As everyone might remember, I used to dream of having a massive, Beauty and the Beast style library, completely with slide-y ladders. But all that changed…

when the fire nation attacked.
No, I kid.
When we bought the house in Maryland, Kevin and I figured we were done. We were going to settle in, find homes for all our stuff, and live happily ever after.
Except it turned out that we hated being stuck in a single-family home.
So we started downsizing. Now our goal isn’t to have the biggest and most satisfying library in the world (not without some pangs, I’ll admit), but to be streamlined so we can move whenever the urge strikes.
Mind you, I’ll never be the kind of person who can live out of a suitcase and just pick up and go. I have emotional attachments to things and, frankly, I just like my stuff. Fight me. But I still like knowing that my books fit on three bookcases and everything I own fits tidily in the space I have, with a little space leftover in case I find A Thing I really want. So every so often I wander around and

If you’re a downsizing type person but you don’t know where to start, may I suggest this One Weird Trick?
(I’m sorry.)
Audiobooks.
Not just any audiobook, mind you. It has to be about organizing or downsizing or something related. Fortunately, the library has a gazillion of ’em, so it’s just a matter of finding the ones you like. I’m a fan of Marie Kondo’s The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and Decluttering at the Speed of Life, by Dana K. White. I find it important to find an audiobook that isn’t super judgmental. There are a not-insignificant number of organizational guides out there where the writing is kind of mean. Go ahead and KonMari those out of your life–you don’t need that kind of negativity.
Then comes the cool part. When I kind of want to be productive but don’t know where to start, I just begin playing one of those audiobooks. The narrator does her thing, telling me about how the author got into the organizational business and slowly I start thinking “Oh hey, I haven’t been through the cups cupboard. I wonder if there’s anything in there I could donate?” Then maybe I find something to donate, or a few dishes that need washing.
And we’re off.
Just listening to an organizing professional talk about their process makes me want to get up and be productive. It’s like magic!

How do you inspire yourself to Get The Thing Done? Are you a KonMari fan? Or do you love the sudden explosion of great stuff at Goodwill? Let me know–or better yet, share some pictures of your finds/before and afters!