Moving in midlife hits different. Actually, it hits harder – way harder. Because we’ve been living in our current homes for quite some time. And the clutter has accumulated. Decades of paperwork, mystery cords, ‘sentimental’ boxes, kids’ stuff, multiple generations of furniture, “good” serving platters, and enough junk drawer contents to stock a small store. It’s all there, waiting politely to accompany you to your new home!

This stuff has quietly built up over the years to the point where you barely even notice it anymore. Until it comes time to pack it up, that is! Ugh. Every client, family member and friend of mine who has ever moved will tell you – they had way more stuff than they thought they did.

It is definitely overwhelming, but a move can be one of the best motivators to finally declutter. Because nothing clarifies what matters like paying to pack, move, unpack, and store things you don’t need or even want.

Here is my advice on how to approach a move from a decluttering perspective. It applies whether you are moving to a bigger home or downsizing to something smaller. If you follow it, you will save a lot of precious time, energy and money on your move!

Start Earlier Than You Think

As soon as you even contemplate the thought of moving in midlife, you should begin decluttering. The earlier you start, the less painful it will be (because you can work in small, sustained efforts) and more smoothly things will go when it comes time to do the actual moving. When my mom had a stroke and had to move to Assisted Living, my dad thought he would be selling their house and moving into a place in her building. Sadly, she passed away before he put the house on the market and with her gone, he decided he would stay in the house a while longer.

We both knew he wasn’t ready to move yet, but we started decluttering anyway. Any time I was over at his house we spent 15-20 minutes decluttering a specific area. It was low-pressure, over quickly and allowed for reflection in between ‘sessions.’ By the time he decided to move, several years later, his house was in pretty good shape. There was still plenty left to do (especially since he was moving to a much smaller place) but we had both built up the decision-making muscle required to get through what was left without much drama.

What I often see is the opposite. People conflate decluttering and packing, thinking they will just declutter as they go. Huge mistake. Decluttering and packing should be mutually exclusive. Packing is logistics. Decluttering is decision-making. Those are two different jobs, and combining them is how people lose their minds during their move. In addition, everyone has more stuff than they think they do. You will be amazed at how much has been stuffed, boxed, hidden and neglected in all of the drawers, closets, storage spaces and cabinets in your home. Even if you are a very organized person who doesn’t tend to accumulate things (or so you thought!)

Sometimes starting early isn’t possible, but usually it is. In fact, you can begin the process of decluttering the buildup in your house before the question of moving out even comes up!

Be More Ruthless Than Usual

Moving in midlife is not the time to err on the side of caution. If in doubt, opt to let it go. Yes, it’s going to feel uncomfortable at first. I’m often reminded of this pearl of wisdom from my triathlon coach, who was re-teaching me the crawl stroke as I trained for my first event: “If it doesn’t feel uncomfortable, you aren’t doing it right.’ That advice applies here. It’s going to feel like a leap of faith at the beginning, but then you’ll get the hang of it. Trust me when I tell you, you won’t miss this stuff in your new home but you will love how clutter-free it feels.

Clutter to look out for as you go:

• Anything expired
• Anything broken
• Duplicates
• Old paperwork
• Clothes that no longer fit
• Unfinished projects
• Decor you don’t like
• Books you’ll never read again.
• Your grown kids’ stuff you’ve been storing for them (for how long?)
• Anything from a bygone era that no longer fits your lifestyle

If you get stuck – ask yourself the very relevant question: ‘Do I really want to pay to move this?’

More advice: make note of your clutter pain points as you go. Tons of re-usable tote bags? Random Tupperware coming out of your ears? Flower vases that could serve a large wedding? These are things to not only declutter, but mentally note so you don’t re-create the same clutter conditions in your new home.

Also: Don’t sweat the small stuff! Drawers full of office supplies, mystery keys of unknown origin, single socks. Don’t waste your precious energy trying to figure out a donation plan for this stuff – you have too much to do. Just get a big black trash bag and empty all that stuff into it. It will feel hard in the moment but I guarantee it will pass (usually in 90 seconds or so.)

Welcome Home, You’re Not Done

Welcome to your beautiful new home, here’s some more decluttering advice! Oh, you thought you were finished? Sorry, but if you are moving in midlife, the decluttering doesn’t end when everything is loaded on the truck. Here’s what to do as you are getting settled to set yourself up for clutter-free success.

As you unpack, look at your belongings with fresh eyes. I bet there will be at least a few things that you realize don’t fit,look good or work in your new place.

Is somebody else taking over holiday-hosting duties but you moved all of your platters, crystal and tablecloths?

Did you bring that file cabinet you’ve had forever, only to realize you don’t need it because you got rid of all the old paperwork living in it?

Five bedrooms worth of linens for a 3 bedroom place?

Keep a moving box or two for donations and fill them up with this stuff as you go. It’s normal to feel differently about certain things when they are in a new context. This last decluttering round is small and fairly painless but makes a huge difference in how your new home feels. 

Moving in midlife is stressful, I know. But, it is also a perfect opportunity to curate your belongings to serve the life you are living today. When you make space for the things that matter, you have more mental and physical room to enjoy them – and that makes for a happy home!

The post Moving in Midlife? Read This Before You Box Anything appeared first on Method Seattle.

One of the reasons midlife is such a great time to declutter is the number of transitions that happen around this time in our lives. In fact, you can strategically use decluttering to approach the transition proactively. That puts you in the driver’s seat both logistically and mentally. 

Midlife transitions usually come with heavy emotions that can be tough to navigate. When you leverage the opportunity to declutter you take back some control of a situation that can feel destabilizing. That sense of control helps you to find the positives of the transition that might otherwise be elusive and focus on them. Let’s take a look at three common midlife transitions that represent the perfect chance to use decluttering as a way through the chaos.

Transition #1: The Empty Nest

The emptying of the nest tends to be the most gradual of midlife transitions. First the kids leave the nest temporarily to attend college, boomeranging back home on breaks. Then as they finish school, some may come back home to live for a stretch. And finally, the last kid moves out and your home is yours again!

