Learn to Simplify Your Life, Possessions and Priorities
The journey to simplify my life has taken many detours over the past few years. After moving from London to Switzerland in July 2013, I put all my energy and passion into launching a new business, Sixty and Me. It has now grown into a community of over 650,000 women over 60 focused on well being, financial security and independence.
If you have been with us for the last 13 years, you know we discuss the changes we encounter as we get older and share our shifting attitude to life, people, places and things. The need for prioritizing and finding meaning seems a common and constant theme for us all. In the Facebook community we share personal stories. Our YouTube Channel now has over 3000 videos. The conversations are on topics of interest to women who are aging beautifully and living with passion and purpose.
Watch this video where I take us back to the place where Sixty and Me was born.
Letting Go
The content on the Sixty and Me website ranges from yoga to travel to health, beauty, retirement, grandparenting, fashion and inspiration. We talk about downsizing often – and the conversation often goes beyond things. As it should. Women in their 60s have accumulated a lot of everything in their lives – some that are in little boxes inside that are locked tight. Others that we are ready to let go.
So we talk about downsizing stuff, moving into smaller homes, letting toxic people go, letting a lot of emotion, experience and memories go. But we circle back to stuff, material possessions, and so I wrote this article that really summarizes how I see the process.
Learn to Simplify
My desire is to continue to learn to simplify my life and stay focused with a simplification mindset in everything I do. Whether it is travelling light, preparing simple meals, simplifying my surroundings or reducing the clutter in my mind.
This will be the place where we can learn to simplify our lives together. I am looking forward to the adventure!
Read more: Struggling to Manage Your Life and Home After 60? Downsizing Could Be the Answer.
Simplify Is a Verb
Learning to simplify is not a passive activity. It is about making decisions, taking action and using simplicity as a way to facilitate a lifestyle that is truthful and dynamic. It is not about saying no to things, but saying yes to life.
Simplicity drives action and uncovers meaning. It is a way of life, not a moment in time – an endless process of reducing and at the same time expanding and defining what is really, truly important in life.
So let’s get started.
Many of you have mentioned in the comments that you are also simplifying and downsizing your homes and your lives. Several have said that going through old photos is one of the most difficult tasks when downsizing. A few also commented that when something new enters the home, something has to leave. That’s a great strategy to remain clutter-free.
Read more: Downsizing Benefits for the 60-Something Woman: Are You Ready to Explore Them?
Let’s Have a Conversation:
What are you looking to simplify in your life? Have you started already? What did you start with? Have you found simplifying easy or difficult? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Tags Downsizing Your Life
I have not been able to find the link to the list of suggested movies for over the weekend. Could you direct me to how to find that place?
Downsizing or simplifying one’s life takes time. It’s my job now that I’m retired. It feels good to do, but one has to be emotionally ready. I’ve been quite surprised by how much stuff I’ve accumulated over the years to go through. My most recent “simplification” was my cookbook collection. Hit me one day to go through them and just pulled them off the shelf and bagged them up to donate to Friends of the Library. Kept my favourites, which I use, but I use the internet for recipes a lot now, so didn’t need the book collection anymore.
Simplifying is not easy. I found I must be intentional and keep at it step by tiny step. This week I decided that I’m giving my collectible cookbooks away. I will be 79 in March and haven’t actually used them in years. I have a granddaughter who loves cookbooks and family heirlooms. I’ve been taking pictures and giving her information about each one and she’s choosing those she’s interested in. Knowing that someone in my family is interested in them makes it much easier to part with them. I intend to do the same thing with other collectibles that I have. It’s a continual process.
I am so glad I found your site Margaret! In my late Sixties now (with husband also retired, same age) and have just started the mammoth task of downsizing in an effort to simplify or even streamline my life.
I’m systematically reading through all your previous posts and picking up tips as I go. My biggest problem is neither of us want to stay in our village (UK) but also have no idea where we want to move to. A town with more ‘going on’? Flat or bungalow? Near a mainline station? Near family? The list is endless but it all seemed so much more straightforward when we made similar decisions 35 years ago…
I too have been downsizing. I have the rule that if I bring an item into the house something has to go.
Yes, the hardest part is going through old photos. I have a day when I think this is it-I’m going to conquer these boxes and then I quickly go down the rabbit hole.
I also find that I have been doing the same thing with my time each day. I’ve taken on new projects but have been unable to leave the old ones! So now I have double tasks to do.
I am not complaining. Life is beautiful!
I’m doing great with downsizing and letting go of things. But I’m having trouble meeting new friends. I’m terrible social and I find myself very lonely now. My best firing passed away and my other met someone and I don’t get to see her hardly at all. I’ve gone to senior centers but they’re not very social. I put an ad up near my subdivision and everyone started to run it. Lol. Like it should be a weekday. No, it should be a week night. No more than 10 women so we can talk. No game nights cause some have husbands who don’t want them to go out. Some prefer wine and others said no alcohol. I didn’t even ask for advice. I gave up. Any good ideas? I’m 69. Thanks for listening..
Hi Nancy. I just relocated from Chicago to NH to be near my adult children, and boy what a struggle letting go of stuff! As I pondered moving for several years, I was still attached to my years living their and my friends. Becoming a grandmother was the draw card that moved me forward to moving. Moving isn’t just a physical process; it’s also emotional. What helped me was to accept life would be different after I moved and I can still talk to friends on the phone or via text. I lost a few dear friends over the past few years due to their death or moving away. My local friends dwindled. So I was getting in the same “lack of friends” state in Chicago as I realized I would be in NH.
I discovered through FaceBook a wonderful community group called NH Ladies Looking for Friends. I don’t know who started it, but they created it as an open forum where new members fill out a profile about themselves and what they like to do, and others respond. I’ve been so impressed with how one member will post something like “hey, anyone free for lunch this Friday,” or “I’ve always wanted to learn line dancing. Does anyone here line dance?” There are women of all ages and marital status, and you just respond or go to one of the events to meet new friends. There is no one person in charge; anyone can create an event. Wherever you are now living, consider joining FaceBook and search for groups in or around “your location.” Likewise, Meet-Up is another online group (not affiliated with FB) where you can find countless activities (physical or not) to join in, enjoy yourself, and hopefully meet some new friends. Best wishes in your search. Janice