The Downsizing Roadmap Podcast
Welcome to The Downsizing Roadmap Podcast, your go-to resource for navigating the emotional and practical challenges of downsizing. Whether you’re helping a senior loved one transition to a smaller space, embracing minimalism, or simply looking to simplify your life, this podcast offers expert tips, heartwarming stories, and actionable advice to guide you every step of the way.
Join us as we share insights, interview trusted vendors, and explore real-life journeys of letting go and moving forward. Tune in to find inspiration, solutions, and support for creating a lighter, brighter future.
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Meet Your Hosts:
Jodi Rosko and Heather Fisher
Realtors and Downsizing Specialists
The Rosko Group
Keller Williams Community Partners
https://downsizingroadmap.com/
The Downsizing Roadmap Podcast
39. A 12-Month Downsizing Plan: The 3-Space Method for a Lighter Life
Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.
What if you could downsize your home—without overwhelm—by focusing on just three key spaces over the next 12 months?
In this episode of The Downsizing Roadmap Podcast, Jodi and Heather introduce The 3-Space Method, a simple, year-long plan that helps you clear clutter and create breathing room one quarter at a time. Instead of trying to tackle everything at once, you’ll focus on the three areas that make the biggest difference in your daily life.
Each month builds on the last—with practical, doable actions like:
- Choosing your “Big 3” focus areas
- Clearing surface clutter for quick wins
- Deep-diving by category to make lasting progress
- Creating functional, simplified spaces that support your next chapter
Whether your goal is to move, simplify, or just live lighter, this episode gives you a roadmap for real results in a realistic timeframe. By the end of the year, you’ll have downsized three major areas and built lifelong habits to keep the calm going.
🎯 You’ll Learn:
- How to choose your most impactful focus areas
- Why one-quarter-at-a-time progress beats all-or-nothing goals
- The mindset shift from decluttering to designing your next stage of life
- How to celebrate progress and build sustainable habits
It’s not just about less stuff—it’s about more freedom, clarity, and space to live the life you want next.
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Let’s simplify, declutter, and create space for your next chapter—together!
Welcome back to another episode of the Downsizing Roadmap Podcast with your hosts Jody Roscoe 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.
Heather FisherWelcome back to Downsizing Roadmap. Today we are talking about a three-space decluttering plan, kind of a longer roadmap, a path to just a lighter life and getting started with this challenge. I'm Heather Fisher.
Jodi RoskoI'm Jody Roscoe. Yeah, we're talking about taking a year and just kind of deep diving on some you know specific areas. If you have some extra time, I mean, even if you're not moving, right? I mean, just this is just a great way to um give yourself a a plan, a little roadmap to um to get some areas cleaned out and start first thinking about it and focus on what you're gonna actually accomplish. Because I think that's where we get off track sometimes.
Heather FisherYeah, I think people either get close to their timeline and feel this way, or they just go through, you know, many years of feeling like I don't have time to declutter. And um, you know, this is the same in in many places in life, but it's not that we don't have enough time, it's that we don't have a system. Right. You know, I love a system.
Jodi RoskoAnd I I am such a a convert to how systems just change your life because I was more of a seat of your pants kind of person, and honestly, systems do and will change your life. So if you have the time to um make a plan for your time and use it wisely, this is kind of what we're talking about this time. This so we're talking about um so that at the end you will have you know meaningful change. So, because I think what I would do as a seat of a pants kind of person would be like, I would wait until it was really irritating me, and then I would go into this kind of like, I'm gonna clean all this stuff out, and I would get out, you know, get into the junk drawer and clean out whatever it is. But but the to get to that place, I had a lot of emotional, you know, turmoil around it that I was just kind of living with all the time, like, oh, that bugs me, oh that bugs me, oh that bugs me. And that's a weight, and and that's a weight we don't need, right? And so if there are areas that are that are bugging you, um, this is just kind of a plan this time. We're gonna talk about how to just tackle them and be done with it and yeah, move on.
Heather FisherAnd I think if you're out there and you're a listener of our podcast, that over our episodes, we are presenting um, you know, episodes that are challenges in different ways. You know, we've got shorter time frame challenges and longer and different ways to tackle a year. And I think that um all of them, what they're showing is there's not a perfect system, but you need a system.
Jodi RoskoAnd just one that resonates with you. So we kind of throw out different ones because some people will be like, oh yeah, I could totally do that, and or that doesn't really make sense to me, but other ones will be the ones that make sense. So yeah, in absolutely different ways.
Heather FisherPick that one that resonates with what hurdles you're facing, what your timeline is, and and dive in. Um today we're gonna talk about this plan that is really gonna tackle three uh big areas um over the course of a year. Um so step one, as it always is, is a little bit of planning and dreaming.
