Organization And Decluttering During Mid Life Transitions

By the time we hit 50, most of us have developed some kind of management system for our lives. We had to. How else could we balance school, work, play dates, doctor appointments, walking the dog, making dinner, shopping for groceries, washing laundry, paying bills and working out and still find time for family and friends? If we didn’t have some kind of organizational skills, nothing would ever get done.
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When I turned 50 a few years ago, I was overwhelmed by the stuff that had accumulated over the years, and I realized that it wasn’t just physical clutter but mental clutter, as well. I looked around at everything and started to feel paralyzed and stuck. The more clutter there was, the more stuck I felt, and it was stopping me from moving forward.
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That’s when I heard Julie Morgenstern on the radio. Julie is a bestselling author, an internationally known organization consultant and time-management expert.

Julie was talking about transitions, feeling stuck, managing change, and decluttering your life to make room for your future. She said that you shouldn’t even try organizing anything until you have gone through a process called “shedding.” Organizing is great and useful, she said, but to assume you can just tidy up what you have without thinking about why you have it and what you really want is setting yourself up for failure. It just won’t work.ugg femme

I met with Julie to interview her for my book, “The Best of Everything After 50: The Experts’ Guide to Style, Sex, Health, Money and More.” Her advice was life changing.

How Can We Get Ready for the Rest of Our Lives?

Julie gave me a straightforward process to objectively evaluate where we are in our lives, and decide where we want to be next. There are several steps:

1) Acknowledge that change is happening. Our 50s can be rife with events that can affect how well we prepare for the rest of our lives. Understanding and managing these events can make the difference between having rewarding and meaningful lives as we move forward or not. Some of the more common life-altering experiences that can happen after 50 include:
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Your “I’m really 50?” moment: When Julie entered her 50s, she had a profound and cathartic experience. She realized that she was past the mid-point, and her life wasn’t going to go on forever. The experience was deep and powerful and brought out many different feelings. Julie decided that this was also the time in her life to explore the new and potentially wonderful opportunities that were ahead.
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Your children are leaving home: If your life has been organized around your family, you might feel lost when your children become independent, and then even more so when they eventually move out of your home. This can be a difficult transition for many people over 50, especially women. Some welcome this new phase of life, but others seek to fill the void, often with more stuff.
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Your career is shifting: Perhaps you’ve been laid off due to downsizing. Or you’re changing jobs, going back to work, or doing something completely different. Perhaps you’re happily planning your retirement but are aware that your life will change significantly once you do. Anytime you change roles, your identity can feel threatened, which can disrupt your view of yourself.ugg pas cher

Your marriage is ending, or just beginning: If you’ve been married for many years, or even a few, a shift in this area of your life has profound implications. Even if it is something you wanted, it still can create big changes in your life and sense of self, as does starting a new life with a new person.
Your spouse or another family member becomes ill, disabled or passes on: Illness and death are natural occurrences in life, especially as we get older, but we are never fully prepared. If a spouse dies, your life is irrevocably changed on many levels, and this kind of change can stop you from creating your new life. Caring for an ill spouse or parent can also affect your ability to start the next chapter in your life.