So many parents find this transition so emotionally difficult. For two-plus decades our lifestyle revolved around our kids. We still love them to pieces and miss having them around. Keeping their stuff around helps us feel connected to both the young and adult versions of them. This is fine for a while but eventually it becomes a weight that keeps us anchored in the past.

If you make the decision to declutter your empty nest, you’ll experience the happy confluence of a nostalgic romp down memory lane and a view towards an exciting new future. As you curate a collection of memories to save for your kids, you can experience their childhood again. And as you let go of the stuff that isn’t important, you create space to make your home your own again.

Maybe that space is a studio or a home gym. Maybe it’s a gear room for your outdoor adventures or a dedicated office for your work-from-home life. Or maybe you want to leverage your home as an asset on Home Exchange or Trusted Housesitters so extra guest rooms are in order. The point is, your home can play a pivotal role in defining the next phase of your life. So decluttering your empty nest can be both cathartic and illuminating!

Transition #2: Moving

I work with so many clients who are planning a move in midlife. These moves come in all shapes and sizes. Some are preparing for a midlife upgrade to a dream home they’ve been working to afford. Some are downsizing and prioritizing their resources to afford travel or a vacation home. And many are simply relocating to be closer to family and friends.

Whatever the driver, moving is the king of midlife transitions because it reveals just how much stuff we’ve accumulated over the years. Even people who swear they have no clutter are utterly humbled when they begin the packing process and realize how much crap they are paying someone to move for them. It is overwhelming and often paralyzing – that’s when they call me! But here’s the rub: while decluttering all that stuff may feel overwhelming by it’s sheer volume, it is actually creating less work and less waste (time, monetary, energy, etc.) in the overall process. Why? Because you aren’t spending time, money and physical/mental energy moving a bunch of stuff you don’t need and won’t use in your new home. Truth, it will feel like more work initially! But you will coast down the back half of the move like a boss.

Plus, the process itself helps you to clarify what is important to you as you enter this new home and new chapter. As you cast off the old, you make room for the new. Sloughing off all the camping gear you haven’t used in years means you can park 2 cars in your new garage! Casting away all the neglected one-off appliances means your new kitchen counters can be clear and calming. Letting go of all your mismatched bedlinens makes it so easy to set up a beautiful linen closet that is a pleasure to open. You can curate the life you want to live in your new space, plus leave some space for the upgrades you deserve!

Transition #3: Divorce

This midlife transition is no fun for anyone. No matter the circumstances, getting divorced in midlife means dividing up a shared history amidst an avalanche of feelings. It is the most destabilizing of the transitions we are visiting here. There are 3 positives decluttering brings to someone going through a divorce.

First you are taking back control of something at a time when you may be feeling untethered and adrift. Taking control over physical stuff breeds empowerment, which leads to stabilization. Next positive; you often have an extra boost of motivation during a divorce due to the presence of negative energy. Using that negative energy towards a positive outcome is productive. And the truth is you are going to have to go through all of your shared stuff at some point anyway. Doing it now, while you have the motivation is a good way to work through your emotions.

Lastly, decluttering represents an opportunity to divest from anything that carries negative association. What do you want to surround yourself with when you start fresh? What are the things you own that bring you joy, and which ones bring you down? Ridding yourself of the negative associations through decluttering will help accelerate the healing process.

Transitions are essentially clearing away the old to make room for the new. Decluttering is a way to set yourself up for success at the start of something new. Bringing with you what is important from the past with room to grow in a new direction for the future is how you’ll win at these midlife transitions!

The post Navigating Midlife Transitions Using the Power of Decluttering appeared first on Method Seattle.

As the holiday season winds down I find it helpful to jot down some diary notes regarding what worked, what didn’t and how I can make things better (for me!) next year. This practice is ingrained in me from 30 years in retail, where our Holiday season was so important because of its oversized impact on our results for the year.

Now, however, my midlife holiday diary serves Future Me. I love the holidays so much and so it’s important to me that I actually enjoy them. The lesson it took me many years to learn is that more is not better when it comes to December.The more I can declutter from this month, the more energy I have to enjoy everything it has to give. With that filter in mind, I took a few minutes to reflect on what worked for me this December, and what didn’t. Those few minutes will save me hours of energy and anxiety as the 2026 holiday season approaches. Here’s what I learned, perhaps there are some parallels to your own midlife holiday experience!

Lesson 1: The Big Edits Worked

You may remember from an earlier blog that there were 2 big edits I made to my holiday this year. The first was scrapping my born-in-COVID tradition of baking 10 varieties of cookies during the month and gifting them to friends and family. The second was altering and simplifying the menu for Christmas Dinner.

The first midlife holiday diary entry is to note that both edits were a HUGE win. Until I eliminated both, I did not realize the amount of pressure, energy and stress that cookies and a fancy dinner (who knew?) were costing me! My biggest epiphany was that is wasn’t the actual time it took to make the cookies or the Christmas dinner that was stressing me out – it was the anticipation of how much time that was impacting my ability to have fun doing any of the other holiday things (including sitting by my Christmas tree doing nothing!) By editing both activities I freed my mind up to enjoy everything else – and boy did I. I got so many comments from my friends and family about how much more relaxed I seemed this year. Well, apparently that’s what happens when you declutter the things that aren’t serving you!

Lesson 2: Slow December is not a time to be productive

Every year in December my in-home client work slows way down, which is great. This year was no different. I targeted the week of the 15th to finally finish the Digital Photo Organizing Guide I’d been promising for months. With no in-home sessions that should have been no problem, right? Wrong! What I learned (painfully) this year is that the weeks prior to Christmas (and the week after) are not conducive to productivity. I guess I have the midlife adult version of what my kids used to suffer from every December – I used to call it Christmas Crazy. In those weeks my brain is apparently capable of only short spurts of productivity, not in-depth, focused-brain work. Spoiler Alert, I did not finish the Guide (look for it this month!) It mostly cost me some self-flagellation and time I could have spent relaxing. Midlife holiday diary Lesson for next year – don’t plan any massive projects in December, you won’t get far!

