Decluttering to Sell Part 1

How to Get Rid of Stuff

People often describe downsizing as being hard work.

It is exactly right. It is a fact, and that is why so many people avoid the task. But just because it is complicated doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

The reason that we have a hard time decluttering is because it involves decision making, which is a cognitive process that takes effort and energy. Just think of decluttering as aerobics for the brain.

In the same way that accumulation of things involves the decision to purchase something, so does the disposal of things require intentionalisty and effort. If you can take out the garbage, you can declutter your house.

You have to think the process through.

Getting free of stuff will require a sense of vision for what you want to be without the stuff.

Decluttering involves:

• Organizing a system of disposal
  
• Categorizing 
• Decisions, sometimes lots of them
• Psychological detachment
• Logistics
• A timeline
  

People in their late 60-70’s are usually not thinking about their stuff… and should be since whatever they have, they are going to have to get rid of at some point.

Be Prepared
The older you are, the harder the job is going to be, both physically and mentally.

People who decluttered and downsized said that they experienced a sense of relief. Their accomplishment was a form of empowerment.

Decluttering involves ‘divestment inertia.’

It will involve four phases:
What
To whom
When
And how – to get it there

Common length of time for this downsizing and decluttering is about six weeks to two months.

Yard Sales: They Can Become Too Much Work
Yard sales are a business unto themselves. It’s a business that you don’t have the time or energy to learn to do right now.

Yard sales don’t advertise and sell themselves, it also involves knowing the market value of items.

Then it becomes a matter of getting the buyers in to buy your stuff — and that is a business unto itself! You may not want to bite off more than you can chew.