1. Start with the easy stuff.  Eliminate anything that’s broken, damaged, or no longer wanted. Progress in these “easier” parts of your home will help you build momentum and tackle the harder-to-decide areas like the attic, crawl space, or garage.
2. Ask yourself,  If this disappeared tomorrow, would I run out and replace it?  If you wouldn’t miss it or need to replace it, it’s probably not worth keeping.
3. Don’t be a storage unit for others.  If friends or relatives have left things for you to store, it’s time to ask them to pick up their possessions. Set a firm deadline, after which you will donate the items.
4. Ask for help.  Although you can do much of this work on your own, a family member, a good friend, or even a professional organizer can help make the job more manageable.
5. Decide what’s important.  Keep  the items that matter most to you. 
6. Is this something from a lifestyle I no longer have or want?  For example, if you have three cabinets full of plastic containers, but only cook for one or two people, it’s reasonable to eliminate a few plastic sets—and dishes, pots, and pans. 
7. Schedule a regular time each week—or several days a week—to work on rightsizing.  Realize that rightsizing is a life-changing marathon, not a sprint. You didn’t accumulate everything overnight, and you won’t sort it all out overnight, either.
8. Value what you keep.  The fewer things you keep, the more you will treasure and enjoy what you have, instead of tucking items away in a closet or stacked among dozens of other things. These are the select, meaningful items worth having in your personal space.
9. Prevent new collections from forming.  Instead of material gifts, ask people to share time, enjoy new experiences, and help you indulge in special treats that you love and want, but don’t always buy for yourself. 
10. Use age to your advantage.  Now is a great time to give items to family members that you eventually want them to have. Take a photo (preferably a digital one) of your recipients holding their treasured gifts and create a scrapbook of “next generation” memories. These images can serve as powerful reminders of your most cherished items moving forward into posterity with the most special people in your life.

Article courtesy of Seniors Real Estate Specialist Council. Jean Hedren, your NW Wisconsin SRES specialist.