How To Start Over in Your 60s: A New Minimalist Lifestyle

By Rita Wilkins
The Downsizing Designer

Are you at a new stage of your life and you want or need to start all over?

If you’re in your 60s, you might be an empty nester. Your house feels empty (although a little less cluttered.) You might be wondering “what’s next?”If you’re retired or pre-retired, you might have more time on your hands and you’re looking for more fun, adventure, and fulfillment.If you are a new widow or divorcee you might be in a state of overwhelm at the thought of starting over.

What each of these scenarios has in common is a period of transition, a new stage of life, and the beginning of a new chapter.

These transitions can be unsettling, overwhelming, and even scary! But this time of your life can also be viewed as an opportunity…

To try something newTo get out of a rut that you’ve been in for a whileTo live a simpler, less stressful life

You’ve been curious about these things for a very long time, but you’ve been too busy, too tired, too overwhelmed or you’ve been afraid to step out of your comfort zone. So you stay exactly where you are and nothing changes.

Which is “okay”, but the reality is at this stage of life you want so much more… more time, freedom, and peace of mind. And you also want less stuff and less stress.

If you’ve been reading my blogs or tuning into my weekly Facebook lives, you’ve heard me talk a lot about the simpler more abundant life I discovered when I decluttered and downsized my home and my life.

With less stuff and less clutter, I discovered I had more time, money, and freedom to pursue things that mattered most to me.

My Holiday Decluttering Bundle.TWO PACKS TO CHOOSE FROM, CLICK HERE

 

I would never have had time to prepare and deliver Facebook lives every week or write blogs every week if I still had my big house full of stuff. I would never have had enough energy to write a best-selling book, Downsize Your Life, Upgrade Your Lifestyle: Secrets to More Time, Money, and Freedom, and speak all over the country about the impact of living with less because I downsize from my big house to a much more affordable and manageable house…

Because I decluttered my home and my life, letting go of all the stuff that held me back and had me stuck…

Living with less has allowed me to travel more, to spend more time with family and friends and my new loving relationship. It has also allowed me to develop the “Downsizing Designer” brand which is now a national brand.

Because I learned to live a simpler life like a minimalist, I was able to make room for the life I really wanted.

So, if you are curious about how to start over in your 60s or whatever life stage you are in, I’m going to challenge you to an exercise that will allow you to put your toe in the water… To try on what it feels like to live a more minimalist lifestyle… A simpler life with less stuff, less stress, and more peace of mind.

 

11 Steps to Live a Minimalist Lifestyle1.    Pick one room in your house that you really like, but rarely use i.e., a small den or guestroom.2.    Completely empty that room of everything… furniture, area rugs, artwork, etc.3.    Paint that room a color you love that makes you feel peaceful and calm.4.    Choose how you want that room to function i.e., a getaway or sanctuary.5.    Determine what you want to feel like when you are in that room.6.    Selectively put very few pieces of furniture back into that room. Only furniture that works for the intended function and only furniture that is very comfortable and inviting.7.    Put in only the very few things you love i.e., artwork, area rugs, accessories.8.    Light the room well. i.e., lamps for reading, working, and accent lamps.9.    Make sure you have plenty of natural light.10. Use accents of live green plants to bring the outside in.11. Turn on your favorite music and light a candle.

 

When your room is complete, close the door, sit in your new minimalist surroundings, ask yourself…

How does it make you feel?·        Peaceful?·        Energized?·        Focused?·        Creative?·        Does it make you want to spend time there?

This is just a small sampling of what it’s like to live in a clutter-free minimalist space. Think of what it would be like, how it could change your life if other rooms in your home could make you feel this way.

I do hope you accept my challenge to create at least one room in your home as a minimalist area. If you wish, please send me your before photo and after photo, as well as how this room makes you feel and how it’s changed your life.

Check out our new online shop for tools that will support you in your downsizing and decluttering journey. Follow me on social media for more updates:FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | LINKEDIN | TWITTER

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