Lesson 3: Family Time Can Just Be Time

Having all 3 of our kids home is always a treat that I look forward to at Christmas. And for some reason, across many years I felt the need to schedule something specific to do as a family. Past activities included The Nutcracker, Zoo Lights and an overnight stay in Leavenworth. Each year there would appear some fly in the ointment: (jet lag, COVID, sibling squabbles, rain, etc., etc., etc.) Then I’d get pissed that I spent money and energy planning said activity and everyone wasn’t having a ‘perfect’ time. So this year? I planned nothing. Our Forced Family Fun activity was an hour hike with Gus followed by breakfast out so we could be out of the way on house-cleaning day. And guess what? It was great. And it cost nothing (well, the hike was nothing, and the breakfast was cheap!)

The lesson is that I do not need to plan an ‘extravaganza’ of a holiday activity for us to have a good time. Turns out, we just need each other’s company.

Midlife Holiday Diary: Lessons Learned

I invite you to take a few minutes of your own to reflect and jot down some notes. I am going to use this blog as my holiday diary. I’ll go back to read it as the 2026 holiday season approaches. Prioritizing my own need to enjoy the holidays is still kind of new to me, but I’m learning! And the diary helps to cement the important lessons. Happy New Year!

The post Midlife Holiday Diary: What Worked, What Didn’t appeared first on Method Seattle.

I love to get my Spotify Wrapped each year (although I have notes, if anyone from Spotify is reading) as well all of the replica versions that keep popping up everywhere (all fun, keep ‘em coming!) It’s so satisfying to review the year in full and see the cream that rose to the top. I derive great pleasure from reviewing my reading history for the year and selecting the Top 10 books I loved best. This year I read 40 new books (plus five re-reads and two I didn’t finish) and there were so many good ones, it was hard to narrow down to just ten!

A few notes about my reading preferences:

• I am a woman in midlife and I read a lot of books authored by women about women.
• I like variety and try to mix it up with fiction and non-fiction 
• I love strong characters
• My non-fiction choices are usually dominated by health and aging as well as understanding the brain and behavior
• I read on my device, listen to audio books and while at the beach I like to read a physical book

I believe time to read is one of the greatest joys of midlife. If I rewind fifteen years back the thought of reading 40 new books would have been laughable to 40-year-old me! Of course it was hard to narrow down to just 10 (I guess it always is, and sometimes I can’t do it!) but here they are in countdown form. I’m only reviewing my top picks but am including the others in each category visually for your reference.

#10: How To Read a Book by Monica Wood

The first book I loved best is a layered literary novel about second chances, forgiveness, and chosen family as three unlikely people — including a woman newly released from prison — connect through literature and healing after loss.This is one of many books I read where the setting was Maine. I loved the unlikely relationships and the themes of redemption and forgiveness. Mostly I loved all 3 main characters.

#9: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

Historical fiction that brings 15th‑century China to life through Tan Yunxian, one of the rare female physicians of her era, exploring the bonds of women, medical wisdom, and resilience in a patriarchal world. I have never read anything about 15th century China and this book brought it to life for me. I love historical fiction for that. Often, I think about how much more history I would have absorbed in school if I learned it through the lens of historical fiction!

#8: Stress Resets by Jennifer L. Taitz

Of the books I loved best, this science‑backed toolkit from a clinical psychologist is packed with practical advice you can use on the spot. It contains 75 practical techniques to soothe your body and mind in minutes, offering quick resets for emotional overwhelm and building long‑term resilience. I think everyone should own this book! It’s a perfect pocket guide to help you regulate when difficult emotions threaten to derail you. Practical advice and perfect for anyone who struggles with emotions when decluttering!

#7: My Friends by Fredrik Backman

A character‑driven novel about friendship, the strange and beautiful ways people bond, and how those relationships shape our sense of home, belonging, and ourselves.I am a hugeBackman fan – he is one of two male authors that made my top ten this year. I always love the insight into neuro-divergent minds that is always present in his novels. Also – love books about lifelong friendships.

#6: The Names by Florence Knapp

A thought‑provoking literary novel that weaves together domestic abuse, memory, identity, and the legacy of names, exploring how the stories we carry — and the names we give — shape our lives. It’s got a sliding doors feel (which I love) and I felt like Knapp took a unique approach to the device. It was so intriguing to follow three different story lines over decades – and of course I loved the characters.

#5: Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

A hilarious satirical novel about a Southern town upended when banned books secretly infiltrate a homemade “library,” revealing the transformative power of literature and sparking unexpected change in its residents. Clearly lovingly written by a Southerner – I was smiling the entire time!

#4: Super Agers by Eric Topol, MD

A compelling evidence‑based exploration of longevity, blending cutting‑edge science with practical lifestyle and preventive strategies that show how many of us can extend our health span far into later decades. I’m a fan of Outlive, by Peter Attia, but find him to be a little intense in his style of recommendation. Topol aligns with a lot of what Attia espouses but not all of it, and I like his evidence-based approach. Since I am focused on not having the strokes I saw my mother and grandmother die from – I read a lot about longevity and health span, this one was fantastic!

#3: This American Woman by Zarna Garg

First – if you don’t follow Zarna on the socials you should – that’s how I discovered her. This is a witty, hilarious and heartfelt memoir from Zarna about motherhood, identity, cultural expectations, and finding humor in the messy, beautiful parts of life. She has a compelling story and I was laughing through tears at many parts of the book (including on a run one day where my crying caused me to hyperventilate – thank goodness no one was around when that happened!) The other thing I loved about this memoir was the reinvention story. That resonated for me because I’m on a similar journey myself! Lots of cues to take from Zarna – she’s a go-getter!

#2: Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstein

A heartfelt coming‑of‑age story about a young girl navigating family, identity, and belonging in the American South during slavery, marked by vivid characters and emotional honesty. I was riveted all the way through. It’s another example of historical fiction that puts you in the center of the experience. I’ve recommended this book to everyone I know and received rave reviews from those who’ve read it. So, so good!