Jodi RoskoYep.
Heather FisherUm so really we're giving a whole month to kind of get ready to start doing this. Yeah. But I think it's important because like Jody said, if you just jump in without a a little bit of a framework or a plan, you tend to create more chaos, not see momentum, and then stall out. And honestly, maybe in a little bit worse condition than when you started because you've pulled things out, but you haven't completed the process. Um so you'll see as we go along by giving, you know, a whole three months to each space, um, you'll really get these spaces to the point of completion and better use. Yeah.
Jodi RoskoYeah. So um, you know, because downsizing the whole house is overwhelming, and and when you get overwhelmed, you just get, you know, paralyzed. Um and if you do it without a plan, you kind of might get certain little areas done, but it still never feels done. So it gets that feeling where it's just never feeling done. So the goal of this one is to at the end of the year be able to take, you know, look at those before and after pictures or that feel of that room, or is that room totally changed purpose, whatever it is, you know, but get to a place where you're like, oh, that feels done, and we don't have to think about that one anymore.
Heather FisherYeah, or maybe it's a space that's just completely empty by the end of this. Yeah. Um, because you know you're going to be reducing that room out of your situation in your next space.
Jodi RoskoRight. Okay, so January, um, we're gonna get dreamy. Um, so identify three areas in your home that will have the biggest implac impact if you simplify them. So week one, you're gonna walk through your home and list all of the areas that feel overwhelming. And list them all. It doesn't, it doesn't matter, you're gonna just pick the the top three, but but that could be your next year plan or whatever that looks like. Just list them all and then you can organize that.
Heather FisherYeah, and I think um, you know, many of us might walk around the house and if we have ten rooms, we have ten rooms on the list. So I would think in that list, be a little bit specific. What is it about you know each space that you're putting on there? It doesn't serve the purpose I want it to, or it's overloaded with stuff, or you know, what is it?
Jodi RoskoIt's the one that feels the most overwhelming. Yeah. Maybe it's the attic or the garage or the basement.
Heather FisherMaybe it's a category of things that aren't all in the same space, but you're naming that category as your space photos or paperwork or something like that, and and write down that that short little reason why it made the list so that you can evaluate which three to choose. Um I think the word you used earlier, impact, make sure that you're choosing areas that when they are complete, when you've gone through this process, it will change how your day-to-day operates or your mental state around that. Um, you know, choose some some bigger important things. Yeah.
Jodi RoskoBecause you're gonna have three months to do it. So it's not like you're picking the junk drawer. You're how you know you're gonna have three months to do it. And paperwork is a great one, honestly, because that can be very overwhelming and can take some time to go through. Um, but once you get a system around that, then you can, you know, could not accumulate it all again.
Heather FisherSo Yeah, that's a part of what we'll talk about is we're gonna get these spaces or categories fully to the finish line of, you know, for example, paperwork, not just going through the pile of mail on the table and moving it to the desk to be filed, but really how can you make what you've kept work efficiently for you?
Jodi RoskoAnd what's the system for the next time so it doesn't keep rolling through your house and yeah, yeah, exactly, exactly.
Heather FisherUm yeah, so then you're gonna have your list and it's time to pick those top three that you wanna focus on, and that's gonna be person by person. What what's having an impact on you, what's stressing you out, what's weighing on your mind, and which of those three do you want to tackle first? Yeah. I think maybe picking the easiest out of the three to get your feet wet is a good idea.
Jodi RoskoMomentum.
Heather FisherUm, some momentum. Um, but probably all three of them are gonna be challenges, and that's okay, we'll get you through that. Um but kind of put that priority order in which one needs to go first.
Jodi RoskoAnd it might be useful if you have a notebook that you kind of keep your notes about these things in. Um, you know, talk to tell yourself what what it is that irritates you about each, you know, just really, you know, let it go in in that notebook of like what it is that is bugging you, because once you can really see what that is, then you can see what you need to fix and how you need to change it. Um change that space. And sometimes if we don't spend time thinking about it, we just know it bugs us, but we don't really think why or how it could be different.
Heather FisherYeah, I think I mean we had talked about this uh on an earlier episode, but our kitchen drawers, you know, the some of two of the drawers where we have a lot of the utensils, spatulas and bigger spoons and all of that were just wide bigger drawers. And just getting the drawer organizers changed the function so much. You know, it started with decluttering and getting rid of what I don't use, but then just making, you know, one wide drawer into essentially three narrower slots, you know, that changed my everyday of cooking because it wasn't all tangled or you know, shifting sideways and and a big mess. So um really that's looking at that purpose of what do you use the space for and what drives you crazy when you're using it that doesn't work because there's usually a solution.
