T-O-P Move Management Co-Founder & CEO Helen Ingwersen sure did, and as such she created a collaborative experience designed to help individuals reduce their stress by reducing their stuff – together! As a Portola Valley move management professional and member of the National Association of Senior Move Managers (NASMM)®, Ms. Ingwersen has been supporting families and individuals with relocation, downsizing and organization for years. As a along-standing champion for making transitions easier, she realized that many people desired to simplify their lives as a transition in and of itself - not necessarily in preparation for moving. In response to this need, she created and launched a workshop series titled ‘Declutter & De-Stress’ in late 2019.
Helen shares this story from a workshop participant: Linda D. was one attendee of the workshop series, and she has kindly offered to share her experience below in support of others who may relate to her challenges… and who would love to share in her revelations too! The Backstory: Linda joined the ‘Declutter & De-Stress’ series as someone who “wanted to focus and needed to be held accountable.” As a professional woman in her early 60’s, she was raised among 5 kids in a household that saved everything and lived her life doing the same. Linda’s own collection of items grew to include inheritances from her aunt and parents, as well as items received when helping others downsize. The Challenges Linda shared with us that the amount of stuff she had accumulated over the years had “become way too much.” The hardest part was “admitting there was a problem and then getting started in fixing it.” She and her husband had reached a point where they spent more time looking for things than actually using them. She was more than ready for a change – and discovered that the workshop series provided the methodology, support and deadlines to make it happen. By following the monthly theme of the workshop series, Linda dramatically reduced the number of possessions she had and how she managed new ones coming in. She learned “how important it was to have one place for one category” and loves organizing areas by activity. “I now have zones in my kitchen dedicated for baking, food prep and even my morning coffee; it makes so much sense that my husband knows where to put things away,” Linda reports. Other key takeaways from the sessions included limiting purchases and “letting the stores store the stuff now” and “donating something each time I am given something new.” She also found that less stuff did not mean less enthusiasm; Linda enjoys the things she has more because she can now find them and use them. She is now surrounded by things that she loves, rather than bogged down by things she no longer needs. Linda also points out that she did gain one more thing in the ‘Declutter & De-Stress’ workshop series – a passion for helping others get rid of their stuff too! As someone who has successfully pre-downsized, she enjoys helping others do the same. “If you can make life easier because you want to and not because you have to, why not?” says Linda. It’s hard to argue with that.
If you would like to experience the benefits of less stuff and less stress, T-O-P MoveManagement offers Free workshops via Zoom. Please contact Helen Ingwersen to sign up: helen@topmovemgmt.com.
Helen Ingwersen
T-O-P Move Management, LLC
Making Every Transition Easier
Serving the San Francisco Bay Area
650-269-0662 topmovemgmt.com
Member: National Association of Senior Move Managers
Member: National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals
President: NAPO~SFBA 2012-2013
