Are you looking to downsize the total amount of things in your home?

Would you like a few creative organization ideas to get you motivated and inspired?

In this post, you’ll find six ways to help you downsize the belongings in your home.

In a pinch, you can also use these tips to help you downsize an office or workspace.

Return items to their owners.

You know those cross-country skis you borrowed from a friend?

How about that custom-made bicycle your neighbor asked you to babysit onto while they were on vacation?

You might find you have a lot of items in your possession that simply aren’t yours.

What have you been collecting and holding onto in your home over the years?

Collect and create a list of items, and get on the phone to schedule a few appointments to return items to their rightful owners.

REMOVE duplicate items.

There’s little sense in keeping duplicate items at home. Why is this? Well, they just take up precious space.

Think about any duplicate items you have hanging around your home.

Perhaps you received an item as a gift, or purchased an item at a sale, but later realized you already owned the item.

These might be items like small kitchen appliances, craft supplies, televisions, or computer monitors.

Take a moment to donate or giveaway the duplicate, and enjoy your newly-found space. 

Use existing storage or containers as a guide.

Let’s say you have a large magazine collection.

The collection takes up several magazines holders in your bookcase, and continues to spill onto the surrounding floor.

Instead of collecting more and more magazines, you’ll sort through the magazines you own.

Once that task has been completed, you’ll only keep an amount that will actually fit inside of the magazine holders.

In some circumstances, you might decide to purposefully remove or purchase smaller containers to keep things under control.

Donate products you’ve never used.

Do you have fully-sealed products or items sitting around at home that you know you’ll never use?

Maybe a blender or model-making kit? How about office supplies or sports equipment?

Maybe you have items that are the wrong size, color, shape, pattern, or make for your needs?

It’s time to put this these items to use! Gather and donate these items away to a charity or aid organization.

Let go of items you use once in a blue moon.

Are there certain items in your home that don’t get used very often?

Would it be less stressful and more convenient for you to simply rent or borrow the item when you need it?

For example, let’s say you own a rowboat and only use it on a nearby lake twice per year.

You despise transporting, maintaining, and storing the boat.

In this case, you might decide to simply rent a rowboat at the lake when you need it.

Now, you don’t necessarily have to take such drastic action as in the example above.

But it’s worth considering where and how you might let go of items, or find alternative solutions for your unique situation, for some peace of mind.

Shrink the size of your collections.

If you’re a collector of anything, such as books, shoes, or stamps, you know that collections can literally grow overnight.

Is your home is jam-packed with items? Don’t mind parting with a few?

Scale back on the total number of items you’ll keep at any one time.

You could sell items, give them away as gifts, or donate them to organizations of your choice.

Learn how to get organized at home

Organizing a home well requires careful thought, planning, and of course, targeted action.

My organization guide will teach you how to be more organized around the home and office.

If you want to organize your home or office so you can find what you need when you need it, then check out my productivity consulting services. Book a strategy session with me today! 

How about you? Are you looking to downsize your belongings? Which of these methods do you think you’ll try out? Perhaps you have another method or plan in mind? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!