Jodi RoskoSo then you're gonna assign one of each of these areas to your next three quarters, and uh then you're gonna write a vision for each space. So like you would write in your journal by the end of the you know month, quarter, whatever it is, you're I want this space to feel blank. So I want it to feel peaceful, I want it to feel um you know, useful, or whatever that word is, what is it that you how do you want these spaces to feel? And take the time to envision that space as you want to use it. Um even if it's not being used that way right now. So really think outside of the box of that room or that, you know, whatever you're picking, and what is it that you want that that purpose to be? I mean, if it let's say you picked your garage, you have all kinds of tools, but you don't really, you know, do home stuff anymore. Like you know, maybe those tools go and you know, maybe that garage storage space can, you know, be freed up to put your Christmas stuff that's now in the attic but really hard to get to and you don't, you know, want to go up there and get it or whatever that is, just think bigger um than just cleaning it out.
Heather FisherYeah, it's it's again defining what those steps actually are. I think you could add in some layers of, you know, again, the garage. I want everything stored in the garage to fit on these two sets of shelves. Yeah. If you've got stuff piled in the corner. So you're you're kind of giving that vision of what it will, you know, it will feel organized when there are no longer boxes in the corner, or it will feel peaceful to me when I can read my book in here without piles of extra clothes on the guest bed. Yeah. So you're you're completing that full sentence with the emotion, what will it take to get you that emotion around it?
Jodi RoskoRight, exactly. So then you're gonna track it in your calendar. So you're gonna focus on your areas. Um, you know, put put your vision on the fridge. If you're so if you're moving on to quarter one's um uh job and it's then you're gonna write on the fridge, you know, by the end of the month, I want whatever room you picked or whatever area or thing you picked for quarter one, um, I want this space to feel blink. That that's what you're gonna put on your fridge just to kind of give you a visual memory of what it is that you're trying to accomplish in the next quarter.
Heather FisherYeah, and visual and vision and all of those, that's such a key word. Put this somewhere where you're seeing it every day. That's that motivation of the the end result, the why, um, you know, to keep you it as a reminder. Yeah. Um and mark out the next three months. So that would be February, March, April. What space is that? Your kitchen, your basement, your garage. Um, that's what we're gonna focus on.
Jodi RoskoYep. So if it were me, I would take before and after pictures because I think sometimes we forget all the work that we've done. Um, and as we're if we're going along and we're not doing it all immediately, um, we don't see that and give ourselves the credit for it. So take those before pictures so you remember, oh yeah, that is what it looked like. Um, when you can take that after picture and really, you know, give yourself that credit. But um, so I would take some before pictures now before you start. And then um, so in February, we're gonna we're gonna build our confidence by decluttering what's visible and easy to see. So you're gonna just clean off surfaces and do easy win stuff because we want to get that momentum going.
Heather FisherYeah, yeah. Starting with those surfaces, flat surfaces, um also, you know, serves a dual purpose because it gives you that space to put things when you start going to the nooks and crannies and cupboards and closets and corners and under the bed when you've already done the surface level clear, then you have a place to to pull things out and start sorting those as well. Um, so you definitely want to start with as clean of a slate on the surface that you can, get things out of the room that you already know decisions have been made, just put that into action real quick.
Jodi RoskoYeah. So you want to remove surface level clutter, trash, anything expired. Um, my thought process on this would be start your 10-minute a day habit now and start doing that for 10 minutes a day. Um and just take your, you know, do your little timer, take your 10 minutes, clear off, you know, whatever that is. If it's a shelf in the garage, if it's um, you know, tops of tables, if it's your paperwork, just start collecting it all in one place. You know, just start clearing your paperwork and putting it all in one place so you can then start managing it.
Heather FisherYeah. Um, I would say go ahead and uh schedule a pickup, uh donation pickup. Um you know, having that on the schedule is one thing that can give you motivation to keep going in the early stages. Even if you need another one later, get that on the schedule for you know however many weeks out you expect to have that pile. Um, clearing it out as you go definitely is a huge momentum builder.
Jodi RoskoYeah, so you could schedule at the end of February your donation pickup so you know when that's gonna be, and then you're gonna just start, you know, moving stuff off the surfaces, picking, you know, one area to declutter, um, j do that every day, ten minutes, do a shelf, do a cabinet, you know, do something to declutter every day, and take away the duplicates um of things or broken things, just the low stuff that you never use. You're like, oh look, this is all dusty. That means you haven't used it.
