What If You Only Had 10 Years Left? Would You Still Be Cleaning Out Your Basement?
Imagine this scenario:
You go see your doctor tomorrow. She sits you down and says, “You have 10 years left. Maybe more, maybe less – but let’s say 10 years.”
What would you do?
What would you stop doing?
Would you…
- Finally take that cross-country road trip with your best friend?
- Write the book you’ve been talking about for years?
- Move to that charming little cottage by the lake?
- Spend more time with your kids and grandkids – and maybe even use those craft supplies you’ve been saving?
Or…
- Would you still be sorting through boxes of tax returns from 1994?
- Would you still be cleaning and organizing your basement?
Take a pause here.
Because too many women are spending the last chapter of their life managing the past instead of designing the future.
The Truth About “One Day” Projects
Clutter is a thief of time and joy. You’ve been meaning to declutter for years. You’ve been promising yourself, “I’ll get to it… when things slow down.” But here’s what I see over and over again: Women wasting precious years cleaning, sorting, organizing…
Postponing the life they actually want to live.
- They clean out boxes of their kids’ trophies but haven’t taken a painting class in decades.
- They alphabetize old VHS tapes and CDs but haven’t watched a sunset on the beach in years.
- They organize for “someday” while avoiding today.
What if clutter is just another form of procrastination? What if holding on is really about not moving forward?
This Isn’t About the Basement
Let’s be honest: the basement is just a symptom. What’s really going on down there?
- Old identities
- Forgotten dreams
- Grief
- Guilt
- Nostalgia
- “Just in case” thinking
Every item in your basement holds a story, a version of who you were – or who you thought you’d become.
Those stories are valid. But they’re also very heavy. So here’s the real question: Do you want to keep lifting boxes from your past or start living your life – right now?
Reclaiming Your Time, Your Space, Yourself
10 years is plenty… if you start living. It’s not a death sentence – it’s a gift. It’s a chance to design your next decade with intention and meaning.
It’s a chance to say:
✅ “I choose experiences over things.”
✅ “I will not waste this summer organizing my basement.”
✅ “I will release the past so I can live more fully in the present.”
You don’t have to wait until your house is perfect. You don’t need permission to start living. You just need to decide what matters more: Your stuff – or the stories you have yet to tell?
What You Could Do Instead
If you had 10 years left… what would you make room for? Imagine letting go of 50% of the things that no longer serve you. What could you invite into your life?
- Mornings reading on a sunlit porch.
- Weekend getaways instead of weekend garage sorting.
- Volunteering, mentoring, gardening, writing that book.
- Peace of mind for your kids when you’re gone.
And the time to start shaping that vision?
It’s now.
A Loving Nudge
You don’t have to do it all at once. But you do need to start somewhere. Start making the rest of your life the best of your life.
My Letter to My 60+ Friends
Dear woman in transition,
If you had 10 years left, how would you want to spend them? Cleaning out a house full of things you no longer need? Orliving your life fully, freely, intentionally?
You have nothing to prove. You deserve to be happy and fulfilled. You don’t have to finish the basement before you start living your dream.
Start small. Start now. Say goodbye to one item that no longer reflects who you are today. Take one action toward the life that is still waiting for you.
Because whether you have 10 years, 10 months, or 10 days… you deserve to spend them on real living – not on the leftovers.
With love and compassion,
Rita Wilkins, The Downsizing Designer
Now it’s time to sit with that thought and reflect.
Email me at ritawilkins@ritawilkins.com with subject line: Journal and Checklist Worksheet to receive a journal worksheet that will help you reconnect with what matters most – and release what no longer does.
You can also use the version below if that’s easier for you.
✨ Journal Prompts:
- What does “really living” mean to you right now, in this season of life?
(What would your days feel like? Who would you spend time with? What would you no longer tolerate?) - When was the last time you felt truly alive, free, and present?
(Can you re-create a piece of that today?) - What physical or emotional “stuff” is quietly stealing your time, energy, and joy?
(Think: items kept out of guilt, roles you’ve outgrown, expectations that no longer fit.) - What do you dream of doing before the next 10 years passes?
(What keeps getting in the way?) - What are you afraid might happen if you let go?
(What if the opposite happens… and you finally feel free?) - Imagine your home – and your life – 10 years from now.
(If you took action today, how would it feel? Describe that space, that version of you.) - Who would benefit if you let go of what no longer serves you?
(Legacy. Relationships. Time. Presence.) - Closing prompt:
- If you knew your time was limited, what would you stop doing? What would you finally start?
✅ The Let-Go-to-Live Checklist
A heart-centered checklist for Baby Boomers ready for their next chapter
Guilt-laden keepsakes
- That wedding gift you never used
- Heirlooms you’re free to donate
- → It’s OK to let go.
“Just in case” items
- You haven’t touched them in years
- → If someday hasn’t come yet, it probably won’t.
Outgrown identities
- The title, the perfect parent, the hostess extraordinaire
- → Who are you now without those labels?
Unfinished projects you no longer love
- The half-knitted scarf
- The scrapbook from 2003
- → Release with gratitude and intention.
Boxes of other people’s stuff
- → Your home is not a storage unit. Return what’s no longer yours.
The “good” china you’re saving for someday
- → Use it tonight. Every day is a special occasion.
Clothes that no longer fit your body or your life
- → Your closet should reflect who you are now.
Furniture and decor you don’t even like
- → If it doesn’t bring joy or beauty – why keep it?
Boxes in the basement you haven’t opened in 5+ years
- → If you didn’t miss it, you probably don’t need it.
Fear of regret
- → Which would you regret more – letting go of the item or never making space for your real life?
Let go slowly – and begin living your next chapter with clarity, freedom, and purpose.
Let’s Have a Conversation:
Have you reflected on the things that are stopping you to move on and live the life that would make you happy? What have you learned about yourself during those times of reflection?
Tags Downsizing Your Life
With a few weeks left before 93rd birthday, I realistically think I will be on the earth ten years or less. It is wonderful to get rid of everything except the most nostalgic – items that eventually will be off to Good Will because they simply aren’t of nostalgic value to anyone else. Have decided that no expense is too great to help maintain best health possible (best dentistry possible, for instance). No one can upset me because I can’t allow stress into my days. Incredibly thankful for a functioning brain – to everyone younger, keep reading, volunteering, loving and reaching out always to family, friends and even casual acquaintances.
Great article. Time seems to go more quickly the older you get and many of us have less time left in this chapter of our lives than we think.
Great article! You’re 100 percent right.
I so desperately want to let it ALL go, but my husband won’t let me, so secretly, I’ve been getting rid of things he doesn’t pay attention to. With every item I discard, I feel a huge weight lifted. I just wish he would get on board.
Why not have a gentle chat with him with the premise that your feelings on the matter are as valid as his? Why does he believe that you can only do what he ‘lets’ you do? A bigger issue here than clutter I think. These are your last 10+ good years, don’t live them as someone you’re not to appease another. You deserve equal consideration in your marriage.
Very well written and very true. I am trying to teach my 43 year old daughter this. She is always dragging around boxes and boxes of old keepsakes and clutter. Lighten you load and live for now and with what makes you happy now. Thank you for this.
You’re so welcome Hope it helps. Perhaps share with your daughter