#1: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon

My favorite book of the year. Of all the books I loved best, this one holds the top spot because of how riveted I was. It’s a gripping historical narrative inspired by true events, following the relentless mid‑18th‑century frontier mystery of a missing woman along Maine’s frozen river and the characters drawn into her fate. In case you couldn’t tell, historical fiction is my jam. Holy Moly I was up waaaay late under the covers with this book! I will be reading everything Lawhon has written and will try not to unfairly compare them to this masterpiece but I must say, my expectations will reflexively be high!

I hoped you liked reviewing this list of the books I loved best as much as I liked writing it! For your convenience I’ve assembled a curation of all 40 titles I read in my Amazon Storefront, with my 10 favorites at the top of the list. I’m so excited for a new year of reading in midlife!

The post The Top 10 Books I Loved Best This Year (out of 40!) appeared first on Method Seattle.

Thanksgiving weekend is over and it’s time to declutter your holiday before the volume knob turns all the way up over the next 3 weeks! What does that look like? Well, I have a few suggestions of things you can do to simplify your holiday and increase your ability to enjoy the beauty of the season as it was originally intended.

These suggestions come primarily from my own life experience and that of my friends, family and clients. In midlife we are better positioned to identify what is truly important and what we’ve been keeping around via reflex. If you devote a minimal amount of effort to make a few small shifts, the resulting effect on your holiday state of mind can be exponential. Welcome to this month’s Mixed Bag – let’s dig in!

Declutter Your Holiday Cards

Let’s begin with an easy edit. Those holiday cards you’ve been holding on to for decades are likely taking up quite a bit of space in your home. There are two kinds of holiday cards I am referring to:

• The cards you receive from friends and family 
• The leftover cards that you send each year of your own family

I recognize that these both feel illegal to get rid of. Why is that exactly? Because they contain images of people we love and tossing their sweet faces in the recycle bin seems callous and rude! But here’s the thing – it’s not. Those cards aren’t the actual people, they are just images.

If you would like to preserve the images of your friends’ kids growing up over time, may I suggest digitizing the cards instead of keeping the physical copies. That way you get the best of both worlds; you preserve the past and declutter at the same time!

I went through this process myself a few years ago. Back in the day, I pasted all of the holiday cards we received into an album. When I ran out of space in the album, I moved on to a shoe box. When the box filled up, I grabbed a second shoe box. And so on, and so on, and so on! Oh, and I had 2 drawers in my office filled with the ‘extras’ of the family cards I sent out over the years. These cards that I had been keeping around were now taking up a material amount of space in my home and there was no end in sight (as Christmas continues to come year after year!) It was time to prioritize my space instead of the mountains of cards that I never looked at. So into the recycle bin they all went. I haven’t missed them!

Declutter Your Holiday Decorations

The next Declutter Your Holiday assignment is your holiday decor. You are pulling everything out now (if you haven’t already), which is often the hardest part of the process. While you have everything out in the open, take the opportunity to separate the following categories:

• Anything Broken
• Anything you don’t care for
• Anything you didn’t put out last year (or the year before, or the year before)

Now, the broken stuff can go straight into the trash. And the rest can go into the donation bag/box. Put that box in the back of your car and the next time you are doing errands, swing by your favorite donation drive-thru and drop it off. Done and dusted!

This year I focused on an ornament purge. We have WAY too many ornaments and so many of them are left after the tree is full. As we were decorating, I pulled aside ornaments that our dog had damaged and the ‘rejects’ that haven’t made it to the tree in multiple years. Also, there were several that I bought years ago in a frantic moment when I thought I needed more shiny ball ornaments. The only ones Target had that day were striped and so ugly, but I bought them anyway?  There is no reason to keep them – so they went into the donation box. I’m going to do the same exercise when we take things down, because I know my kids hung  a few that were supposed to be in the donation pile. (Diary note for next year, do my purge before they get into the ornament boxes!)

Declutter Your Holiday Traditions

Last but not least – let’s do a quick declutter of your holiday traditions. I’m sure you have at least one that isn’t serving you. Is there an event you’ve ‘always’ gone to that seems like a chore? An activity you put in a lot of effort to keep up that no one else seems to appreciate? A gathering that includes a bunch of folks who bring you down instead of lift you up?

Everyone has something they can edit. I’m not advocating you wipe out your entire holiday agenda, just make a few cuts here and there so you have more time to relax and enjoy the activities that are important enough to keep.

Here are two fresh examples from my holiday season. In 2020 we were in the throes of the pandemic and Christmas was cancelled. I LOVE Christmas and wanted to offset my sadness with a holiday-related activity. So I decided to make 10 different varieties of holiday cookies, box them up and deliver them to all of my family and friends. This helped me feel festive and connected to my people. It was a lot of work, but there was a lot I couldn’t do so I was grateful to focus on baking. My people gave the cookies rave reviews so I continued the tradition the next year and each December since 2020. The difference is that the other holiday traditions that fell off the calendar 5 years ago are now back on. And like I said, those cookies took a lot of work! Last year I found myself dreading the cookie-making instead of enjoying it. It caused me stress instead of joy. So this year I’m not doing it!

Example number 2: Christmas Dinner. We host a huge fondue party on Christmas Eve. It’s my favorite part of the holiday season and I love to do it. We also host a much smaller family gathering for Christmas dinner the next day. I’ve taken great pains to make a fabulous meal, inclusive of multiple dishes that feel special and traditional. The problem is, now that I’m in midlife I’m pretty tired after the fondue party. While the rest of my family is lounging around, enjoying their Christmas Day, I’m striking the set from the night before, re-scaping the table for the family party and slaving away in the kitchen in hours before they arrive. I’m exhausted and not very much fun when they arrive.

So – I’m decluttering the complicated meal this year. I’m going to make a lasagna the week before and stick it in the freezer. Then all I’ll have to do is pull it out and stick it in the oven. I’ll get several hours of my Christmas Day time back – and that feels like heaven. 

You’ve Got This!

Each year I find one or two holiday things that need decluttering. And when I edit them, it feeds my holiday spirit anew. I encourage you to try it! Remember, you can start small – maybe just the cards this year. Even a small shift can make a big difference in your ability to enjoy this special season!