Heather FisherI I think going back to what um we say frequently, if you're cleaning out a space too, you really need to pull it out of the space that you're in and touch it, flipping through things or sh staring at a shelf, thinking what to get rid of. Um, even if it feels organized at first view, um, it really there's always stuff in there. I know we just cleaned out the the linen closet, the uh I guess it's not where our towels and sheets are, but it's all the extra shampoo and the lotions and the you know Tylenol and and all of that. And the amount of stuff, it looked organized, it wasn't spilling over, the shelves weren't s you know overflowing, but we had a whole trash bag full of stuff expired or um just nobody's used it in ten years, so nobody's going to use that lotion or what for whatever reason.
Jodi RoskoSo I think that right there, I think that we can fool ourselves and talk ourselves into all this stuff. And I think you need to believe the action, right? Just just trust that action. If you have not used that in, you know, three months, a year, you aren't going to. I have an ice cream maker. I always thought I was gonna do it. Like, I need to let it go. It's one of those things like, and then when I see the ice cream maker, I'm like, oh yeah, I'm gonna make ice cream. Well, I don't, I don't do it. Yeah, and so I just have to trust that action that I'm not to and and it's still good, and somebody would love it and will use it, and I need to get it to somebody who would use it.
Heather FisherYeah, well, it's back to that oh you own it, so you feel like you will. And we just you know, my our daughter is off at college and she was going into her first apartment, and um she took the um oh I can't think of the brand name, but where you make the smoothies, the the blender. Like a bullet or something. Yeah. Um, and she took that and we didn't quite realize she took it in you know, all of the chaos. We I think we actually have two, but at one point we kind of looked in the cupboard where we see it all the time. We're like, oh, I didn't realize she took that. Well, should we have her bring it back? And when you get honest, I'm like, I have not used that in the five years I've lived where I live.
Jodi RoskoRight.
Heather FisherSo if she's using it every day, like great, but but it was that like, oh my gosh, I don't have that. Right. And so I must need one. Yeah. So you will experience that as you go through this, whether it's the ice cream maker or the waffle maker or the you know, there's a a little bit of you just need to be brutally honest. And like Jody said, trust that the end result is worth it.
Jodi RoskoWell, and that and the action, if it's dusty, you haven't used it. You aren't going to. Don't trick yourself into like thinking with your brain and your words, oh, I'm gonna do that now. Cause you just probably aren't.
Heather FisherSo yeah.
Jodi RoskoYeah. So okay, so February we're cleaning off all the surfaces, getting a donation pickup, really starting to see some pro progress like that. March, we're gonna go deep dive, right? Deep dive into inside the inside the you know, cupboards, inside, pull everything out that's inside of ever of things.
Heather FisherYeah. I think um you know, here in our notes, listing the categories, like for instance, if your space is a room and not already a category, I think this is a great time as you're uh going into those nooks and crannies. What am I storing in here? And then taking a little list, you know, for a day and pondering like, is that the best place for it? Just because you've always stored fill in the blank in this closet, is that the most useful? Is there a better spot? Do I need to store it at all? Um, but you really need to not only do a deep dive through the stuff, but a deep dive in your questions you're asking yourself. That you know, as you go back through this process, not everything needs to land in the same space where it was. The goal is either to prepare for a smaller space, and so you want less stuff so that the new space functions well, or you want your current uh space to function well and lighter. And so is that the best place to go find whatever it is.
Jodi RoskoWe got new nightstands with drawers, and we had old nightstands with drawers, and um, so we went to change it over, and not a single thing in the drawers and the nightstand that I need. Like I just didn't even know what was in there, and it was just random stuff because I can stuff things sometimes. That's not a good, it's not a good habit. But I can be a stuffer. Um, and so you know, there wasn't anything, not a single thing, and if there was something I needed to keep, it wasn't in the right place, exactly what you said. Like that isn't where it should have lived in the first place.
Heather FisherYeah. Like, do you need your extra battery stash in the nightstand, or is there a better place in the utility? I mean, I think we all end up with just where we've stuffed it in a moment is where it lives for 20 years. Right. And you're like, well, that's where the batteries go. Right. And so just a little bit more of making your system of your household as an operating system, what's the most efficient place for things and the easiest? And will you have that space in the future, or do you need to change that up?
Jodi RoskoWell, and that's a good point, because when especially when you're moving to a smaller space, um in bigger spaces, a lot of times we'll do that. We'll put batteries here and there and somewhere else, and so um, or cleaning supplies, like we'll have duplicates of things or whatever. And so when you go to a smaller space, you don't have the room for that. And sometimes you don't even know how much of something you have because you have it spread out all over the house in different places. So if it's let's say batteries, th it then take them all to one, you know, one place and then decide, you know, is that how how many I uh I'll never need to buy batteries again. Actually, they go bad, so you will, but you know, but take all all of the same things and put them all together in one place so that you know how much that is, and you may find um, you know, you have some stuff that you need to use up, but and you don't need you know, then when you put it in the next place, it goes in one place, not a bunch of places.
