RETIREMENT SPECIAL
THE WEIGHT OF A MOVE CAN BE LIGHTENED WITH THE HELP OF A SPECIAL SWEDISH TECHNIQUE
Clear the clutter in your home!
First there was Marie Kondo and her “sparking joy” tidying tips. Now we have Swedish death cleaning, today’s uber-version of cleaning out the top drawer, that seemingly bottomless receptacle for everything you might need.
From the word döstädning – death (dö), cleaning (städning) – the concept has been popularised by Margareta Magnusson and her best-selling book, The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning.
It hooks into the minimalism trend, where downsizing and decluttering have become the buzzwords for a new generation of less-is-more believers.
But as Margareta says, death
cleaning is “not about dusting or mopping up, it is about a permanent form of organisation that makes your everyday life run smoothly”.
For anyone contemplating a big move – empty nesters looking to quit the family home, retirees pondering retirement village living – there are many financial, emotional and practical factors to consider.
The thought of sorting through years of accumulated possessions may be daunting, but most experts agree starting sooner rather than later is best.
Getting A Grip’s Robyn Pearce, aka the Time Queen, says we do everything we can for our nearest and dearest while we’re alive, so why leave them with a mess to clean up once we’ve gone.
Start now and do it little by little, she advises.
“That way you’re not leaving heaps of possessions to others. You decide who gets what and, if you need to downsize accommodation later, you’ll find the job much easier.
“I’m a big fan of living as simply as possible at any age. If you’re surrounded by clutter, getting rid of it is the fastest stress-buster in town; there is an immediate sense of relief.”
Of course, all our stuff is also what makes where we live our home. Because possessions are intrinsically tied to memories,
discarding them can sometimes feel like discarding a piece of your identity.
“We still need to have things in our homes that we love, but we’ll often confuse the fact that someone we love has given us something, but we don’t love the thing they’ve given us,” Robyn points out.
“Decluttering is a chance to part with the things that are just taking up space and keep the things we do love.”
Says Janice Willis of Elderly Assist, “Many of my clients have been in the home they bought as newlyweds 50 or more years ago. They raised a family in it and as the family left, they’ve spread out. They have never thought about downsizing, so when it comes time to move, it can be overwhelming, especially if they are on their own.”
Janice set up Elderly Assist seven years ago after helping a friend downsize and facing the same problems as most of her clients. She and her team help people through the entire downsizing process – from decluttering and packing, to moving and unpacking.
“We only use 20% of our belongings – be it in the lounge, kitchen or the bathroom – and the rest we just store. We have all the gadgets under the sun, yet we don’t use them.
“If every time we wear something, we put it back in the wardrobe with the hanger turned the opposite way to the others, we start to see what we’re wearing – and if we’re not wearing them, then let them go. That’s a very easy tip!”
Adds Robyn, “It’s not about being rough on yourself. One phrase I like to use is: ‘Does it light me up or does it make me feel heavy?’”
Another professional organiser, and mum-of-two, Steph Mills, from Less Mess, says establishing what to keep and what needs to go is different for everyone. While it can be difficult, there are very few downsides.
“It’s always hard if you have something that belonged to someone who has died, but often a conversation or taking a photo, or a few tears then moving on can help with that.
“I’ve worked with people who’ve gotten rid of something they thought was a treasure, when in reality it was a burden.”
She also encourages people to have a goal and start small.
“It might be something as simple as being able to use the bed in the spare room, or sit at the dining table for dinner,” she says. “Don’t focus on the whole house at once because that will cause anxiety straight away.
“Break it down into one room, one cupboard, one box, one drawer at a time, and take your time. In most situations, the clutter didn’t turn up overnight, so chances are it’s not going to disappear overnight.”
Says Janice, “Getting ruthless about decluttering can change people’s lives and lifestyles. We’ve people whose homes we declutter and downsize who change their plans – they don’t want to move once that’s done. They thank us for giving them their homes back!”