The post Declutter Your Holiday: Simple Midlife Shifts for a More Joyful Season appeared first on Method Seattle.

I have to say, when you help others declutter, write about it weekly and live it as a lifestyle it can be especially challenging to give gifts! I am not a worrier by nature and yet I can’t stop wondering if a gift I give will end up as clutter. Throw in the fact that I’m now in midlife and many of the people I exchange gifts with are the same folks I’ve given gifts to for decades and it’s a wonder I get any gift shopping done at all!

I have written blogs in past years about clutter-free gifts, and I do often give truly experiential gifts within my family. But at the end of the day I’ve had to take some of my own advice usually reserved for decluttering. That is, do your best to be thoughtful, give the gift with love and detach from the post-gift outcome. I do my best to be thoughtful and intentional and then let the rest go.With that in mind, this blog is a gifting guide stemming from my own experience as a gift-giver and gift-receiver. It includes the gifts I’ve given that have been well-received, the gifts I’ve received that I’ve loved, and the gifts I’m giving this year. I’ve included links to everything for your convenience. Please note that on many of the items I receive an affiliate commission. I didn’t choose them because of the commission, I assure you! I hope you find some inspiration in this list and it makes your clutter-free gift giving odyssey a little bit easier this year!

Clutter-Free Gifts I’ve Given

These are the gifts I’ve given to multiple people, on multiple occasions, sometimes more than once! With one exception, I own every one of them myself as well. They have been well-received by various genders and ages and receive high marks on the quality scale.

The first is the Aura Digital Frame. This was my big inspiration last year and everyone from my dad to my in-laws to my husband received one at some point. Digital frames have been around for a while, obviously – but this one takes the experience to a whole other level. You can pre-load pictures without opening the box, perfect for gift-giving! The images are the highest quality resolution. The frame design is sleek and comes in multiple sizes and colors. The best thing about the digital frame though, is that it is a vehicle to actually enjoy the thousands of photos we’ve all accumulated over time. It’s surprise and delight every time you walk by.

Next up is the Ember Smart Mug. This was on my list last year and I loved it so much I decluttered a bunch of my old mugs and proceeded to give Embers to multiple friends and family members. The Ember mug keeps your coffee or tea at the perfect temperature for the whole time you are drinking it. It won’t burn your mouth, it won’t get cold – it’s like the Goldilocks of mugs! It comes in two sizes and multiple colors.

Bombas socks have been high on my gift-giving and receiving) list for years. They are the best athletic socks I’ve ever known (and I’ve sampled a lot of brands.) I’ve given them to my husband who is also hooked), my kids, my friends, their kids. It’s hard to find someone who hasn’t received Bombas from me! Over the years they have branched out beyond just athletic socks and I have many styles on my list for Santa this year. They also have a giving mission and donate one pair of socks for every one you buy. Home run!

Graeter’s ice cream is a company out of Cincinnati that ships their ice cream products all over the US. I heard about them from Wirecutter. Last year I gave an ice cream ‘party’ to a couple of families and the response was resoundingly positive! Especially good for folks who have a house full of guests for the holidays, fun for them and a load off for the hosts!

Last but not least, this list would not be complete without the gift I’ve been giving for decades. I’ve had to dial down my own glassybaby giving over the years because my friends all have full collections now! If you are unfamiliar, glassybabies are hand-blown glass votives. The company originated here in Seattle and, like Bombas, they’ve had a giving mission from the start. They give 10% from every purchase to non-profits that help people, animals and the planet. I own over 100 of them myself, and enjoy their color and light on a daily basis!

Clutter-Free Gifts I’ve Received

One of the reasons I declutter in midlife is to make room for upgrades. I feel at this juncture of my life that I’ve worked hard and deserve the best. Less things, higher quality. These are some of the gifts I’ve received that make midlife a pleasure.

I first saw a Marshall speaker at the home of my best friend and instantly fell in love. It’s the look and feel of vintage combined with modern excellence in sound. My husband gifted me one that sits in my office. When I’m writing I stream calming classical as I work. I am delighted every time I look at the speaker. It’s my ideal: functional and beautiful.

Slippers are a common holiday gift, and there are many fine choices out there Bombas has a cute pair!) However, my menopausal feet are too hot for slippers – boo. And yet, I want to feel cozy at home. Enter these Birkenstock Shearling sandals. They are adorable.They keep my feet cozy but my toes are constantly exposed to keep me from over-heating. Plus, obviously such a comfortable footbed!

I’m kind of sick of talking about my weighted vest, except that I’m still talking about it all the time. (Betting that my 83 year old dad won’t read this blog, but he’s getting one from me this year!) Maybe it’s cliche (mid-fifties white woman extoles virtues of weighted vests) but I really do believe in the benefits. If you strip back all of the hubbub and the studies, here’s what I know. Serious hikers for decades have trained for challenging hikes by carrying weighted rucksacks. Adding some weight to your daily walking habit is such a good thing – especially for women in midlife who are at risk of muscle loss. I love my weighted vest – and I’m betting my dad will too!

Speaking of muscle loss, what about muscle soreness? My friends gifted me a Therbody Mini massager for my birthday a couple of years ago. I had seen its large counterpart before but it was large and awkward-looking. This guy is small and elegant and fits beautifully in my hand. I use it regularly for recovery from workouts and it helps so much with muscle soreness. It’s the gift that keeps on giving!

Lastly, I’m plugging this jacket from one of my favorite brands, Vuori. I got my Canyon jacket two years ago for Christmas and I love it so much I’m asking Santa for a second color this year. I love this jacket because it’s mid-weight so I can layer (or not!), has roomy zip pockets, and best of all, it has no hood so I can layer it over my many hooded sweatshirts! They were smart and offer many colors this year – how will I ever choose?

Clutter-Free Gifts I’m Giving This Year

Every year I like to gift books – they are my go-to, especially when I’m not feeling inspired by anything else. I’m revealing more gift choices for family members publicly here, but that tells you how often my family actually reads this blog 😂 If anyone out there is proving me wrong, spoiler alert!