Heather FisherYeah, I lived like my whole life with you know, not in the house I grew up in, or not the house that you know I had for many years having any organization around some of the simplest things, as you said, batteries. And I don't Know maybe four years ago I you know went right for the as seen on TV commercial. We have the I think it's the battery daddy and it's the organizer, and I can't tell you, I mean, that's a great $20 spent. It doesn't need to be that, but like just knowing like that there every battery we have, it's there, and if it's not there, we don't have it, and there's no wrestling through you know drawers, and if we go to get a new battery for the remote, and that's the last one, we're like, okay, order more double A or AAA, and it just takes so many mental checklists off your mind when you have your things in like places and simplified and you know what you have. Um, you know, I can't say it enough. Yeah, how just getting things together and knowing where they go and putting them in places that make sense will make your world easier.
Jodi RoskoFor sure. Okay, so March is deep dive. So you're gonna, you know, focus on you're still focused on your same one area, but you're gonna pull everything out from wherever it is and get it sorted, you know, keep create your keep and your toss and your donate piles. Um make sure that you maybe schedule another donation pickup at the end of March, yeah. So you're ready to have them pick up whatever it is that you want to let go of and then um you know repack or re-redistribute the rest of the stuff in like like we're saying in the places that are like places.
Heather FisherYeah, I think that um you know we talk a lot in uh things we talk about for work on like habit stacking or making things part of your routine and um you know making these habits. There's a lot to be said for finding a great donation place that you love that is also on the route of something else you do in a scheduled timely thing. You know, here I found this donation place that's near my church or near my grocery store or whatever. And so you can do that habit of having a box or a a tote bag in your car, but it doesn't live in your car for six months because you've also made the habit of, you know, every other week I'm circling through the donation line, you know, when I go to church or when I go to the grocery. Um, so think about building habits like that if you're feeling like you're not taking that step of scheduling the donation pickup, or if that's a habit, you know, a trait that you fall into that you make a donation pile and then it gets stuffed back in because it never makes it out of the house, that quick action to remove things will really give you some wins. So find ways that you can make sure that's going out.
Jodi RoskoYeah, because creating taking piles and turning them into other piles in a different room is not is not helpful. It doesn't alleviate any of your stress or get you moving forward.
Heather FisherSo Yeah, yeah. So find an easy way to just make that another habit um that's convenient for your your lifestyle that you're already doing.
Jodi RoskoOkay, so now you've got everything all cleaned out, both out, you know, on the surfaces and inside of any, you know, cabinets, etc. Um, so April, you're gonna set up the space to serve your current lifestyle. So back when you were dreaming about what you wanted that space to be, now we're gonna make it that space. And that could even be like painting it or, you know, changing the style of it. It could be different furniture or or it could just be as simple as it's you know it's cleaned up now and you can use it the way that you, you know, you want to.
Heather FisherI think this is a good time when you may notice that um you can reduce furniture too. I I think we go into a lot of houses where um because things come in and things don't leave, there's a lot of you know, especially in extra bedrooms and things, you end up with three or four dressers when no, it's not even anyone's bedroom, it's a guest bedroom, but you've just like, oh, all those drawers are full. We need that storage. We need that storage. Um you know, we I I pulled a stat here that said 80% of household clutter is the result of disorganization, not lack of space. So as you're going through these months, it's okay when you put things back to j consolidate, you know, have a whole dresser of empty drawers, and then it's time for that dresser to go. Yeah. You don't have to spread out the stuff you kept to fill the drawers or to feel like it's just get comfortable living with that empty space.
Jodi RoskoThat just gives you some room to breathe. It does not, you know, there doesn't have to be stuff on every single wall or you know, pictures on every and some people are comfortable in that in that place. Um, but most people, if they're being honest, they're not. It's just it they are feeling a little bit crowded by that.
Heather FisherYeah, yeah. So part of what can make a space function better is to just have a little less furniture in it. Um and so don't always think that it's a full, like, oh, I have to go get new furniture or whatever. Just live with the space and let that breathe for a little bit and and make a decision later on if you really need something else or if the empty space gives you that calm.
Jodi RoskoYeah. So ask yourself, is there stuff in the way? Like, is there stuff that you know just feels like, oh, I just don't need that piece, or that just feels that one was making me feel crowded, or whatever that looks like. So you can refi reconfigure the layout of the room. You could reconfigure the purpose of the room if that's what's happening. Um as you are thinking forward to what room purposes you're gonna need, right?
Heather FisherYeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I think too um it's okay to have even completely if if you're doing this on a downsizing path, that you know that next space is coming, you know, in the next few years, that you're going to make a move, it's totally okay to have you know, if you're in a four-bedroom home, you can just have an empty room and and shut the door and and you're have that weight of okay, that's done.
