfect. And, you know, this is just designed to give you that jumpstart. If you don't know where to start, this will get that ball rolling and get the momentum started. And then you just keep on keeping on.

Jodi Rosko:

Yeah, nothing, no perfect way to do it. Just start. Yeah. And, you know... 80% good enough is good enough.

Heather Fisher:

Like it doesn't

Jodi Rosko:

have to be perfect.

Heather Fisher:

Done, not perfect. Right. Exactly. Done,

Jodi Rosko:

not perfect. That's right.

Heather Fisher:

Yeah. So awesome. Well, if you guys have questions, if you'd like this list, you can always reach out to us on downsizingroadmap.com and just send us an email and ask for the copy of the 10 days so you can work through it yourselves. And we can't wait to hear how it goes for you. Share your progress with us. Yeah. Okay. Well, we will be back for another Thanks for joining us on the Downsizing Roadmap podcast. 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. Have questions or ideas for future episodes? Visit us on our website, www.downsizingroadmap.com. Until next time, let's keep simplifying and moving forward.

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Heather Fisher

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Jodi Rosko

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