For my husband I’m gifting Happy Go-Lucky by David Sedaris. I recently took him to see David speak and Jay was immediately taken with him as most are. So now he can continue to be entertained with dry wit as I am! For my brother I’m giving Giants beat-writer Alex Pavlovic’s book, The Franchise – a modern history of The San Francisco Giants. I realize most of you probably don’t care about my baseball team, but for those who do, this book is fun frolic through the championship years and beyond. My brother will love it! And for my girlfriends I’m giving Michelle Obama’s latest book, The Look. It’s an evolution of her style and my girlfriends love Michelle and her style! My sister-in-law will be getting my favorite novel of 2025, The Frozen River, by Ariel Hawthorne. (Stay tuned for my full Top Ten list.)

Back to Vuori, it’s not just for women, they do great work for men too! My husband’s daily uniform is garment-dyed denim, a patterned button-down and a vest. He has the classic Patagonia in many colors but lately I’ve been infusing his vest collection with some Vuori as well. He won’t be surprised but he will be very pleased!

And my grown kids? Well, they like to send me links – which I appreciate. Several years ago I gave up the ghost on the last minute scramble to stuff their stockings after finding stuffers from years past in their rooms, neglected. Done with that clutter cluster! Now I stock their stockings with fun bath/skincare products I know they use like Kopari Hair & Body Mists and Patchology Eye Patches. The point is to let them lead and not over-do it just to fill the stocking. Less is more!

I’ve got most of this stuff organized in my LTK shop (you can follow me here) for easy reference. Additionally, several are also in my Amazon storefront (which you can visit here.) In any case, I hope this list inspired you or at least entertained you! Happy Clutter-Free Gifting to All!

The post My Clutter-Free Gifts to Give (and Get!) in Midlife appeared first on Method Seattle.

I’m writing this the morning after the Dodgers won their 2nd World Series in a row. I have to say, it’s been a rough 12 hours (and that includes sleeping!) I won’t go into the many reasons why I’m sad (I’m a die-hard Giants fan, the richest team is winning, I can’t stand Blake Snell, etc.) But it’s times like this that I need to call on specific strategies to get me out of the mental slump. These boosting strategies are not just for baseball fans – they can come in very handy when you are decluttering, too. Oh and maybe your main focus right now is merely getting through the upcoming holiday season with your nerves intact. In that spirit, I’ve decided to use this month’s Mixed Bag to share them. Take what you need and leave the rest – welcome to the November Mixed Bag!

Boosting Strategy No. 1: Give Yourself a Hug

Well, not a physical hug (though I guess you could if it works for you!) What I mean is a figurative hug. Something that makes you feel warm and loved when the going is rough. There are multiple ways to accomplish this. 

One of my favorite boosting strategies is watching a favorite movie I’ve seen a million times, one where the characters feel like old friends. Or if you don’t have a list of your own, you could pick from one of mine below:

Something To Talk About

You’ve Got Mail

First Wives Club

The Way Way Back

Dan in Real Life

And if you have a stressful family holiday in your future, I recommend Home For The Holidays.

Another comforting way to give yourself a hug is through music. If you’re glumly going through mundane chores like folding laundry, cleaning or paying bills, a good playlist can help boost your mood. I’ve created this one on Spotify – you are welcome to use it (looking at you, Blue Jays fans.) Music is powerful, so tapping into its magic is really effective. Which is why I always recommend it as a backdrop for decluttering!

And lastly, if you just need a quick boost – I discovered a book this year called The Comfort Book. It has helped me through many a blue day. Curl up on the couch with this puppy for a few minutes and I guarantee you will feel at least marginally better!

Boosting Strategy No. 2: Say It Out Loud

This boosting strategy requires a bit of context. When you are feeling weighed down by emotions that are preventing you from doing what you need to do – talk to yourself. Yes, you read that right. I know it sounds weird, but hear me out.

Talking to yourself out loud sends a signal to the part of your brain that controls reason and fires it up. So arguing with an uncomfortable feeling or telling yourself what you’re going to do next literally helps you do the thing that’s hard to do. Here’s a decluttering example:

You’re considering decluttering something you haven’t used in years but you spent a lot of money on it back in the day. As you are thinking about the ‘lost’ money you remind yourself (out loud) – ‘Carrie, the money was gone when you spent it 10 years ago and keeping this thing is not going to bring it back.’

I also like to use it as a productivity booster when I’m not feeling motivated. I will literally tell myself what to do next: ‘I am now going to go over to the piano and practice for 30 minutes.’ And as a bonus, once you’ve used this booster a few times you are actually forging new neural pathways in your brain, which make it easier the next time you have to do a hard thing!

Boosting Strategy No. 3: A Countdown

I am a planner at heart, which means I’m always looking ahead. One of the boosting strategies I love to employ when I need to get my ass in gear is to give myself a countdown of how many days I have left before I need to get something done. It’s a booster that spurs me to action, and action is where the magic happens. Here are a few examples of how I’m using this booster for the holiday season ahead.

• 53 days until I play 3 Christmas carols on the piano while my friends and family sing along
• 24 days to refresh & prep my guest spaces before houseguests arrive
• 33 days left to make reservations and buy tickets for my weekend in NYC with my daughter

When I write these down it gives me comfort (because I have time) and also spurs me to get going (because I don’t have that much time!)

If you’ve had a decluttering project on your list for this year that is still stubbornly sitting in draft form, let me give you a countdown. You have 60 days left in 2025 to get it done! Granted, there are some pretty busy days in there but if you break the project down into smaller pieces that’s plenty of time to get it done!

We all need boosting strategies to help get us out of the mental valleys we experience from time to time. The holiday season (or a World Series loss!) can be a pretty deep valley – hoping you can use one or all of these strategies to give yourself a boost!

The post November Mixed Bag: 3 Boosting Strategies to Lift Your Mood and Motivation This Season appeared first on Method Seattle.