Jodi RoskoYeah, and you know you aren't gonna have to try to move, you know, squeeze that stuff in or or let go of it right at the end when everything else is happening and you're trying to move and do all those things. You've you've got that done. If you have a room that you're just kind of repurposing or whatever, you could shop your own house to kind of make that room look new and fresh. Um so you could do something along those lines, repurpose that is there, you know, shelves that you can repurpose for something else, or is it time for those shelves to go because you don't need that storage? So just really think about what that is and then add any finishing touches to it, lighting, you know, cleaning, whatever that looks like.
Heather FisherYeah, absolutely. And then enjoy the space. Right. Yeah.
Jodi RoskoCelebrate that.
Heather FisherYeah. So as we're moving. Take that final picture. Yeah, absolutely. As we're moving into the next quarter and the the third quarter of this challenge, um, they're really just repeating. So I don't think we need to go through them step by step, but it's gonna be following that same three-month plan um for the next space on your list um with just a few minutes every day if needed to not let the first space fall back down. Um, you know, so you don't want to backwards slide on the space that you did finish in the first quarter. Yeah. You want to just make sure that you you know how to maintain it should be functioning much better, it should have a lot less stuff, but you know, don't use that empty space as a place to spread chaos from your next area. You know, protect what's already done so that you don't lose that win. Um, but really just look at um the next item on the list, the next room or the space and repeat.
Jodi RoskoRight. Um I mean some other things you can you can do, just some other strategies while you're doing it. Um, you know, you can you can identify the items that you've keeped just in case. You can, you know, make that maybe box and um if you're really struggling with what, oh, I might need this because if you're not believing the actions that it's dusty and that you're not gonna use it, you could put that into a maybe box and set your maybe box away for, you know, six months or so. And if you haven't gone into that box um in six months or remember what's in it, it you just donate it without without opening it. Um you can create a use it up basket for food and toiletries and you know, supplies, any kind of you know makeup, any any of that kind of stuff. Um, because again, when we were talking about if you start to really see that stuff is all over the house in different ways and you c accumulate it together, you're like, oh my gosh, I have four bottles of you know, of spray cleaner that I need to now use up or whatever that is. So um you can do kind of a use it up area that you then you can get rid of that. Um duplicates, like again, same thing, either use up those duplicates or if it's or if it's the same spatulas or something, just pick your favorite one and let the other one go.
Heather FisherYeah, who can you pass that on to that could get the use out of it that's not you?
Jodi RoskoYeah.
Heather FisherUm, I think also um another tip is to to do a challenge like this alongside of a friend or your your spouse, your partner. Um, I know you know you and I will text back and forth sometimes over a weekend, like, here's my car full of donations, and you know, cheer each other on. But um really back to what we love when science plays into this, um you're 65 more 65% more likely to meet a goal when you've said it to someone else and committed to do that, um, even more so when you know they're doing it. I mean, it's not that you're doing it together at each other's houses, you're just checking in. Um, this stat that I read said if you schedule ongoing check-ins, you're 95% uh more likely to complete your goal. Um so I think that would be a perfect way to do this, you know, schedule a coffee or a dinner at the end of each quarter, you know, name it at the beginning of the year. Here's what I, you know, share that list of why and what that feeling is you want with someone else, and then check in and and go have a little coffee in between the two spaces and just see how the other person is doing and and definitely um chat about your wins. I think that's a great way to keep you on track when something is spanning over such a long time period so you don't lose momentum.
Jodi RoskoCelebrate that for sure. Yeah. And also that's why we were saying a notebook in the beginning, you know, write what that is, you know, maybe write a if you're struggling with some specific thing, maybe you need to write about that a little bit, or you know, kind of give yourself those thought processes on why am I thinking that, or you know, kind of just give yourself that room to to figure that out. Um and to give yourself, you know, that checklist, like, hey, I've done it, I've done this, I've done that, and um, you know, write write all that stuff down.
Heather FisherYeah, yeah. So then we're starting to get to um, you know, the end of the year. I think um, you know, maybe you've saved your you know, sentimental or your emotional category for that last quarter, so we can perhaps talk a little bit about that and how it might be different than rooms or something. Yeah. Um but I think you know, some weekly actions you could take if that's what your category is, if that's your third area. Um, you just start with picking the 10 top sentimental or legacy items that you want to keep. Um, I think framing stuff in a positive of what do I want to keep is emotionally easier than choosing what am I going to give away. Just that that mental switch. So just you know, you know what you have, you know what's tucked away, what are the 10 things that are my top must-have keep items and start there.
