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:

1. 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?)
2. When was the last time you felt truly alive, free, and present?
   (Can you re-create a piece of that today?)
3. 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.)
4. What do you dream of doing before the next 10 years passes?
   (What keeps getting in the way?)
5. What are you afraid might happen if you let go?
   (What if the opposite happens… and you finally feel free?)
6. 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.)
7. Who would benefit if you let go of what no longer serves you?
   (Legacy. Relationships. Time. Presence.)
8. Closing prompt:
9. 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?