If you are in midlife and paying rent on a storage unit you’ll definitely want to read this all the way through. I’m going to attempt to persuade you to ditch it! Don’t get me wrong, there are some really good reasons to have a storage unit. However, in my experience what starts out as a temporary situation extends for years, then decades, and finally, painfully, ends upon the event of your death.

Mostly, we enter into contract on a storage unit for valid reasons:

• A relative passes away and you have neither time nor energy to properly deal with their belongings
• There isn’t room in your current home for certain pieces of furniture that you would like to use in a future, larger space
• Your current home is short on storage for things you only use seasonally, like large sprts equipment or holiday decorations

But then time goes by and some combination of the following scenarios happens:

1. The stuff in the storage unit moves into ‘out-of-sight-out-of-mind’ territory. And because it’s a big job to deal with, we avoid it.
2. A temporary living situation becomes permanent, with no acknowledgement that the storage unit is housing a bunch of stuff that we will never use.
3. As we continue to acquire more things, we offload what won’t fit and relegate it to the storage unit

If any of this feels familiar I’ve hopefully secured your attention. It’s time to divest of your storage unit. The reasons are many, but here are the 3 most compelling for your consideration.

It’s Costing You money

This is the most compelling reason to ditch your storage unit. It is a drain on your resources. Even if you have plenty of resources to waste – there are so many better ways to use that money. One idea, hire a professional organizer to help you declutter and clear it out. Investing x months of storage payments to finally rid yourself of the storage unit will save you years of rent down the road. Plus, a professional will make the job less overwhelming and painful.

What if there is some stuff in there you’d actually like to keep? You can do some decluttering at home to make space for the things that matter. But the stuff you are keeping out of obligation or guilt? The things you are never going to use? It makes zero sense to pay money to store it.

It’s Future Work For Your Kids

If you do nothing about that storage unit, someday someone is going to have to deal with it. If you have children, this fun job will likely fall to them. Is that what you want?

Many people learn this lesson when their own parents pass away and they are tasked with disposing of decades of belongings. When you are dealing with grief it makes that job twice as difficult. Layer a storage unit on top of the primary residence and now it’s 10x the effort and energy..

Better for you to handle the job now, while you have energy and strength. If there are things in the storage unit you have been saving for your children, get their input on whether they really want them. If they aren’t interested, don’t take it personally – it’s usually a generational thing. They will love and appreciate you more for not saddling them with the burden of decluttering the storage unit when your time comes.

It’s A Silent Weight On Your Mind

Technically, I’m classifying the stuff in your storage unit as clutter because you don’t use it. I referred to storage units as out of sight, out of mind earlier in this post, but you know better, right?

We know from multiple studies that clutter negatively impacts mental health. Storage unit clutter is the most insidious kind. Even though you forget about it for long stretches, it subconsciously haunts the back of your mind. Surface clutter in your home can be a problem, but your proximity to the clutter makes it less of a pain to deal with. The storage unit is worse because it lurks in your psyche as an overwhelming project that feels bigger every time you put it off.

Even if you access your storage unit on occasion, it’s a pain to use! It’s a dreary errand that you most certainly do not look forward to, and that is a weight on your psyche as well.

What To Do About It?

Let’s face it, you probably already knew all the reasons why it’s a good idea to ditch your storage unit. What’s stopping you is the size of the project. There are a couple of approaches that will help you kill the overwhelm and follow through.

The first one is to break the project down into smaller parts. For instance:

Step 1: Visit Storage Unit and take inventory

Step 2: Record the actions that you’ll need to take in list form: (soliciting feedback from kids, making decisions about what stays and what goes, plan for donations, plan for transportation, declutter to make space in your home, etc.)

Step 3: Take only one or two actions at a time until you complete the list

The second approach I already mentioned earlier: get the help of a Professional Organizer. An objective third party can support you with decision-making, provide structure and accountability and help things move quickly. It’s absolutely worth the money.

Whatever your approach, the feeling of lightness you experience when that storage unit is off of your books and your psyche is amazing. If you’d like to hear more from me on this subject, I talk about it at length on Glennda’s Guru podcast.

You can do this – I’m cheering you on!

The post Midlife Clutter: 3 Reasons It’s Time to Ditch the Storage Unit appeared first on Method Seattle.

Back To School is a whole different vibe in midlife. Gone are the days of scrambling to fill school supply lists, prying kids out of bed and of course the ubiquitous First Day of School picture. Instead college kids leaving, Pumpkin Spice lattes and the annual appearance of mums alert us to its presence.  My own Midlife Back to School is still ruled by the grade school calendar because my husband is an educator. His mental ramp up to the first day of school and the student stories he brings home still put me in the Back To School mood, even though our own kids are mostly done. It’s a time to refresh, reconnect and kick off a new season. I find it energizing and am always ready to bid farewell to summer and welcome fall.

Here’s what my Midlife Back To School looks like in 2025 – Welcome to this month’s Mixed Bag!

Get Organized HQ

Want to hype yourself up for your Midlife Back To School? There is an amazing virtual conference I’d like to personally invite you to. It’s called Get Organized HQ and it’s happening September 8-11. It’s a virtual event with free classes on everything related to organizing and decluttering your life, offered by over 100 speakers.

This event draws over 100K women every year, and I’m thrilled to be on the speaker roster. The conference organizers specifically sought out speakers focused on the unique challenges of midlife (spoiler alert, we are a huge group) and there should be more than enough content to inspire you to action, whatever your current struggles may be. My class is called Exactly How to Organize Your Grown Kids’ Stuff. This topic is near and dear to my heart, and it’s one I get daily questions about on social media.

I also love the timing of this event. If you’ve still got kids around, they are back in school. It’s early in the season, leaving you plenty of runway to take action on what you’ve learned. And it feels so good to be surrounded by a community of women who are going through the same stuff you are. Trifecta!

The Free Pass gets you access to all of the classes in their scheduled time slots (mine is 9/11 8:00am ET.)  But if you’d like lifetime access to watch any of the classes at your own pace, in your own time you can also purchase an All Access Pass for $39. In my opinion that’s an amazing value. Either way – I hope you’ll join me in my first year participating!