Jodi RoskoAnd I think the word legacy that you used is really the key there. So, what is it that is the essence of you? Um, maybe who you were that you want to remember, or maybe who you want to be in the future, and you know what you want that to look like. But um really think again, get back to that thinking and writing in that journal if that's what that is, but um really think about what what kind of legacy um or or from an era of your life is there you know something that you want to keep that reminds you of that era of your life. Um and just ten though, like not a hundred. Just pick some things that really embody what that looks like.
Heather FisherIf you're struggling to figure out what that is, then I do think journaling around that and writing the story of why you're considering it for the list makes it easier to narrow that down. And um, we meet people all of the all of the time in our workshops, and I think that it's a very big distinction that uh hasn't clicked quite yet all the time for for all of us, that there's a big difference between legacy items and old items or antiques versus an heirloom, and really that just because something is old or came through your family does not make it a legacy item.
Jodi RoskoIt's just a thing that has been delayed decisions for a long time. My my mom and my grandma had a woman that was she called her Aunt Edie, but she was somebody that really wasn't her aunt, but somebody that was very important in her life. And at a time there was time in her life when she lived with her, and when my mom was little, they lived with her. Um, and she had a lot of things from Aunt Edie, who um was a wealthy woman at the time, and so sh so we have things that are still from Aunt Edie, and I really don't have an emotional connection to them. Um so I like I have this parasol that's silk and it's cool, but like I don't have it out, and so I, you know, that's something that probably needs to go because it's I know that's where it's from, but it doesn't really have any connection to me. But I also have this gold mesh purse that she had um that my mom used to carry when she would go to somewhere fancy. So I remember my mom dressing up and then she would carry this little gold mesh purse, and it has the coolest feeling when you play with it with your fingers, which I remember from when I was little. And so I want it, I want that because I have all kinds of my own memories around that that thing. And so if I only keep that from Aunt Edie and not the 20 other things that are old and seem like they should have some value or something, but they are just old and not mine, really. I mean they're mine now, but not mine.
Heather FisherI think that that's a perfect example of how when you when things come down through your family or through relationships to you, that when it becomes part of the the person who it came to's story as well, that's how things carry on and are the legacy items. Your mom used the purse, so your memories around the purse are of your mom and seeing that as a memory for you. It you know, you your grandma loved Aunt Edie, but you don't have that connection. And so the that's the difference with the parasol. So again, if you if you have boxes of stuff from your parents' home that you're struggling with, pick the things you love and let them be part of the next generation's story by using them, displaying them, talking about them. And that can't be everything, but they your kids and future generations will love and appreciate the things that become part of their memory story. You know, that's the pickle and olive tray that was out every Thanksgiving. Now that will be carried on in your family because you use it at the holidays. If it was still in a box from your grandma's house, your kids wouldn't have any memory around it later on. So that's how you choose those items, are the ones that you already have a story and a connection with, and that's how you pass that on to p other people wanting those few things and loving it and letting that carry on. Other than that, if you're not using it and you can't remember whose it was, they're just things things, and that isn't there's not an um emotional value and currently not much of a monetary value around just things because they're old. It's just the story. So we say that a lot, but this is that time to really be a little honest and then love those things that you keep. Right.
Jodi RoskoAnd use them. You have to use them because if you don't use them, there are no memories that come come forward from them. Yeah. That's just to have a lot of people.
Heather FisherIf you still have your China, you know, from your wedding and you love it, but it's been in a box and you haven't had a holiday around it or anything around it in years, you know, keep four place settings and use it once a week. Have fancy dinner or use it every day if you want to. Um but use it and love it, and that's how it becomes the things that other people love too.
Jodi RoskoRight. That's true. Yeah. Okay, then um September we're talking about getting free freeing up the major space, which we already kind of talked about, but um list all the furniture that you would not move again, like I do not want that in my next house, and then just start um figuring out how where that's gonna go. Are you gonna donate that? Are you gonna sell that? Um, you know, start removing those items just out of your house, and it's okay if that makes your house feel, you know, a little more um spacious, um, and don't feel like, oh my gosh, it feels empty now. I mean, you might feel that like that in the beginning, and that might feel great, or it might feel like, oh my gosh, it feels sparse. Um but either way, the goal is we're gonna be downsizing potentially, or even even if you just aren't and you just want to live in a house that just ha has is more minimal, um, in the end, it will it will feel freer and lighter for sure.
Heather FisherYeah, if your goal is you just really want to age in place and stay at home, that's a big key for um, you know, leaving room for safety uh by not having obstacles in the way with big furniture to get from room to room and to do what you need to do.
Jodi RoskoYep. So then that final quarter, we're gonna just kind of clean everything up. So address any items that you still have that are guilt-based, maybe let go of those maybe boxes that you made in the for the first quarter and the second quarter that you haven't really used those things yet. Um maybe you have a bunch of things that you think are great, maybe host a little mini giveaway, put everything on your dining room table and be like, this is the stuff that I'm letting go of. If anybody, my friends or family want it. If they don't, it's okay. Um but you could have a little party around it and be like, I'm, you know, I'm setting this stuff free and just kind of make it fun. Make sure all that donation stuff is out of the house and you know, call for that final pickup if you if you haven't done that. Um, and then, you know, sit and reflect on what you want that next, you know, what the next stuff to look like because you've done your three spaces.
Heather FisherUm revisit what you wrote back twelve months ago.
Jodi RoskoYeah.
Heather FisherYou know, am I feeling that emotion now that I wanted to? Um, you know, do I need to go back and tweak anything to get to that feeling that I wanted to? Yeah. Um and what's the plan for what's next? Yeah. I mean, it's an ongoing process, you know, a little easier each time that you maintain it, but it's always an ongoing process. So three spaces is a huge accomplishment. Um, you know, picking three big spaces, but then it's like what are we revisiting next?
Jodi RoskoAnd by now you should have your 10-minute-a day habit really set strongly. Um, because if you're just gonna do that by, you know, every day, 10 minutes a day, um, it should be strong. So in November you can do like housewide touch ups that you, you know, do your bathroom, uh, linen closet one week, do your entryway and your junk drawer another week, kind of just use your 10 minutes a day, do books, books and media stuff. Um, you could do your car with your glove box and you know, whatever. Um, but again, just set that, just keep that 10 minute-a day habit so that you're just always cleaning out something just a little bit, and then it will eventually never come back, which is the goal of it to never come back. We did I did my bathroom, and you were talking early about putting things together, and all I did about your kitchen drawer, but all I did was I put my I just have a big shelf in there, and so I put little plastic bins and I put all of the hair stuff in one and all of the face stuff in one, and because it would just get moved around in there, you know. And so even that little bit of just putting them in little containers that keep all the hair stuff in one and all the you know face stuff in another one made a huge difference. And I threw out all the stuff I I wasn't using, so at the same time. And it was a lot of stuff that you weren't using.
Heather FisherBut well and it gives you those parameters where you know the hair stuff it has less potential of getting out of control because you're like, here's my bin. I already know I function. When this b bin is this full, right? I don't need anything else. So when it starts coming in and it won't fit in that bin.
Jodi RoskoWhich one aren't you using anymore?
Heather FisherYeah, you rediscover really uh sooner that you need to refresh because it's not like oh the whole linen closet is now this big shelf of stuff overwhelmed. It's like, oh gosh, I don't have room in this bin. What do I need to get rid of? Or do I just need to say no thank you to this new item coming in?
Jodi RoskoRight. So then in December you're gonna reflect and celebrate and reset. So reread your journal, you know, look at all of that again, what came true? Is it does the space feel like you thought it would, like you said you wanted it to in those words that were in your vision? Um, what was easier than you thought it was gonna be? What was harder? What do you want to tackle in 20, you know, the next year? Um and you know, right, I because in the beginning you wrote all of your spaces, right? So you top picked your top three, now you can pick three more if you have that time. If not, maybe maybe those time didn't take you as long as you could get through some more. Maybe you got through more than you want expected this year. Um, that would be exciting too. So don't put that pressure on yourself, but if you have the time for the next year, just do it again.
Heather FisherYeah, absolutely.
Jodi RoskoAnd then celebrate. Celebrate yourself with your accountability partner if you have it, or just with your friends, come over and see my amazing spaces and hang out.
Heather FisherYeah, and then ongoing, um, you know, uh think about uh keeping uh the stuff from coming right back in. Yeah. So, you know, when people you you know, when you're adult kids and grandkids, like what do you want for Christmas and stuff? Think on the experiences or the purpose of your space and and give them some guidance to kind of keep it from just filling up with things you don't need and starting that cycle of of guilt again and right.
Jodi RoskoThings that are that are um that use up, you know, food or you know, products that you love or things like that or experiences.
Heather FisherYeah, going places, um, you know, maybe an a new new comforter or something for the room you just got all refresh, you know, right the part of the refresh items. Yeah. Um give some guidance so that you are the in control of keeping that space. You've worked so hard, so we want to see it stay that way.
Jodi RoskoOkay, so um good luck with this this whole plan. Go out there and start um getting dreamy and and see what you're gonna do for the next 12 months.
Heather FisherYeah, absolutely. And if you need any resources, our website, uh downsizingroadmap.com. Thank you. Thank you. 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, reach out to us on our website, www.downsizingroadmap.com. Until next time, let's keep simplifying and moving forward.