Back To School Nesting

My Midlife Back To School affords me a little more time for nesting activities. Nesting is another thing that brings me joy and gets me in the mood for Fall! I target specific areas to declutter (this year it’s my back mudroom shelves.) I switch out my summer throw pillows for their fall counterparts. And most fun of all, I replace my summer glassybaby color story with a new, more muted palette.

For me, nesting is the act of priming my home for the season when I’m inside a lot. It’s about creating a space that can be an escape from work, the weather or anything else in the outside world (the news?!) that makes me feel tired. Nesting is a way to intentionally enjoy the comforts of my home and get out from under the burdens of daily life. 

Will your home wrap you in a warm hug during the fall season? If the answer is no, decluttering could be your secret weapon to flip the script. Decluttering gives you a feeling of control and empowers you to take back the reins from all the clutter that has built up over the years. It’s energizing and can rev you up for the season ahead! If you’d like to declutter but want some structure and support to help guide you through the process, you should check out my Beginner’s Decluttering Blueprint. In any case, I hope you’ll join me in some midlife nesting this month!

Bicentennial Homecoming

Midlife Back To School means making the trip to celebrate your Alma Mater’s bicentennial Home coming game! Yes, I will head back to Lafayette College in Easton, PA to root on the Leopards against Princeton. More importantly, I’m excited to connect with so many of my college friends on the campus that holds so many important memories for me.

As I finalized my plans for the trip and discussed details with my girlfriends on our pledge class group chat, I reflected on something that comes up in my coaching practice over and over again.

Taking the time to connect in person and relive memories with real people who shared my experience is so much more important than keeping a bunch of stuff. Sure it’s annoying that I don’t have any of my old Lafayette sweatshirts or tees. But I can buy a new one now! Yes, it was cool to find my picture in the yearbooks. But it’s cooler to see the people in those photos in real life! And I’m apparently going to tour my sorority house, which will be fun. Much better than saving the dozens of wooden, painted, bubble-lettered artifacts from my sorority years.

Long way of saying – now that I’m in midlife, the experiences take much higher priority than the things. Go ‘Pards!

Let’s hit the Back To School ground running this month – the midlife vibes are strong, folks!

The post September Mixed Bag: Midlife Back To School appeared first on Method Seattle.

I’ve been helping my dad declutter in preparation for a move. This month on the blog I’m sharing some of the many lessons learned through the process. This week, here’s some sincere advice: If you’re helping your parents, be prepared for the downsize ripple effect! It’s highly likely that a lot of the stuff leaving their house will be coming to yours. 

There are a couple of contributing factors here. The first is your own desire to adopt things that are meaningful to you. Or display items that you particularly admire in your own home. The second is your parents’ discomfort in  letting things go. If you take something home then it isn’t really gone from their orbit.

But add but factors together and you are talking about a material influx of things entering your home. And since you’re in midlife yourself that is just adding to the decades of buildup that already exists.

Don’t panic! I have 3 pieces of good advice that will help you navigate the situation with grace and seamlessly integrate the new treasures into your home.

Mentally Prepare & Set Boundaries

If you can successfully anticipate the downsize ripple effect, you will save yourself a lot of grief. Acknowledge early that  the decluttering will not end at your parents’ house. Think of things you might like to have if your parents will no longer have room for them. Accept that you will likely have some work to do at your house as well. This will mostly spare you some feelings of resentment towards your parents for dumping a bunch of stuff in your lap.

That said, it’s important to also set boundaries. I’m not only referring to spatial boundaries. I’m referring to the art of gently refusing to take things that you have no personal attachment to. There are going to be things that are meaningful to your parents but not to you. There are things that are ‘perfectly good’ that your parents want to give you so they can continue to be used (even though you won’t use them.) These are opportunities to draw a line in the sand. That way, a bunch of stuff is not needlessly moved and consigned to a dusty pile in your basement.

I acknowledge that setting boundaries is ‘says easy, does hard.’ You may not win every battle. But in having the courageous conversation at all, you are planting little seeds of change that will begin to sprout and grow as you continue the decluttering journey.

Make Room

If you’ve mentally prepared for the downsize ripple effect, you can now take a look at your own house and make some assessments. There may be some furniture re-arranging to make room for a new piano. If there are family photo albums coming home with you, declutter a shelf or cabinet so they are accessible and have a designated home. Surely there are plenty of unused items that can exit the premises. Take this opportunity to clean up your side of the street. 

If you do some of this work ahead of time, you’ll be able to put the stuff away as soon as you bring it home. Then you eliminate the risk of all of your ‘new’ things cluttering up your counters and tables for weeks on end.

Enjoy, Don’t Just Store

This is kind of back to the first piece of advice, but the downsize ripple effect can have a positive impact on your home if you make your new (old) treasures visible or accessible. In other words, don’t just bring back a bunch of stuff that’s going to sit in a box until you decide to downsize yourself! That’s a complete waste of energy and defeats the purpose of keeping it around in the first place! If you are really curating down to a few meaningful items they can actually make your home better. 

Hang the art. Digitize the photos. Create a designated home for memorabilia that is easily accessible. That way you’ll be more likely to visit the memories on occasion. If they are consigned to a box in the closet no one will ever enjoy them. If that’s the case, why are you keeping them in the first place?

You’ve Got This

Your parents will notice and appreciate the fact that you have not just accepted these things, but have integrated them in a way that shows you actually treasure them. This means more than any of the initial boundary-setting that made them so uncomfortable. 

My home benefitted hugely from the downsize ripple effect. I inherited our family’s heirloom baby grand, which led me to rearranging our living room furniture. I replaced the IKEA bookshelf in my office with a gorgeous Antique Japanese Mizya Tanzu Chest, and a wooden cat sculpture that delighted my children for years from its perch on my parents hearth has a new home by our fireplace. The upgrades from my dad’s home led to some major decluttering (and a call to the junk hauler for the broken IKEA shelving!) But now I can enjoy some things that I love and that remind me of my parents!

The post From Their House to Yours: Managing the Downsize Ripple Effect appeared first on Method Seattle.